Questions, answered

Most work is fixed-scope or capped: after a discovery call we agree on a written scope, milestones, and a price before any code is written. Ongoing work runs as a monthly retainer with reserved days. You always know the number up front — no hourly meter running in the background.

It depends on the model. Embedded retainers are typically 2–4 days a week; advisory retainers are 4–8 focused hours a week with standing office hours. I take one to two engagements at a time so each gets real attention.

I’m currently booking engagements starting in August 2026. For urgent reliability work I can sometimes slot in a short, scoped block sooner — ask on the call.

Fully remote. I’m based in Colorado (US Mountain, UTC−7) and overlap comfortably with US time zones and European mornings. I work async-first with a weekly demo and written updates, so progress is visible without standing meetings.

You do. All work product — code, infrastructure-as-code, and documentation — is assigned to you on payment, under a standard work-for-hire / IP-assignment clause in the contract. The only exceptions are my pre-existing open-source tools, used under their open licenses.

A short master services agreement plus a per-engagement statement of work covering scope, milestones, IP assignment, confidentiality (NDA), and a 30-day notice for retainers. I carry professional liability insurance and can sign your paper if it’s reasonable.

No. I’ll work in your stack — I’m language-agnostic on principle. My “stack” page is where I’m fastest, not a list of requirements. For greenfield work I’ll recommend deliberately boring, maintainable choices and explain the trade-offs.

Advisory (fractional-CTO style) is judgment: architecture reviews, build-vs-buy, hiring, and roadmap — a few hours a week. Hands-on work is me in the codebase building and shipping. Many engagements start advisory and convert to a build once the plan is clear.