Syntax &#8211; Tasty Web Development Treats

948: Zed is Ready For Primetime Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

Wes and Scott talk about what makes Zed—the hot new editor built in Rust—fast, beautiful, and finally ready for primetime. From Git UI to extensions and AI tools, they break down what Zed gets right, what it still lacks, and whether it’s time to finally ditch VS Code.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- Syntax San Francisco Meetup
- We need your Spooky Stories
02:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io
04:07 What is Zed?
06:46 Zed UI: fast and clean
10:17 General editor experience
11:44 Extensions marketplace
17:53 Git UI
22:03 Problems UI
26:01 Real-time collaboration
- Remote Development
27:39 Command prompt tricks and built-in tools
31:03 Zed’s AI features
- AI Coding Sucks
37:08 What kept Scott away—and why he’s back
40:33 What’s still missing
- Text Manipulation Kung Fu for the Aspiring Black Belt
46:43 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Scott: Zojirushi 5.0 Liter Water Boiler
Wes: Syntax Keycaps

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947: S-Tier MCP Servers for Developers Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Scott and Wes break down the top-tier MCP servers developers are using right now. From browser automation to debugging superpowers, they explore how these servers are changing what’s possible in modern dev workflows.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:52 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
02:46 Submit your Spooky Stories!
03:37 Syntax San Francisco Meetup.
04:11 S-Tier MCP Servers.
- 04:17 Sentry MCP Server (not sponsored).
  - 05:01 Pause, what the heck is an MCP server.
- 05:45 Back to the Sentry MCP.
- 07:07 Spotlight JS.
- 09:08 ElevenLabs MCP hack.
11:19 Docs Tools.
- 11:29 Context7.
- 15:55 GitHub MCP Registry.
- 16:10 Nuxt MCP Server.
- 16:25 Svelte MCP Server.
- 20:35 Cloudflare MCP Servers.
- 22:34 Chrome Dev Tools (Playwright) MCP Server.
- 25:17 Stripe MCP Server.
27:55 Mastra.

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946: We Got Roasted for Our Websites — Fair Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about why devs neglect their own websites, hosting shady projects (hypothetically), AI rules in version control, balancing side projects and family life, and more!

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:43 Why devs neglect their own websites (and how to convince your parents coding is a real job)
07:04 AirPods, Nothing Ear, and the ANC struggle
10:22 Shipping Syntax merch from Canada
12:43 Scott’s update on Omarchy and Linux laptop life
18:05 What to do when a user account gets hacked (and how to prevent it)
21:33 Should you commit LLM context files and AI-generated docs to Git?
25:27 How to balance career, side projects, and family life
29:25 Building and hosting a “legally dubious” website
33:27 Best practices for dealing with images
42:46 Where to find Wes’ awesome wallpapers
44:19 Can you trust services with a generous free tier?
- ServerlessHorrors
50:32 Do we still use GIFs?
52:23 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
55:59 Brought to you by Sentry.io

Sick Picks

Scott: Mkv-Quicklook
Wes: Momofuku Sweet & Savory Korean BBQ Sauce

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945: Chrome Dev Tools MCP Server Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

Scott and Wes dive into Chrome’s new MCP server; a dev tools API powered by Puppeteer that gives your scripts, editors, and AI agents full access to Chrome. They break down how it works, what it can (and can’t) do, and how it might change debugging and automation for developers

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 01:15 Syntax San Francisco Meetup.
- 01:55 We need your Spooky Stories!
02:42 What is an MCP Server?
04:28 MCP servers are not only for code editors.
06:43 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
07:49 Dev Tools MCP is similar to Puppeteer.
09:20 Setting up an MCP Server.
11:36 Example of MCP with Dominos Pizza.
13:23 Accessing Dev tools from your editor.
14:23 In VS Code, you can “Open Link”.
15:22 Using the MCP server.
16:26 Chrome has Debug insights inside of chrome’s dev tools.
18:38 Real world things the Chrome MCP server can do.
- 18:43 Analyzing performance.
- 19:55 Taking screenshots.
- 21:17 Performance fix feedback loop.
- 22:33 Remote connecting browsers.
- 24:54 Browser-use.
25:18 What are the limitations?

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944: Is Coinbase Really Writing Half Their Code With AI? Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

Wes and Scott talk with Kyle Cesmat about how Coinbase is writing nearly half its code with AI—while keeping quality and security front and center. They dig into tools like Cursor and Claude Code, agent-driven workflows, code review challenges, and how AI is reshaping developer productivity without replacing developers.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
03:29 Defining and measuring “quality” at a large company
05:05 How AI-generated code is reviewed and shipped at Coinbase
07:35 A developer’s workflow using AI—from ticket to production
10:30 Standard vs. team-specific tools for AI development
12:55 Using MCP servers to power internal AI workflows
14:42 MCP vs. custom agent integrations
17:16 What kinds of code AI is writing at Coinbase
19:48 Which languages and tasks does AI handle best?
21:21 Getting AI to follow existing code conventions
- greptile
24:36 Brought to you by Sentry.io
25:01 How AI affects hiring, velocity, and developer focus
28:16 AI’s role in speeding up code reviews
31:28 The most valuable AI tool in Coinbase’s stack
33:48 Managing AI costs and model choices
35:10 Security considerations for using external AI models
37:04 How often Coinbase tunes and adjusts its AI systems
39:26 Using AI to write code vs. embedding AI in customer-facing features
42:29 Kyle’s big-picture take on AI as a tool—not a magic bullet
- Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity
44:33 The future of hiring engineers with their own “backpack” of agents
45:53 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Kyle: UltraShelf

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943: Modern React with Ricky Hanlon (React Core Dev) Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

Scott and Wes sit down with Ricky Hanlon from the React core team at Facebook to dive into the latest features and APIs shaping modern React development. From transitions and Suspense to fetching strategies and future directions, this episode breaks down what’s next for React and how developers can take advantage of it.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:20 Who is Ricky Hanlon.
02:10 Setting the Stage: Modern React APIs
02:48 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
03:12 Defining Transitions in React
05:08 Practical Examples of Scheduling.
08:23 useDeferredValue.
09:30 Suspense.
11:13 Fallbacks and animations.
12:35 How do you get psychological performance data?
13:39 Are these considerations reasonable for the average dev?
15:37 useOptimistic.
17:35 Removing delayMs (referred to as maxDuration in later iterations).
19:49 How to fetch data in React.
21:58 Is React now just Nextjs?
23:23 Will React give us a Signals-based state management?
24:44 The challenges of building in public.
30:12 Making LLMs cooperate with React.
32:05 The lifting will happen at framework level.
32:59 This is not time slicing.
35:47 Sick Pick + Shameless Plug.

Sick Picks

Ricky: iPhone 17 Pro

Shameless Plugs

Ricky: https://conf.react.dev/

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942: Mental Health Q&A w/ Dr. Courtney Tolinski Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Wes and Scott talk with Dr. Courtney Tolinski about supporting neurodivergent teammates, navigating workplace dynamics, and recognizing strengths beyond labels. They explore ADHD diagnosis and treatment, productivity mindsets, burnout, AI in mental health, and practical routines for focus and balance.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:09 Meet Dr. Courtney Tolinski
01:46 Supporting neurodivergent team members
12:26 Should I disclose my ADHD diagnosis at work?
17:21 Characteristics of autism and ADHD
22:37 Seeking diagnosis as an adult developer
28:04 Brought to you by Sentry.io
32:18 Uncoupling identity from productivity
38:06 Is overtime ever “worth it”?
42:34 AI as a mental health tool: hope or hype?
46:32 Will therapists be replaced by AI?
49:29 Burnout warning signs in high-performers
55:15 Sick picks + shameless plugs

Sick Picks

Courtney: Bentgo Glass Containers

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941: Is Responsible AI Possible? with Dr. Sarah Bird of Microsoft Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Scott heads to Microsoft’s campus for the VS Code Insider Summit to sit down with Dr. Sarah Bird and explore what “Responsible AI” really means for developers. From protecting user privacy to keeping humans in the loop, they dig into how everyday coders can play a role in shaping AI’s future.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
03:13 The path the machine learning.
04:44 How do you get to ‘Responsible AI’?
06:43 Is there such a thing as ‘Responsible AI’?
07:34 Does the average developer have a part to play?
09:12 How can AI tools protect inexperienced users?
11:55 Let’s talk about user and company privacy.
13:57 Are local tools and services becoming more viable?
15:06 Are people right to be skeptical?
16:58 The software developer role is fundamentally changing.
17:43 Human in the loop.
19:37 The career path to Responsible AI.
21:21 Sick Picks.

Sick Picks

Sarah: Japanese pottery

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