Grade 11 · Chennai, India · Open to collabs

Crutched_
programmer

I build self-hosted tools, embedded hardware, and AI-integrated apps — mostly because I can, sometimes because I should.

20+Projects Built
5+Self-Hosted Services
Ideas in Queue
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Who's building?

I'm a Grade 11 CBSE student from Chennai, India who spends an unhealthy amount of time turning wild ideas into real, working software and hardware.

My philosophy: if it can be self-hosted, it will be. I build AI chat agents, terminal shells, Arduino macropads, loop pedals, network monitors, and things that probably shouldn't exist — but do.

I think in systems — inputs, outputs, constraints — and I ship fast. Every project starts as a README and ends as something you can actually run. Workflow lives in CONJURE magic and a push.sh script.

Python Arduino / C++ Web Dev AI Integration Streamlit Flask Android Embedded HW Linux Self-Hosting
  • github Crutched-programmer
  • discord Crutched_programmer#9040
  • email thyareoptimistic@gmail.com
  • school Grade 11, CBSE · Chennai
  • hobby Music tools, hardware hacks, AI
  • workflow CONJURE → push.sh → ship it

Things I've built

All self-hosted, most pushed at 2am, every one born from a specific itch to scratch.

Ecosystem · 18 tools

Host-it

A local-first automation ecosystem — 18 modular tools built to run on recycled hardware with zero cloud dependencies. Every project does one job and does it well: no bloat, no external APIs, no subscriptions. Python stdlib is the primary dependency; most tools need nothing else to run. The entire stack runs simultaneously on a low-spec Linux machine.

Built on four principles: make automation accessible on your own hardware, eliminate cloud lock-in for personal tooling, keep every tool readable and modifiable, and give every idea a push-ready home on GitHub the day it's born.

Files
FileVault
Self-hosted file vault — Flask + SQLite. Upload, tag, retrieve files over LAN. No cloud, no subscriptions.
Web
linkdrop
Local network URL clipboard. Drop a link on one device, open it on another — zero copy-paste friction.
Web
tempdrop
Self-destructing file share with QR code generation. Files vanish after one download or a timeout.
Web
quicknote
One persistent textarea over LAN. One note, always there, always in sync. Stupid simple by design.
Network
NetWatch
Local network monitor. ARP scan, continuous ping, device history, live web dashboard.
System
SysWatch
System metrics daemon. CPU, RAM, disk, temp — logged continuously and served as a live dashboard.
Sync
SyncDrop
Bidirectional file sync via inotify + rsync. Watch folders, sync on change. Your own Dropbox, minus Dropbox.
System
driftlog
Passive activity logger. Records active windows, builds a timeline of your day automatically.
System
clipstack
Clipboard history manager. Every copy saved, searchable, recoverable. Never lose a paste again.
Audio
AudioDucker
Speech-triggered ducking daemon. TFLite detects voice, PulseAudio fades background audio automatically.
Power
gridwatch
Home power monitor. Tracks voltage, current, consumption — SQLite logging + web dashboard.
Photos
snapstack
Self-hosted photo backup. Auto-uploads over LAN, organises by date, serves a browsable gallery.

Sarvada

Full-featured Streamlit chat agent on Sarvam AI. Multi-session, TTS/STT, translation, memory summarization, 27 slash commands, VS Code-style sidebar.

Sarvada — Sarvam AI Chat Agent

Streamlit-based conversational AI. Self-hosted, no cloud lock-in.

Features

  • Multi-session persistent chat + memory summarization
  • TTS: Sarvam bulbul:v3, speaker shubh
  • STT microphone input
  • Indian language translation via Sarvam API
  • 27 slash commands · prompt templates · favourites
  • File upload + context injection
  • VS Code-style nav rail (240px / 72px collapsed)
  • <think> blocks stripped before TTS

Stack

Python · Streamlit · Sarvam AI API · Port 8501

streamlit run app.py

CLI

Sashell

Python terminal shell with AI safety features, Sarvam TTS, theming engine, plugin system (weather, ipinfo), sysinfo panel, Windows EXE packaging.

Sashell — AI Terminal Shell

Features

  • AI safety layer — flags dangerous commands before exec
  • Sarvam TTS for spoken shell feedback
  • Full theming engine with color schemes
  • Plugin system: weather (wttr.in), ipinfo, extensible
  • Sysinfo panel — RAM, CPU, disk
  • Standalone Windows EXE via PyInstaller

Stack

Python · PyInstaller · Sarvam TTS API

IoT / HW

MAKRO

Metro UI macropad firmware builder for Arduino Leonardo. Define macros in a web UI, generate HID firmware, flash to hardware. Multi-MCU, multi-firmware-target.

MAKRO — Macropad Firmware Builder

Metro-UI web configurator → HID firmware for Arduino Leonardo macropads.

Hardware

  • Arduino Leonardo (native USB HID)
  • Buttons on pins 2–11 → Ctrl+Alt+N
  • Feedback LEDs · cartridge ID via 10-pin + 10kΩ pull-downs

Supported MCUs

Pro Micro · Elite-C · RP2040/Pi Pico · Teensy 2.0 · STM32 Blue Pill · Arduino Nano

Firmware Targets

Arduino HID (32U4) · CircuitPython/KMK · QMK · ZMK

Stack

C++ · Python · aiohttp · HTML/CSS/JS

Web / TV UI

WebTV MK IV

Fire TV-style browser launcher. Arrow-key-only nav, hero banner, Discover tab, monochrome SVG tiles, keyboard macros, arrow-combo lock screen.

WebTV MK IV — TV Launcher

Full TV launcher UI in HTML/CSS/JS — arrow-key-only, no mouse required in performance mode.

Features

  • Fire TV-style hero banner + Discover / Store / Settings tabs
  • Monochrome SVG app tiles with pin/unpin + resize
  • Arrow-combo lock screen (4–8 key sequence)
  • Keyboard macro system
  • Favourites, password protection, app installer

Stack

HTML · CSS · Vanilla JS — zero deps, single file

Audio / Web

Crutch-Looper

Browser-based loop pedal. Record, layer, play back audio loops live — no DAW, no install, runs fully offline via Web Audio API.

Crutch-Looper — Browser Loop Pedal

Features

  • Multi-track looping via Web Audio API
  • Keyboard-driven performance mode
  • Layer overdubbing + per-track mute/unmute
  • Fully offline — no server

Stack

Vanilla JS · Web Audio API · HTML/CSS — single file

Audio / Web

Web Audio Mixer

Browser-based mixing desk with Allen & Heath-inspired digianalog UI. Faders, EQ, bus routing — all in Web Audio API, zero plugins.

Web Audio Mixer

Features

  • Multi-channel fader control
  • Per-channel EQ with visual frequency response
  • Bus routing + send/return
  • Dark panel, A&H-inspired knob UI

Stack

Vanilla JS · Web Audio API · HTML/CSS — zero deps

IoT / HW

Smart Glasses

AI wearable prototype — ESP32 + camera, on-device TFLite object detection, bone conduction audio output, BLE pairing to phone for extended inference.

Smart Glasses — AI Wearable

Hardware

  • ESP32 + camera module · bone conduction audio · Li-Po battery

Software

  • TFLite object detection on-device
  • Audio description of detected objects
  • BLE → phone for heavier inference tasks

What I work with

The tools that show up in every project, and the ones I reach for when things get weird.

Python
Python
Flask · Streamlit · asyncio · aiohttp · PyInstaller · subprocess
Arduino
Arduino / C++
Leonardo HID · firmware flashing · pull-down resistors · serial comms
JavaScript
Web Dev
HTML · CSS · Vanilla JS · Web Audio API · Jinja2
TensorFlow
AI / ML
TensorFlow Lite · PyTorch basics · Sarvam AI · TTS · STT
Linux
Linux / Self-Hosting
systemd · PulseAudio · inotify · rsync · ngrok
Kotlin
Android
Kotlin basics · MacroDroid webhooks · BLE comms

Let's build something

Grade 11 student in Chennai, always looking for interesting collabs, hardware projects, or people who think self-hosting everything is a personality trait.

$ cat about.txt
───────────────────────
name: Crutched_programmer
location: Chennai, India
grade: 11, CBSE
stack: Python, C++, Web, AI
vibe: ship fast, self-host everything
───────────────────────
$