AI builds MVPs. I build stable apps.
Indie App Developer · Software Architect · Author. Development and operations from a single owner.
I build and ship my own software products — from idea to App Store. Mobile apps, microservice backends, Kubernetes infrastructure, and AI-powered automation. Everything designed, built, and operated by me.
20+ years in software engineering. Currently building and operating production products as a solo founder.
I build under Digital Freedom — a Berger & Rosenstock GbR brand.
AI-powered reporting and documentation for construction and field service. Upload photos or voice recordings — DokuAI transcribes, analyzes, and compiles structured reports automatically. 5 microservices, Kafka, OpenAI Whisper & Vision, PostgreSQL. Flutter app, iOS. dokuai.app · App Store
AI-generated word puzzle game. Every hour, the backend creates new puzzles — GPT-4o picks words, DALL-E 3 generates visual clues, everything translated into 8 languages. Global leaderboard, streak system, offline play. Quarkus backend, PostgreSQL. Flutter app. snapshots-quiz.app · App Store
Native macOS app for Civo Cloud — full CRUD, Kubernetes deep integration (live metrics, pods, logs), S3 file browser, firewall management, 8 languages. Swift 6, SwiftUI, zero dependencies. civo-cloud-manager.app.website · App Store · Source
More on marcelrgberger.com — including products currently in development.
Native macOS app for Homebrew: background auto-updates, a full Brew GUI for browsing and installing casks, and an AppSnapshot engine for backing up and migrating app data across Macs. Swift.
Claude Code plugin: control Apple Pages from Claude — create, edit, format and export documents via /pages. 100+ templates, PDF/Word/EPUB export, tables, images. Python.
Claude Code plugin for full Apple Numbers control via AppleScript — create spreadsheets, manage data, format cells, export to PDF/Excel/CSV.
Claude Code plugin: control WhatsApp from Claude — read chats, send messages, search, auto-reply, export conversations, monitor in real-time. macOS only. Python.
Claude Code plugin: control Xcode from Claude — build, test, run, clean, manage simulators, schemes, projects, and devices. 30+ commands via AppleScript + xcodebuild + xcrun. Python.
Single-file Python CLI for Atlassian Jira Cloud — read and edit issues, comments, transitions, attachments, links, agile boards, and bulk operations. Standard library only, no dependencies.
Claude Code plugin for managing domains and DNS records via the INWX API. Python.
Ask a Pro — AI-powered document analysis with 85+ expert consultation roles for legal, medical, tax, and professional advice. TypeScript.
All products run on the Digital Freedom platform — my own Kubernetes cluster with GitOps (ArgoCD), Helm-based deployments, and full observability via Prometheus and Grafana. CI/CD pipelines from commit to App Store release via GitHub Actions — no manual deploys.
The cluster is monitored and maintained by AI agents I built myself. A Claude-powered ops agent runs every hour — detecting problems, restarting services, optimizing resources, and applying fixes autonomously. A second agent runs daily to analyze infrastructure, improve Helm charts, and tune security policies. No human in the loop.
Before going indie, I spent 20 years building software in enterprise environments — microservice architectures for banks, IAM systems for regulated industries, instant payment platforms, and digital transformation in critical infrastructure (KRITIS). That experience shapes how I build today: production-first, secure by default, designed to last.
What it takes to build, ship, and operate products without a team. Decision-making under uncertainty, systems thinking, and the structural realities of working independently. Written from within the journey, not after it.
I don't outsource. I don't subcontract. I don't pitch what I haven't shipped myself.
Short cycles, written summaries, direct trade-off conversations.
Two ways to engage — pick the one that matches the scope.
Build a project — theapparchitect.com
Code is cheap. Architecture is the moat. One architect, end-to-end, accountable for the outcome. Plan, build, hand over — no agency layers between you and the work.
| Engagement | Scope |
|---|---|
| Full Build | From whiteboard to App Store. Planning, architecture, UX and delivery. You receive source code, build pipelines and a written handover. Fixed scope, fixed price. |
| Architecture Review | Two focused weeks looking at the system you already have. Written report with prioritised actions and risk ratings — practical findings, not academic. |
| Embedded Architect | Part-time inside your team. I own the system-design calls and keep your engineers unblocked. Months, not days. |
→ Start a project on theapparchitect.com
Hour-shaped engagements for one specific question — all billed by invoice (no Stripe in Cal.com). Alternatively: pay via GitHub Sponsors — same delivery.
| Session | Duration · Fee | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Consultation | 30 min · free | Honest take on your app idea before you sink time and money into it |
| Pair Programming | 60 min · €200 | Live coding on your stack — Swift/SwiftUI, Flutter, Java/JVM, Claude Code plugins, CI/CD |
| App Review for Vibe Coders | 60 min · €250 | Code, architecture, and operations review for AI-built apps that need hardening |
| Problem Solver | 60 min · €300 | One concrete problem you describe upfront — I prepare, we solve it together |
| Consulting | 60 min · €350 | Architecture / decision support with a written summary delivered within 3 business days |
| Conference Talk | by request · €2.000 | Native macOS/iOS · AI in production at scale · indie Kubernetes & GitOps · Apache Kafka & Quarkus · solo software business · Claude Code plugins |
For conference talks, travel, accommodation, and meals are arranged and paid by the booking organization.
If you find any of the public plugins, write-ups, or products useful, consider sponsoring. It directly funds hosting, code signing, infrastructure, and the time I put into open-source.
Personal site: marcelrgberger.com Studio: theapparchitect.com Book a call: cal.com/marcelrgberger LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marcel-r-g-berger Reddit: reddit.com/user/Constant-Chemical23
Imprint: marcelrgberger.com/imprint Privacy: marcelrgberger.com/privacy