AI · Software Engineering · Technology
Building at the edge ofAI and software
I'm Gabriel Santana. I write about applied AI, systems engineering, and the tools shaping how we build software. Notes from the field, not just theory.
Latest posts
View all →Running Claude Agents in the Background: Headless Runs, Schedules, Routines and the Agent SDK
Every way to run a Claude agent while nobody is watching, from claude --bg to Managed Agents, and a tested nightly setup with permissions, hooks, budgets and a report you can trust.
Vectorless RAG, Measured: PageIndex vs Vector RAG on FinanceBench
PageIndex swaps the vector database for a document tree and an LLM agent that navigates it. I benchmarked it against two vector RAG pipelines on FinanceBench: better answers, 40 times the cost.
laya-classifier: an email security screener where the model reads and the code checks
I built a working phishing screener on Laya, the open-weights decision model: five typed questions in one forward pass, deterministic checks on the headers, and a policy that needs evidence before it quarantines.
Principles
The architecture principles behind my decisions.
Cost Optimization
One of the most important Architecture Design Principles in systems architecture decision-making. After all, who wants to pay for what they don't need?
20 min read
Operational Excellence
Operations as an enabler of the product and continuous improvement, not as bureaucracy
19 min read
Performance Efficiency
Fast for the user, lean on resources and ready to grow: performance is a requirement you design for, not a miracle you pray for in production.
29 min read
CertLabs
Exam walkthroughs and study notes for technology certifications.
AZ-305 / AZ-104: Private Endpoint or Service Endpoint for Azure Storage?
A simulated exam question on private Storage access: the IP address, not just the traffic path, decides the answer.
AZ-305: migrating SQL Server, SSIS, SSAS, and SSRS to Azure
An exam question walkthrough: why a VM wins when the entire SQL Server ecosystem needs to move together.