Intent · Architecture · Agentic SDLC
The Plan Was Accurate.
It Was Still Wrong.
The plan was coherent. The technology was valid. The missing architectural decision changed everything.
Field notes from an independent workshop
Agents do
the work.
The pipeline
holds the control.
I’m Nick Boncek, founder of Lonely Gnome. I’m building Tinkerworks: a governed software-delivery system with local models, human approval, and evidence at every handoff.
FIG. 01 / TINKERWORKS
A claim becomes progress only with evidence.
Built on local inferenceDecisions recorded in GitHumans hold approval
From the workbench
Things the work
has taught me.
The Plan Was Accurate.
Evidence · Execution · August 2026
The Agent Reported a Pull Request
That Never Existed
An agent reported success. The repository told a different story. The case for independent verification.
The current build / 001
Meet
Tinkerworks.
Agents design, plan, and build. Task contracts make expectations explicit. Independent checks examine the results. Human review governs the decisions that matter.
Inside the pipelineThe working agreement
- Models
- Do the reasoning and implementation.
- Controls
- Check observable repository state.
- Humans
- Own intent, approval, and merge.
An evolving system, with lessons recorded as it runs.
Stormforge.
The lab behind the work.
A multi-node GPU lab for local inference, Kubernetes, and experiments with real operating constraints.
A look at the lab
The person in the workshop
I build the systems, operate the lab, and write down what I learn along the way.