About Me

Sagi Carmel

I’m a freelance software developer and workflow architect with a passion for the craft of building high-quality, scalable systems. I specialize in helping developers and teams move beyond being passive tool users to become active, critical leaders of their work. With a sharp focus on modern JavaScript, TypeScript, and minimalist, high-performance tools, I build systems designed for both speed and long-term maintainability.

My Philosophy: The Handler's Mindset

I believe that the rise of powerful AI assistants presents the biggest shift in our industry since the open-source revolution. It also introduces a significant risk: The Complacency Debt. This is the hidden cost we pay when we prioritize the speed of code generation over the growth of our own understanding.

My work is centered on "The Handler's Mindset," because I believe that mastering our relationship with our tools is the most critical first step to elevating our craft. I advocate for a workflow where developers treat AI as a powerful but fallible partner—a "bloodhound" that needs expert direction. By mastering our tools, writing our own "AI constitutions," and applying a rigorous, critical eye to all code, we can leverage AI for unprecedented speed without sacrificing the craftsmanship and responsibility that defines a great engineer.

My Background

My journey in software development began in the 7th grade, driven by a deep and persistent curiosity for how technology can be shaped to solve problems. This early passion grew into a professional career where I designed and built critical systems for the IDF, working hands-on with technologies like React and Express to deliver robust applications.

Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, I co-founded a startup. While the venture ultimately didn't succeed, the experience was a priceless masterclass in the realities of product development, the importance of pragmatic technical decisions, and the immense challenge of building a business from the ground up.

I then honed my full-stack TypeScript skills at ArborKnot, architecting complex applications with modern frameworks like Next.js and NestJS. This role deepened my appreciation for building clean, scalable, and maintainable systems.

Today, as a freelancer, I partner with a diverse range of companies to solve their toughest technical challenges. This broad exposure to different teams, codebases, and workflows revealed a universal truth: the most common point of failure isn't a lack of powerful tools, but a lack of a critical, craft-driven mindset among the developers using them. It was this realization that led me to focus on the principles I write about on this blog—the ideas behind "The Handler's Mindset" and the urgent need to elevate our craft in the age of AI.

Let's Connect

I'm always open to discussing new ideas, freelance opportunities, or speaking engagements. The best way to connect is through my professional networks.