AI Tools I Actually Use
Typeless Keyboard - it’s so much better to use voice to interact with AI rather than the keyboard. Wisper Flow is very popular, but I prefer Typeless. The main game changer on the phone is that it has a quick edit button to allow you to edit your inputs in a more intuitive way. Very often we type something and then we want to change it. The Quick Edit button allows you to do exactly that and to transform whatever your original text was on the fly. This feature alone sets it apart from all other voice-to-text apps. On the computer, aside from the quick key to input, it also has quick access to AI. I use the Function + Spacebar command quite a lot.
Obsidian - About four years ago, I switched to Obsidian after two years as a paid Notion user. It was the best decision I ever made; I realized that many important notes I wanted to export from Notion required extensive rework due to its proprietary markdown formats. Today, I use Obsidian daily to manage my tasks, events, projects, and knowledge base. The absolute best part of using Obsidian is that I can link it to a local LLM, allowing for completely private AI chats without worrying about my personal information being exposed to corporations. So although Obsidian itself is not an AI tool, it is an indispensable part of my AI toolbox.
Alfred - I’ve been using Alfred for almost a decade now. Its keyboard shortcuts are built into my muscle memory. If I ever use a Mac without it, I find that it’s very hard to use. In particular, for AI coding and terminal use, I have saved a ton of snippets into the Snippets shortcuts. Especially regularly used terminal commands and Git commands. I really recommend taking the time to learn how to use all the features in Alfred. Once mastered, it becomes essential for maximizing productivity in your everyday use of the Mac. (Others Text Expansion Tools: Raycast and Text Expander)
Obsidian Copilot Plugin - The Obsidian Copilot plugin is by far the best way to integrate an LLM model into your Obsidian vault. It is a privacy-first LLM implementation in Obsidian. Additionally, Logan Yang (the developer) and his team are innovating at lightning speed to come up with features that really give me a lot of confidence that this singular tool is all you need to leverage the power of AI together with your private and valuable notes.
Vercel - A cloud platform for deploying and hosting frontend applications with zero configuration. It excels at static site generation, serverless functions, and edge computing, making it ideal for Next.js, React, and other Jamstack projects. I use it to instantly deploy “vibe-coded” apps from GitHub repos to custom domains (e.g., decision.brianwong.com) and host serverless scripts like my Telegram-to-Obsidian bot. Automatic previews for every Git push, global CDN, and seamless scaling make it a go-to for rapid prototyping without DevOps hassle. Free tier is generous for personal projects.
Syncthing - Open-source, peer-to-peer continuous file synchronization tool that keeps folders in sync across devices (Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS) without a central cloud server. It uses secure, encrypted connections for private, efficient syncing—ideal for Obsidian vaults, code repos, or any folder. Set it up once via web GUI, approve devices, and it runs in the background with versioning, conflict resolution, and bandwidth controls. No storage limits or subscriptions; perfect for local-first workflows like my Obsidian + Quartz setup. Free and privacy-focused alternative to Dropbox/iCloud.
Quartz - Open-source static site generator that turns Obsidian vaults into beautiful, fast personal websites with zero-config publishing. It syncs your Markdown notes directly to a live site via Git, supporting themes, search, feeds, and plugins for blogs, wikis, or portfolios. I use Quartz v4 to publish my Obsidian vault effortlessly—write in Obsidian daily, push to Git, and the world sees instant updates. Setup involves terminal and VS Code tweaks (Tailscale for private sync), but once running, it’s a seamless “mind-to-web” pipeline. Free, local-first, and perfect for knowledge sharing without CMS hassle.
Related: AI Roadmap