Hi, I'm

Shadow Skinner

I build, tune, and transform things.

Software, AI experiments, personal systems, and automotive wraps — built with equal attention to how they work and how they feel.

// currently: refining Hermes, running local models, wrapping cars

Explore my work View the wraps →

01 Top Projects

Selected projects I actively build, use, and continue to improve. Real write-ups go in as they're ready.

Public · active

Kairo

Automatic launcher artwork for Linux. Finds Steam games, installed applications and emulator ROMs, matches artwork, and applies it without hand-editing .desktop files — every change reversible.

RoleCreator and developer

TechnologyPython, Qt (PySide6), SteamGridDB & Iconify APIs, Valve VDF/ACF files, freedesktop desktop entries

View project GitHub

active

Hermes

PurposeA local AI agent and watchdog stack that keeps an eye on this machine so I don't have to.

Started becauseI wanted automation and alerts that don't depend on a cloud subscription — and that I actually understand end to end.

Built withOllama running a local Llama 3.1 (8B, 64K context), Python monitoring & alerting, Telegram notifications.

Statusactive — evolving constantly

Repoprivate, for now

active

Midnight-PC

PurposeThe desktop itself, as a project — Arch Linux and KDE tuned for local AI work and game streaming.

Started becauseI wanted a machine I fully understand and control, from the bootloader up.

Built withArch Linux, KDE Plasma (Wayland), GRUB2 + UKI chainloading, Sunshine/Moonlight over Tailscale.

Statusactive — evolving constantly

Repoprivate, for now

View project

02 Lab

Not everything interesting needs to be a finished project. Some of this may never ship — that's fine.

Docker homelab Standing up a Docker-based sysadmin/DevOps lab to actually practice on — coming soon.
Local-first AI How much of this can run without phoning home?
Personal agents that understand their environment What would it take for an agent to actually know this machine, not just answer questions about it?
Better monitoring without notification overload Monitoring that only speaks up when it matters.
Interfaces for human–AI collaboration Working with AI, not just prompting it.
Tools that remove small recurring annoyances The tiny frictions nobody bothers fixing.
Making powerful systems feel calm and understandable Powerful doesn't have to mean noisy.

03 About

I've been comfortable around computers for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I learned by exploring settings, solving problems, and figuring out how things worked. That curiosity eventually grew into Linux, local AI, automation, home infrastructure, and the small tools and systems I build today.

I've also been installing vehicle wraps since 2021. Today I work as a shop manager and vehicle-wrap installer at Wrap Factory in Kansas City, where I focus on vehicle assessment, preparation, installation, finish quality, and keeping work moving through the shop. Printing and lamination are handled by Wrap Factory's production team.

04 Contact

If you're building something strange, useful, or both, I'd like to hear about it.

Email me Discord →