About
Hi there!
I'm Nikolaus Brunner (Nik for short), a Software Engineer based in Landshut, Germany, specializing in frontend architectures and design systems — 5 years in.
I work closely with designers and have a strong sense for UX (user experience) and DX (developer experience). I'm also comfortable working independently and making design decisions when needed.
I identify what needs doing, prioritize my own work, and know when to reach out for input. But I also love being part of a good team working towards a shared goal.
I am very passionate about building and using products, and am probably the guy who will contact support about features or bugs, and regularly check its changelogs and GitHub releases.
I was born in 1984, and outside of code, I enjoy hiking, reading, landscape photography, music production, workflow optimization, and open source — and I have a slight keyboard obsession.
Employment
I am currently seeking new opportunities starting February 2026.
DealerCenter Digital
Software Engineer / Frontend Lead
2020–2026
I worked across the full spectrum of frontend development—from feature implementation and bug fixes to code reviews, mentoring, and cross-team coordination for a mature Electron application serving hundreds of bike retailers.
A major focus was architectural migrations: I championed TanStack Query adoption and migrated the codebase from legacy Redux to Redux Toolkit. This included authoring comprehensive code guidelines and best practices documentation. I also completely rebuilt a Vendure storefront from Remix to TanStack Start/Router with TanStack Query, Form, GraphQL, ShadCN and Tailwind CSS.
On the design system side, I created a comprehensive 10-variant color system with Figma integration, affecting 1.6k files across the codebase. BikeCenter's entire component library was built from scratch using React, TypeScript, and SCSS—no third-party UI frameworks.
I also shaped internal APIs for state management and GraphQL integration, establishing developer experience patterns across the team. As a trusted decision-maker for UX and technical feasibility, I bridged design and engineering, collaborating with designers as both implementer and advisor.
Mentoring junior developers through pair programming and code reviews was another key part of the role. I established technical standards and conventions across the team, including translation guidelines, BEM naming, and TypeScript best practices, and served as a technical hub between management, backend, and frontend teams.
diva-e
Junior Frontend Developer
2020
I contributed to a major e-commerce platform at a digital agency, and built an internal social platform using React, GraphQL (Apollo), and SCSS. I also created onboarding documentation for the company's proprietary framework. This role started right as COVID-19 hit, so I successfully navigated the transition to fully remote work.
Campudus
Intern
2019–2020
I built a fullstack accessories ordering application from scratch—design, architecture, backend, and frontend—during a 3-month internship at DealerCenter Digital's sister company.
Dev Stack
Technologies
Dev Tools
I am very passionate about workflow. You can check my dotfiles here.
AI
I am lucky enough to have entered the industry before AI became a thing. To have the learning hill to climb, with no tab completion or ChatGPT.
I think this is was very valuable. And I think it's still very valuable and even necessary to learn coding in the AI era. I would never recommend a Junior Developer to use AI during their initial learning phase. I could never use AI effectively as I do now, if I had not learned this craft without it.
The technology is fascinating, but it has real limits. If you rely too heavily on it, you will actively unlearn skills and knowledge — and maybe most importantly, you will no longer have fun.
That's why I'm deliberate about how I use it. I use Claude Code as my primary AI assistent. When the task feels manageable by AI code generation, I work out detailed plans and then let Claude Code handle the implementation, while reviewing the code step by step.
MCP's
I also use personal slash commands and MCP's where applicable.
These are the most used MCP's for AI assistance.
Projects
Projects are never finished, but they are always in progress. Here are some of my projects as a developer.
Black Atom Industries
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Platforms:Neovim, Zed, Ghostty, WezTerm, Tmux
Themes:27+
Open-source cross-platform theming system generating 27+ cohesive themes from a single source.
Built with an adapter pattern for consistent theme generation from a central source using OKLCH color space.
Maintained with focus on developer experience and cross-platform consistency.
AWDCS
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
AWDCS (App, Workspace, Document, Change, Symbol): A scope-based keymap architecture for modal editors organizing bindings by operational context rather than tool-specific functions.
Features systematic prefix patterns and semantic naming for consistent, memorable keybindings across workflows.
kōyō
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Custom QMK keyboard layout for 36-key split keyboards featuring vim-inspired navigation, smart layer design, and comprehensive CLI tooling for Moonlander and Corne keyboards.
nbr.nvim
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Highly customized Neovim setup for frontend development featuring AWDCS-based keymaps, Lazy.nvim plugin management, and workflows tailored for React and TypeScript.
Connect
About
Hi there!
I'm Nikolaus Brunner (Nik for short), a Software Engineer based in Landshut, Germany, specializing in frontend architectures and design systems — 5 years in.
I work closely with designers and have a strong sense for UX (user experience) and DX (developer experience). I'm also comfortable working independently and making design decisions when needed.
I identify what needs doing, prioritize my own work, and know when to reach out for input. But I also love being part of a good team working towards a shared goal.
I am very passionate about building and using products, and am probably the guy who will contact support about features or bugs, and regularly check its changelogs and GitHub releases.
I was born in 1984, and outside of code, I enjoy hiking, reading, landscape photography, music production, workflow optimization, and open source — and I have a slight keyboard obsession.
Dev Stack
Technologies
Dev Tools
I am very passionate about workflow. You can check my dotfiles here.
AI
I am lucky enough to have entered the industry before AI became a thing. To have the learning hill to climb, with no tab completion or ChatGPT.
I think this is was very valuable. And I think it's still very valuable and even necessary to learn coding in the AI era. I would never recommend a Junior Developer to use AI during their initial learning phase. I could never use AI effectively as I do now, if I had not learned this craft without it.
The technology is fascinating, but it has real limits. If you rely too heavily on it, you will actively unlearn skills and knowledge — and maybe most importantly, you will no longer have fun.
That's why I'm deliberate about how I use it. I use Claude Code as my primary AI assistent. When the task feels manageable by AI code generation, I work out detailed plans and then let Claude Code handle the implementation, while reviewing the code step by step.
MCP's
I also use personal slash commands and MCP's where applicable.
These are the most used MCP's for AI assistance.
Employment
I am currently seeking new opportunities starting February 2026.
DealerCenter Digital
Software Engineer / Frontend Lead
2020–2026
I worked across the full spectrum of frontend development—from feature implementation and bug fixes to code reviews, mentoring, and cross-team coordination for a mature Electron application serving hundreds of bike retailers.
A major focus was architectural migrations: I championed TanStack Query adoption and migrated the codebase from legacy Redux to Redux Toolkit. This included authoring comprehensive code guidelines and best practices documentation. I also completely rebuilt a Vendure storefront from Remix to TanStack Start/Router with TanStack Query, Form, GraphQL, ShadCN and Tailwind CSS.
On the design system side, I created a comprehensive 10-variant color system with Figma integration, affecting 1.6k files across the codebase. BikeCenter's entire component library was built from scratch using React, TypeScript, and SCSS—no third-party UI frameworks.
I also shaped internal APIs for state management and GraphQL integration, establishing developer experience patterns across the team. As a trusted decision-maker for UX and technical feasibility, I bridged design and engineering, collaborating with designers as both implementer and advisor.
Mentoring junior developers through pair programming and code reviews was another key part of the role. I established technical standards and conventions across the team, including translation guidelines, BEM naming, and TypeScript best practices, and served as a technical hub between management, backend, and frontend teams.
diva-e
Junior Frontend Developer
2020
I contributed to a major e-commerce platform at a digital agency, and built an internal social platform using React, GraphQL (Apollo), and SCSS. I also created onboarding documentation for the company's proprietary framework. This role started right as COVID-19 hit, so I successfully navigated the transition to fully remote work.
Campudus
Intern
2019–2020
I built a fullstack accessories ordering application from scratch—design, architecture, backend, and frontend—during a 3-month internship at DealerCenter Digital's sister company.
Projects
Projects are never finished, but they are always in progress. Here are some of my projects as a developer.
Black Atom Industries
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Platforms:Neovim, Zed, Ghostty, WezTerm, Tmux
Themes:27+
Open-source cross-platform theming system generating 27+ cohesive themes from a single source.
Built with an adapter pattern for consistent theme generation from a central source using OKLCH color space.
Maintained with focus on developer experience and cross-platform consistency.
AWDCS
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
AWDCS (App, Workspace, Document, Change, Symbol): A scope-based keymap architecture for modal editors organizing bindings by operational context rather than tool-specific functions.
Features systematic prefix patterns and semantic naming for consistent, memorable keybindings across workflows.
kōyō
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Custom QMK keyboard layout for 36-key split keyboards featuring vim-inspired navigation, smart layer design, and comprehensive CLI tooling for Moonlander and Corne keyboards.
nbr.nvim
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Highly customized Neovim setup for frontend development featuring AWDCS-based keymaps, Lazy.nvim plugin management, and workflows tailored for React and TypeScript.
Connect
About
Hi there!
I'm Nikolaus Brunner (Nik for short), a Software Engineer based in Landshut, Germany, specializing in frontend architectures and design systems — 5 years in.
I work closely with designers and have a strong sense for UX (user experience) and DX (developer experience). I'm also comfortable working independently and making design decisions when needed.
I identify what needs doing, prioritize my own work, and know when to reach out for input. But I also love being part of a good team working towards a shared goal.
I am very passionate about building and using products, and am probably the guy who will contact support about features or bugs, and regularly check its changelogs and GitHub releases.
I was born in 1984, and outside of code, I enjoy hiking, reading, landscape photography, music production, workflow optimization, and open source — and I have a slight keyboard obsession.
Dev Stack
Technologies
Dev Tools
I am very passionate about workflow. You can check my dotfiles here.
AI
I am lucky enough to have entered the industry before AI became a thing. To have the learning hill to climb, with no tab completion or ChatGPT.
I think this is was very valuable. And I think it's still very valuable and even necessary to learn coding in the AI era. I would never recommend a Junior Developer to use AI during their initial learning phase. I could never use AI effectively as I do now, if I had not learned this craft without it.
The technology is fascinating, but it has real limits. If you rely too heavily on it, you will actively unlearn skills and knowledge — and maybe most importantly, you will no longer have fun.
That's why I'm deliberate about how I use it. I use Claude Code as my primary AI assistent. When the task feels manageable by AI code generation, I work out detailed plans and then let Claude Code handle the implementation, while reviewing the code step by step.
MCP's
I also use personal slash commands and MCP's where applicable.
These are the most used MCP's for AI assistance.
Employment
I am currently seeking new opportunities starting February 2026.
DealerCenter Digital
Software Engineer / Frontend Lead
2020–2026
I worked across the full spectrum of frontend development—from feature implementation and bug fixes to code reviews, mentoring, and cross-team coordination for a mature Electron application serving hundreds of bike retailers.
A major focus was architectural migrations: I championed TanStack Query adoption and migrated the codebase from legacy Redux to Redux Toolkit. This included authoring comprehensive code guidelines and best practices documentation. I also completely rebuilt a Vendure storefront from Remix to TanStack Start/Router with TanStack Query, Form, GraphQL, ShadCN and Tailwind CSS.
On the design system side, I created a comprehensive 10-variant color system with Figma integration, affecting 1.6k files across the codebase. BikeCenter's entire component library was built from scratch using React, TypeScript, and SCSS—no third-party UI frameworks.
I also shaped internal APIs for state management and GraphQL integration, establishing developer experience patterns across the team. As a trusted decision-maker for UX and technical feasibility, I bridged design and engineering, collaborating with designers as both implementer and advisor.
Mentoring junior developers through pair programming and code reviews was another key part of the role. I established technical standards and conventions across the team, including translation guidelines, BEM naming, and TypeScript best practices, and served as a technical hub between management, backend, and frontend teams.
diva-e
Junior Frontend Developer
2020
I contributed to a major e-commerce platform at a digital agency, and built an internal social platform using React, GraphQL (Apollo), and SCSS. I also created onboarding documentation for the company's proprietary framework. This role started right as COVID-19 hit, so I successfully navigated the transition to fully remote work.
Campudus
Intern
2019–2020
I built a fullstack accessories ordering application from scratch—design, architecture, backend, and frontend—during a 3-month internship at DealerCenter Digital's sister company.
Projects
Projects are never finished, but they are always in progress. Here are some of my projects as a developer.
Black Atom Industries
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Platforms:Neovim, Zed, Ghostty, WezTerm, Tmux
Themes:27+
Open-source cross-platform theming system generating 27+ cohesive themes from a single source.
Built with an adapter pattern for consistent theme generation from a central source using OKLCH color space.
Maintained with focus on developer experience and cross-platform consistency.
AWDCS
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
AWDCS (App, Workspace, Document, Change, Symbol): A scope-based keymap architecture for modal editors organizing bindings by operational context rather than tool-specific functions.
Features systematic prefix patterns and semantic naming for consistent, memorable keybindings across workflows.
kōyō
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Custom QMK keyboard layout for 36-key split keyboards featuring vim-inspired navigation, smart layer design, and comprehensive CLI tooling for Moonlander and Corne keyboards.
nbr.nvim
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Highly customized Neovim setup for frontend development featuring AWDCS-based keymaps, Lazy.nvim plugin management, and workflows tailored for React and TypeScript.
Connect
About
Hi there!
I'm Nikolaus Brunner (Nik for short), a Software Engineer based in Landshut, Germany, specializing in frontend architectures and design systems — 5 years in.
I work closely with designers and have a strong sense for UX (user experience) and DX (developer experience). I'm also comfortable working independently and making design decisions when needed.
I identify what needs doing, prioritize my own work, and know when to reach out for input. But I also love being part of a good team working towards a shared goal.
I am very passionate about building and using products, and am probably the guy who will contact support about features or bugs, and regularly check its changelogs and GitHub releases.
I was born in 1984, and outside of code, I enjoy hiking, reading, landscape photography, music production, workflow optimization, and open source — and I have a slight keyboard obsession.
Dev Stack
Technologies
Dev Tools
I am very passionate about workflow. You can check my dotfiles here.
AI
I am lucky enough to have entered the industry before AI became a thing. To have the learning hill to climb, with no tab completion or ChatGPT.
I think this is was very valuable. And I think it's still very valuable and even necessary to learn coding in the AI era. I would never recommend a Junior Developer to use AI during their initial learning phase. I could never use AI effectively as I do now, if I had not learned this craft without it.
The technology is fascinating, but it has real limits. If you rely too heavily on it, you will actively unlearn skills and knowledge — and maybe most importantly, you will no longer have fun.
That's why I'm deliberate about how I use it. I use Claude Code as my primary AI assistent. When the task feels manageable by AI code generation, I work out detailed plans and then let Claude Code handle the implementation, while reviewing the code step by step.
MCP's
I also use personal slash commands and MCP's where applicable.
These are the most used MCP's for AI assistance.
Employment
I am currently seeking new opportunities starting February 2026.
DealerCenter Digital
Software Engineer / Frontend Lead
2020–2026
I worked across the full spectrum of frontend development—from feature implementation and bug fixes to code reviews, mentoring, and cross-team coordination for a mature Electron application serving hundreds of bike retailers.
A major focus was architectural migrations: I championed TanStack Query adoption and migrated the codebase from legacy Redux to Redux Toolkit. This included authoring comprehensive code guidelines and best practices documentation. I also completely rebuilt a Vendure storefront from Remix to TanStack Start/Router with TanStack Query, Form, GraphQL, ShadCN and Tailwind CSS.
On the design system side, I created a comprehensive 10-variant color system with Figma integration, affecting 1.6k files across the codebase. BikeCenter's entire component library was built from scratch using React, TypeScript, and SCSS—no third-party UI frameworks.
I also shaped internal APIs for state management and GraphQL integration, establishing developer experience patterns across the team. As a trusted decision-maker for UX and technical feasibility, I bridged design and engineering, collaborating with designers as both implementer and advisor.
Mentoring junior developers through pair programming and code reviews was another key part of the role. I established technical standards and conventions across the team, including translation guidelines, BEM naming, and TypeScript best practices, and served as a technical hub between management, backend, and frontend teams.
diva-e
Junior Frontend Developer
2020
I contributed to a major e-commerce platform at a digital agency, and built an internal social platform using React, GraphQL (Apollo), and SCSS. I also created onboarding documentation for the company's proprietary framework. This role started right as COVID-19 hit, so I successfully navigated the transition to fully remote work.
Campudus
Intern
2019–2020
I built a fullstack accessories ordering application from scratch—design, architecture, backend, and frontend—during a 3-month internship at DealerCenter Digital's sister company.
Projects
Projects are never finished, but they are always in progress. Here are some of my projects as a developer.
Black Atom Industries
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Platforms:Neovim, Zed, Ghostty, WezTerm, Tmux
Themes:27+
Open-source cross-platform theming system generating 27+ cohesive themes from a single source.
Built with an adapter pattern for consistent theme generation from a central source using OKLCH color space.
Maintained with focus on developer experience and cross-platform consistency.
AWDCS
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
AWDCS (App, Workspace, Document, Change, Symbol): A scope-based keymap architecture for modal editors organizing bindings by operational context rather than tool-specific functions.
Features systematic prefix patterns and semantic naming for consistent, memorable keybindings across workflows.
kōyō
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Custom QMK keyboard layout for 36-key split keyboards featuring vim-inspired navigation, smart layer design, and comprehensive CLI tooling for Moonlander and Corne keyboards.
nbr.nvim
Status:Active
Stack:
Topics:
Highly customized Neovim setup for frontend development featuring AWDCS-based keymaps, Lazy.nvim plugin management, and workflows tailored for React and TypeScript.