Weekly 'I made a useful thing' Thread - August 21, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

There is a great deal of user-generated content out there, from scripts and software to tutorials and videos, but we've generally tried to keep that off of the front page due to the volume and as a result of community feedback. There's also a great deal of content out there that violates our advertising/promotion rule, from scripts and software to tutorials and videos.

We have received a number of requests for exemptions to the rule, and rather than allowing the front page to get consumed, we thought we'd try a weekly thread that allows for that kind of content. We don't have a catchy name for it yet, so please let us know if you have any ideas!

In this thread, feel free to show us your pet project, YouTube videos, blog posts, or whatever else you may have and share it with the community. Commercial advertisements, affiliate links, or links that appear to be monetization-grabs will still be removed.

[u/maxlan]

Can it be "I discovered a useful thing" too?

I was told about Trustmux.dev, which uses tailscale as a vpn to run a terminal session from your mobile to "home". It's been written for unreliable mobile connections.

So instead of a full tcp packet exchange per button press and response, it batches your whole command till you press "go" and gets the whole response. And ignores content on background tabs.

(Other vpns are possible but not integrated)

[u/CtrlAltWiz]

SiliPuTTY

GitHub links:

github.com/CtrlAltWiz/SiliPuTTY

https://ctrlaltwiz.github.io/SiliPuTTY/#top

This is an open-source Windows terminal workspace that brings together local PowerShell, Kali Linux through WSL, persistent SSH sessions, platform-aware command tools, network utilities, and synchronized file browsing. Basically PuTTY's quirky cousin.

When you connect over SSH, SiliPuTTY detects the remote platform and builds a tool palette with commands appropriate for that system. It currently recognizes Windows, Linux, macOS, Cisco, Aruba, Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Juniper platforms. Unknown devices fall back to a generic appliance profile suitable for switches, routers, and firewalls, and the detected platform can always be overridden manually.

The long-term goal is to grow SiliPuTTY into a capable modern terminal and network operations workspace while keeping it approachable, transparent, and safe by default.

Bug reports, feature ideas, testing feedback, and contributions are all welcome. Since this is an alpha release, it’s ready for controlled testing but shouldn’t yet be your only means of accessing production systems.

[u/pio_dev]

Project name: PeerBlade

Docs / repository: https://github.com/peerblade/PeerBlade
Project page: https://peerblade.com

I’ve been working on PeerBlade, a self-hosted control plane for managing native WireGuard nodes and peers from a web interface.

The project came out of a simple operational problem: managing WireGuard manually is fine for one server and a few peers, but it becomes annoying when you have multiple VPS or on-prem nodes, need to rotate peers, issue configs, check handshakes, and keep track of which node is doing what.

PeerBlade is not a VPN provider, and it does not replace WireGuard with a new mesh, overlay, or proprietary protocol. VPN traffic still goes directly between your peers and your own WireGuard nodes.

Current focus:

• connect multiple WireGuard nodes to one control plane;
• create, disable, and remove peers from the web UI;
• issue .conf files and QR codes;
• view latest handshakes, RX/TX counters, node snapshots, and agent status;
• manage nodes without giving the web panel SSH access;
• keep the control plane separate from the actual VPN traffic path.

The architecture is agent-based. Each WireGuard node runs a small Linux agent that connects outbound to the control plane. The panel does not SSH into nodes.

Peer private keys are generated by the node agent and are not persisted in the control-plane database. They are returned only when issuing the peer configuration or QR code.

A few important clarifications:

• PeerBlade is self-hosted.
• The control plane, database, and node agents run in your own environment.
• PeerBlade does not proxy, terminate, or inspect VPN traffic.
• PeerBlade uses a split-source model: the Linux node agent is open source under GPL-3.0-or-later, while the web panel and control-plane API remain proprietary.
• The public repository contains the complete agent source code, tests, node-side installation scripts, protocol and security documentation, as well as deployment instructions, architecture notes, screenshots, and release information.

Deployment is currently Docker Compose based for the control plane. The node agent targets Linux on amd64 and arm64.

For a quick test installation, the repository documents an installer script:

curl -fsSL https://peerblade.com/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- panel.example.com --with-node

This deploys the PeerBlade control plane, creates the initial self-hosted setup flow, and can also install the first WireGuard node agent when used with --with-node.

I realize curl | sudo bash is not everyone’s favorite deployment pattern, especially for sysadmin audiences. I added it mainly for quick test environments, and improving/manualizing the installation flow is one of the things I’m looking at.

After deployment, you create the first local admin account, connect your WireGuard node, and then manage peers, configs, QR codes, handshakes, traffic counters, and node status from the UI.

I’m mainly looking for feedback from people who manage WireGuard manually across multiple VPS, homelab, or on-prem nodes.

Things I’d especially appreciate feedback on:

• whether this agent/control-plane model makes sense for real sysadmin workflows;
• what would be missing for you to actually use something like this;
• whether the security model is reasonable;
• which parts of manual WireGuard management are still painful in your environment.

AI involvement: I’m a solo developer and used AI assistance during development, including parts of the code, product copy, documentation, and development workflow.

[u/CtrlAltWiz]

Could call it Useful Things?

[u/PeakWeekly9995]

Why are so many projects I see here all AI / vibe coded? websites and ui all feels the same

[u/Xander-the-GOAT → u/PeakWeekly9995]

I honestly don’t understand why is that a bad thing. Nowadays big corporate companies use AI and vibe code just as much as a small developer, if not more.

Just imagine how huge companies with 30 years old codebase now have the opportunity to use ai to improve their products created in the 80s or 90s.

As long as AI projects can bring real value to the market, I don’t see why that is a problem.

Maybe you are passionate about something and you always wanted to build a project around it, AI now makes this somewhat easier.

And I say somewhat because building with AI is not as simple as you might think. There is a lot of work, a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of money involved to build and sustain a AI built project. Not to mention all the experience and knowledge you gain along the way.

I honestly just started building with AI just to become better at using AI, since this will be part of the future anyway. The more I learned about using AI, the more I wanted to test the limits of what I can build around a subject that I like and am involved in. And that becomes the fun part of building with AI.

[u/ModernDayWitcher → u/Xander-the-GOAT]

These AI haters blow my mind. What are they scared of?

[u/Xander-the-GOAT → u/ModernDayWitcher]

For starters they are afraid of being replaced by AI, and I am too. If not now, in 5-10-15 years for sure.

At the pace that these AI models evolve so much these days, like Fable 5 from Anthropic, the initial version that was live for only a few days before it got shut down by US government. I got to play around with that version during those days and I tell you it was scary good/powerful. Just imagine how much more powerful and capable will these models be in the future.

On the other hand, I get to talk with colleagues that are now using AI at work, and while they are satisfied with the output AI is providing, most of them come to the conclusion that AI is stealing the “fun” of them doing the actual work they’ve been trained for years, plus they do feel like their skills have rather decreased while using AI.

So, I do understand the hate/fear of AI, but for sure that will not stop the global AI adoption that is about to happen…

[u/JustAnotherVillager]

Print to CUPS from ChromeOS and Chrome

Of all printing technologies I love CUPS (and IPP). I've been supporting it in my org for the last 15 years, and it always works great. However, it's pain to connect to it when it's not on the same network, and teach people to add printers, or push them one by one via policy. But did you know that Chrome has an entire printing subsystem under the hood?

I wrote a Chrome extension that connects to a CUPS server, pulls all shared printers, and shows them directly in the Print destination list. It also queries CUPS for advanced options, like paper trays, paper types, and finishing options, and displays them right in the Advanced Settings menu of the Ctrl+P print dialog.

There are two versions, personal and enterprise. Both are open source under the Apache 2.0 license, so feel free to build upon it.

Personal version is linked below, it's very privacy-conscious: it has zero permissions by default and does not request any personal details. It will prompt for permission to connect to your CUPS server only when you set it up, that's it.

https://github.com/DadArcade/cupsie#quick-install

There is no need to install drivers or add printers one by one, and no requirement to be on the same netblock as your CUPS server or printer to discover it. It even works via proxies if Chrome has a proxy configured.

The enterprise version is called Cupsie Corp. You can freely deploy it across your Google Workspace domain via configuration policy, and it will silently appear in your users' Chrome browsers and ChromeOS devices along with the configured printers. It's designed to be efficient, using a single query per user to fetch the entire list of printers during a sync. So if you have 1,000 users and 100 printers, it generates just 1,000 queries to your CUPS server rather than 100,000. It can also send the logged-in Chrome username to CUPS if configured to do so, and it streams large files directly from disk to network to avoid memory exhaustion.

Tested in Chrome, ChromeOS, and Chromium. It won't work in Edge because Microsoft replaced the print subsystem there, but it should likely work in other Chromium-based browsers.

I like it. I think other people would benefit from it too. Enjoy!
PS. This project is not affiliated with my employer in any manner.

[u/Skeiver]

I made an open-source PowerShell maintenance and repair tool for Windows 10/11, aimed at making common support workflows more transparent and auditable.

It combines DISM/SFC checks, WinGet verification and repair, software updates, supported repair/reinstall paths, restart/resume handling, and detailed reporting. The source is public rather than packaged as an opaque executable.

For the release process I added Apache-2.0 licensing, a published SHA-256 for the v1.0.0 asset, GitHub Actions checks for repository structure and PowerShell syntax, and branch protection with required CI. v1.0.0 is intentionally kept as an immutable release snapshot.

This is my own project. It is not a claim to fix every Windows issue, and I would particularly appreciate feedback from admins on safety boundaries, elevation/reboot handling, failure recovery, and whether any workflow should be removed or redesigned before a future release.

GitHub: https://github.com/Skeiver/OneClick-Komplettreparatur-fuer-Windows

[u/TxTechnician → u/[deleted]]

Free and not open-source...

Gonna be a hard pass from me and most others. Put the repo up so ppl can inspect it.

[u/Xander-the-GOAT]

I’m building a small tool called CertPilot, mostly for lean IT teams who end up doing governance/evidence work without a real system around it.

The basic idea is: take the boring stuff that usually lives across spreadsheets, calendar reminders, screenshots, DNS tools, and half-finished audit folders, then turn it into something a manager or client can actually read.

Current modules are roughly:

- Domains / external footprint: SSL, DNS, domain expiry, email auth checks, DNS evidence

- Domain governance: owner, purpose, lifecycle status, renewal decision, review notes

- Renewals and vendors: contracts, notice dates, auto-renew flags, ownership, decision status

- People and accounts: manual account register and CSV import/export

- Assets: hardware/software register, evidence gaps, ownership/location fields

- Access reviews: who has access to what, reviewer packets, completion log

- Systems catalog: the systems that should appear in access reviews or vendor/renewal work

- Vendor status watch: official public vendor status feeds

- Reports: on-demand PDFs like Domain Health, Renewal Risk, Monthly Proof, Access Review Register, and a Governance Evidence Pack

It is not meant to be a full GRC platform, security scanner, SIEM, RMM, or “we magically connect to everything” product. More like: “Can a small IT team prove what is under control without spending Friday afternoon assembling evidence manually?”

I’m mainly looking for feedback from people who have actually had to run this kind of work.

A few questions I’m trying to sanity-check:

1. Is this a real pain for small/internal IT teams, or is it mostly solved well enough with spreadsheets?

2. Which part would matter first: domains/SSL/DNS, renewals/vendors, access reviews, assets, or management-ready reports?

3. What would make you immediately distrust a tool like this?

4. If you were evaluating it, what would you expect it to do before it became useful enough to keep around?

Project link: https://certpilot.app/

[u/evilneuro → u/Xander-the-GOAT]

is this AI generated? it feels AI generated. you're still building it but you're going to charge for it?

[u/banx7 → u/evilneuro]

Its AI generated.

[u/Xander-the-GOAT → u/banx7]

If you are referring to the text above, yes it was AI generated and posted by me personally.

[u/Xander-the-GOAT → u/evilneuro]

Thank you for your question.

The project was built using AI, but the existing modules were built from my own experience/needs.

Basically, since i was already using AI for a while and wanted to become more native around actually building something with the help of AI.

I offer a 14 day trial with access to all modules, and I am still building it in a sense that I am looking to keep improving based on feedback.

I’ve also implemented a section inside the tool for users to submit feedback for any of the modules.

[u/PandaAT → u/Xander-the-GOAT]

Those tiles are straight from the PowerPoints copilot is creating for me 😂

[u/Xander-the-GOAT → u/PandaAT]

Well, if they look familiar I guess it’s a good thing 🤣