Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

976: Pi - The AI Harness That Powers OpenClaw W/ Armin Ronacher & Mario Zechner

Wes and Scott talk with Armin Ronacher and Mario Zechner about PI, a minimalist agent harness powering tools like OpenClaw. They unpack why Bash is “all you need,” the risks of agents, workflow adaptability, and where AI coding agents are actually headed. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * 03:28 What is Pi [https://github.com/mitsuhiko/pi-mono], and why does it matter? * OpenClaw [https://openclaw.ai/] * 05:54 What do we actually mean by “agents”? * 11:04 Prompt injection: how LLMs get tricked * 14:19 Is Claude Cowork [https://claude.com/product/cowork] actually secure? * 22:01 How Armin and Mario use agents day to day * 26:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io [https://sentry.io/syntax/] * 27:25 Memory and search: teaching agents to remember * 33:04 Do coding agents even need memory? * 34:36 “Bash is all you need” * 37:21 Adding power: how agents learn new tricks * 47:02 Tools and models Armin and Mario are using right now * 54:15 Sick picks + shameless plugs SICK PICKS * Mario: Cards for Ukraine [https://cards-for-ukraine.at/] * Armin: Pro-Ject Audio Turntable [https://www.project-audio.com/] SHAMELESS PLUGS * Armin: * Thorsten Ball Newsletter [https://substack.com/@thorstenball] * Simon Willison [https://simonwillison.net/] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

975: What’s Missing From the Web Platform?

Scott and Wes run through their wishlist for the web platform, digging into the UI primitives, DOM APIs, and browser features they wish existed (or didn’t suck). From better form controls and drag-and-drop to native reactivity, CSS ideas, and future-facing APIs, it’s a big-picture chat on what the web could be. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * Wes Tweet [https://x.com/wesbos/status/2011110928012791836] * 00:39 Exploring What’s Missing from the Web Platform * 02:26 Enhancing DOM Primitives for Better User Experience * 03:59 Multi-select + Combobox. * Open-UI [https://open-ui.org/] * 04:49 Date Picker. * Thibault Denis Tweet [https://x.com/ThibaultDe8548/status/2011134396108288508] * 07:18 Tabs. * 08:01 Image + File Upload. * 09:08 Toggles. * 10:23 Native Drag and Drop that doesn’t suck. * 12:03 Syntax wishlist. * 12:06 Type Annotations. * 15:07 Pipe Operator. * 16:33 APIs We Wish to See on the Web * 18:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io [https://sentry.io/syntax] * 19:51 Identity. * 21:33 getElementByText() * 24:09 Native Reactive DOM. Templating in JavaScript. * 24:48 Sync Protocol. * 25:52 Virtualization that doesn’t suck. * 27:40 Put, Patch, and Delete on forms. * Ollie Williams Tweet [https://x.com/hypeddev/status/2011381049197220331] * SnorklTV Tweet [https://x.com/snorklTV/status/2011400065731154296] * 28:55 Text metrics: get bounding box of individual characters. * 29:42 Lower Level Connections. * 29:50 Bluetooth API. * 30:47 Sockets. * 31:29 NFC + RFID. * 34:34 Things we want in CSS. * 34:40 Specify transition speed. * 35:24 CSS Strict Mode. * 36:25 Safari moving to Chromium. * 36:37 The Need for Diverse Browser Engines * 37:48 AI Access. * 44:49 Other APIs * 46:59 Qwen TTS [https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/model-studio/qwen-tts] * 48:07 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs SICK PICKS * Scott: Monarch [%5Bhttps://monarch.com/referral/tp2gjynkoo?r_source=copy] * Wes: Slonik Headlamp [https://sloniklamps.com/] SHAMELESS PLUGS * Scott: Syntax on YouTube [https://youtube.com/@sytaxfm] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

974: Clawdbot (Moltbot), Agents and the Age of Personal Software

Wes and Scott talk about building hyper-specific personal software with AI. They explore personal agents, home automation, JSON-as-a-database, and how LLMs unlock fast, custom apps that reduce friction and replace bloated SaaS. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * 01:53 What is personal software (and why it matters) * 04:49 Using AI agents to build hyper-specific apps for yourself * Clawdbot [https://clawd.bot/] * ClawdHub [https://clawdhub.com/] * 13:43 Supercharging your dev workflow with Tailscale [https://tailscale.com/] * 19:06 Privacy when working with LLMs * MLX-Audio [https://github.com/Blaizzy/mlx-audio] * 21:39 Brought to you by Sentry.io [https://sentry.io/syntax/] * 22:21 Real-world personal app ideas * 39:14 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs SICK PICKS * Scott: FTPManager [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ftpmanager-ftp-sftp-client/id525959186] * Wes: Roku Streaming Stick [https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Streaming-Device-Vision-Controls/dp/B09BKCDXZC] SHAMELESS PLUGS * Syntax YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/@syntaxfm] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

973: The Web’s Next Form: MCP UI (with Kent C. Dodds)

Scott and Wes sit down with Kent C. Dodds to break down MCP, context engineering, and what it really takes to build effective AI-powered tools. They dig into practical examples, UI patterns, performance tradeoffs, and whether the future of the web lives in chat or the browser. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * 00:44 Introduction to Kent C. Dodds * 02:44 What is MCP? * 03:28 Context Engineering in AI * 04:49 Practical Examples of MCP * 06:33 Challenges with Context Bloat * 08:08 Brought to you by Sentry.io [https://sentry.io/syntax] * 09:37 Why not give AI API access directly? * 12:28 How is an MCP different from Skills * 14:58 MCP optimizations and efficiency levers * 16:24 MCP UI and Its Importance * 19:18 Where are we at today with MCP * 24:06 What is the development flow for building MCP servers? * 27:17 Building out an MCP UI. * 29:29 Returning HTML, when to render. * 36:17 Calling tools from your UI * 37:25 What is Goose? * 38:42 Are browsers cooked? Is everything via chat? * 43:25 Remix3 * 47:21 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs SICK PICKS * Kent: OneWheel [https://onewheel.com/] SHAMELESS PLUGS * Kent: http://EpicAI.pro [EpicAI.pro],http://EpicWeb.dev [EpicWeb.dev],http://EpicReact.dev [EpicReact.dev] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

972: These Things Make Your App Feel Like Crap on Mobile

Wes and Scott talk about why mobile web apps often feel “janky” compared to native—and how to fix it. They cover input zooming, accidental horizontal scroll, pointer/user-select quirks, frame rate consistency, full-page refreshes, and more. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * 01:11 Brought to you by Sentry.io [https://sentry.io/syntax/] * 02:57 Zooming inputs * 06:11 Horizontal scrolling * 08:49 Proper use of pointer-events: none, and user-select: none * 11:27 Allowing zoom on everything * 16:37 Cleaning up the “jank” * 19:48 Full page refresh * 24:05 Slow loading times * 29:50 Cumulative layout shift * 32:47 Address bars and viewport units * Dynamic Viewport Units [https://web.dev/blog/viewport-units] * 35:34 Full-width scroll traps HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]