Forem: Marcin Firmuga

Real guide from my 10 months of work PC Workman (Open Source, fully build in public (fails, tiny wins)

Marcin Firmuga — Mon, 04 May 2026 06:44:25 +0000

A 5-step decision chain for two languages

Marcin Firmuga

May 3

How I Built an Offline AI Assistant in Python - No OpenAI, No LangChain, No Dependencies

#python #ai #tutorial #opensource

Comments 3

9 min read

How I Built an Offline AI Assistant in Python - No OpenAI, No LangChain, No Dependencies

Marcin Firmuga — Sun, 03 May 2026 13:45:33 +0000

Every tutorial about building an AI assistant starts the same way:
pip install openai. Get an API key. Send everything to GPT. Done.

Now your assistant costs money per message, dies without internet, and you have zero control over what happens between the question and the answer.

I needed something different.

PC Workman is an open-source system monitor that runs on people's PCs. Some of those PCs are behind firewalls.
Some users don't want their system data leaving their machine.

So I built hck_GPT... a hybrid AI assistant that works fully offline,
handles Polish and English without a language model, routes messages through a 5-step decision chain, blends keyword scoring with
ML confidence, remembers what it said 3 messages ago, and optionally talks to a local LLM (Ollama) when it's available.

No cloud. No API key. No pip install magic.
Here's how it works. All of it.

1. Intent Scoring - One Algorithm for Two Languages, Zero NLP Libraries

The first problem: how do you figure out what someone is asking without shipping a 500MB NLP model?

Most intent parsers use spaCy, NLTK, or a transformer. I used string matching. But not the dumb kind.

def _score_intent(self, tokens: List[str], full_text: str,
                  patterns: List[str]) -> float:
    score = 0.0
    for pattern in patterns:
        if " " in pattern:
            # Multi-word phrase -> bonus proportional to word count
            if pattern in full_text:
                score += len(pattern.split()) * 1.5   # "why is ram so high" = 5 x 1.5
        else:
            if pattern in tokens:
                score += 1.0                          # exact match
            elif any(
                t.startswith(pattern) or pattern.startswith(t)
                for t in tokens if len(t) >= 3 and len(pattern) >= 3
            ):
                score += 0.4                          # prefix match ("perfor" -> "performance")
            elif len(pattern) >= 5 and any(
                self._edit_distance(t, pattern) <= 1
                for t in tokens if abs(len(t) - len(pattern)) <= 2 and len(t) >= 4
            ):
                score += 0.6                          # typo tolerance: 1-char edit distance
    return score

Three levels of matching in a single loop.

Exact match gives 1.0 - "cpu" in tokens, done.
Prefix match gives 0.4 - "perfor" matches "performance".
This is how the parser handles both languages without a language detector.
Polish and English vocabulary patterns are defined separately, but the scoring algorithm is identical.
Typo tolerance gives 0.6 - Levenshtein distance of 1 catches "temperture" → "temperature" without a spell checker.

Multi-word phrases get bonus scoring proportional to word count. "what changed in performance" (5 words x 1.5 = 7.5 pts) beats a standalone "performance" (1 pt).
More specific queries earn higher confidence.

The edit distance function has an early-exit: if the length difference between two strings is more than 2, skip the computation entirely.
This matters because this runs on every message in a GUI thread.
Blocking for 200ms on a distance calculation would feel like lag.

Zero dependencies. Works in both languages. Runs in under 1ms.

2. Hybrid Confidence - When to Trust ML, When to Trust Keywords

If you have a keyword scorer AND an ML classifier, you need to decide who wins. Most systems pick one. I blend them.

def _blend_with_ml(self, text: str, kw_intent: str, kw_conf: float):
    ml_intent, ml_conf = ml_classifier.predict(text)

    if ml_conf >= 0.70:
        # ML very confident — trust it outright
        return ml_intent, ml_conf

    if ml_conf >= 0.35:
        if ml_intent == kw_intent:
            # Agreement -> amplify the signal
            blended = 0.65 * ml_conf + 0.35 * kw_conf
            return ml_intent, min(1.0, blended)
        else:
            # Disagreement → pick the stronger weighted signal
            ml_score = 0.65 * ml_conf
            kw_score = 0.35 * kw_conf
            winner   = ml_intent if ml_score >= kw_score else kw_intent
            conf     = min(1.0, max(ml_score, kw_score) + 0.15 * min(ml_score, kw_score))
            return winner, conf

    # ML not confident enough - fall back to pure keyword scoring
    return kw_intent, kw_conf

Three trust zones instead of one threshold.

Above 0.70 - ML is confident. Trust it. Keywords don't get a vote.

Between 0.35 and 0.69, the interesting zone. If both models agree on the intent, the blended confidence goes up (agreement, amplified signal). If they disagree, the loser still gets 15% of the vote.
That 15% matters it prevents the winner from being overconfident on ambiguous inputs.

Below 0.35 - ML doesn't know. Pure keyword scoring takes over.

The 0.65/0.35 weight split is intentional.
ML gets more weight because when it's right, it understands full semantics. Keywords only match surface patterns.
But keywords are more reliable on short, domain-specific inputs like
"cpu" or "mb" where ML tends to underperform.

3. The Routing Decision - 5 Steps from Message to Answer

This is the core of the whole engine. Every message follows the same path:

RULE_THRESHOLD = 0.60   # above -> deterministic rule engine
LOW_THRESHOLD  = 0.20   # below -> not worth even trying

def process(self, msg: str, result: ParseResult, lang: str = "pl"):
    confidence = result.confidence
    intent     = result.intent

    # Step 1: Open-ended queries -> LLM first
    if intent in {"small_talk", "unknown"}:
        if self._check_available():
            return self._query_llm(msg, lang, result)
        return response_builder.build(result, lang)  # graceful degradation

    # Step 2: High confidence -> deterministic, instant answer
    if confidence >= RULE_THRESHOLD:
        resp = response_builder.build(result, lang)
        if resp:
            return resp

    # Step 3: Medium confidence -> try LLM for smarter answer
    if self._check_available():
        llm_resp = self._query_llm(msg, lang, result)
        if llm_resp:
            return llm_resp

    # Step 4: LLM unavailable → rule engine best-effort
    if confidence >= LOW_THRESHOLD:
        return response_builder.build(result, lang)

    # Step 5: Nothing works → caller handles it
    return None

No single point of failure. Every step has a fallback.

Type "cpu" → keyword confidence is 0.95 → Step 2 handles it instantly. Rule engine. Deterministic. No LLM involved.

Type "why is my computer acting weird today" → keyword confidence is 0.30 → Step 2 skips → Step 3 sends it to Ollama with full system context → if Ollama is down, Step 4 gives a best-effort rule response.

Type "how are you" → intent is "small_talk" → Step 1 sends it straight to LLM → if unavailable, rule engine returns a canned friendly response.

I didn't want Ollama for everything, it's slow (2-5 seconds).
I didn't want if/else for everything, it can't handle questions
I didn't anticipate.
So I gave every message a confidence score and
let the score decide which engine handles it.

4. Intent-Aware Temperature - The Surgeon vs The Friend

Every AI tutorial I've seen uses one temperature setting. Global. Static.
Same creativity level whether you're asking about CPU specs or saying hello.

I use 20 different temperatures.

_INTENT_TEMPERATURE: Dict[str, float] = {
    # Factual / diagnostic - precision over creativity
    "hw_cpu":         0.35,   # wrong MHz is bad advice
    "hw_gpu":         0.35,
    "temperature":    0.35,
    "throttle_check": 0.35,
    "stats":          0.35,
    "disk_health":    0.35,
    "ram_why_high":   0.40,
    "why_slow":       0.45,

    # Optimization - some creativity welcome
    "performance":    0.55,
    "optimization":   0.55,
    "speed_up_pc":    0.55,
    "health_check":   0.50,

    # Conversational - warmth and personality
    "small_talk":     0.80,   # "how are you" deserves a human answer
    "about_program":  0.65,
    "help":           0.60,
}

temperature = _INTENT_TEMPERATURE.get(intent, TEMPERATURE)  # default 0.72

"What CPU do I have?" -> 0.35. I want a surgeon.
The answer is a fact: Intel Core i7-12700H, 14 cores, 4.7 GHz boost.
There is exactly one correct answer.
Creativity here means wrong numbers.

"How are you?" -> 0.80. I want a friend.
Warmth, personality, maybe a joke.

"Why is my PC slow?" -> 0.45. Somewhere between.
The diagnostic needs to be accurate, but the explanation should be readable, not a data dump.

One line of code.
Massive difference in response quality.
Probably the highest value-per-line-of-code in the entire engine.

5. Fallback Chain with Availability Cache

Ollama runs locally but it's not always there.
Maybe **the user didn't install it.
**Maybe **the model is loading. Maybe it crashed.
**Your assistant can't hang for 30 seconds waiting to find out.

AVAILABILITY_TTL = 300   # re-check Ollama every 5 minutes

def _check_available(self) -> bool:
    now = time.time()

    # Respect the cool-down from previous failures
    if now < self._temp_unavail_until:
        return False

    # Cache: don't ping /api/tags on every message
    if self._available is None or (now - self._available_checked_at) > AVAILABILITY_TTL:
        self._available            = self._ollama.is_available()
        self._available_checked_at = now
        if self._available:
            self._pick_best_model()   # llama3.2 > mistral > phi3 > gemma > first available

    return bool(self._available)

def _query_llm(self, msg, lang, result):
    try:
        raw = self._ollama.generate(model=self.model, ...)
    except Exception:
        self._temp_unavail_until = time.time() + 60   # crash -> 60s cool-down
        return None

    if not raw:
        self._temp_unavail_until = time.time() + 30   # empty -> model loading, 30s
        return None

    return self._format_response(raw, lang)

Two levels of cool-down. Empty response (model loading) ->** 30 seconds*. Exception (crash, timeout) ->* 60 seconds*.
Full availability re-check -> **every 5 minutes*.

The user never waits for a ping. If Ollama was unavailable 10 seconds ago, the engine routes to rules immediately.
Answer in milliseconds instead of a spinner.

_pick_best_model() runs once on availability check:
llama3.2 > mistral > phi3 > gemma > whatever is installed.
If you have multiple models, hck_GPT picks the best one automatically.

6. Session Memory - AI That Remembers What It Said 3 Messages Ago

Most chatbot tutorials treat every message as independent.
User asks about RAM. Gets an answer.
User asks about system health. Gets a generic response that doesn't mention the RAM issue from 30 seconds ago.
hck_GPT remembers.

# When answering a RAM question - save the data:
session_memory.record_response_data("hw_ram", {
    "total_gb":    16,
    "speed":       3200,
    "current_pct": 78,
    "typical_avg": 51,
})

# Later, in a different handler (health_check) - reference it:
def _resp_health_check(self, r, lang):
    ram_sess = session_memory.get_response_data("hw_ram")

    if ram_sess.get("total_gb") and ram > 70:
        lines.append(
            f"  (Your {ram_sess['total_gb']} GB RAM we discussed earlier"
            f" - now at {ram:.0f}%, that's worth watching)"
        )

No SQLite. No JSON file. Just a dict:
{intent: {key: val, recorded_at: timestamp}}.
Lives in RAM for the session. When the app closes, it's gone.
That's intentional, session memory shouldn't outlive the session.

There's also trend tracking fed by snapshots every 30 seconds:

def get_trend(self, metric: str = "cpu") -> str:
    buf = self._cpu_trend if metric == "cpu" else self._ram_trend
    readings = list(buf)   # circular buffer of last 8 readings
    if len(readings) < 4:
        return "stable"
    mid        = len(readings) // 2
    first_avg  = sum(readings[:mid]) / mid
    second_avg = sum(readings[mid:]) / (len(readings) - mid)
    delta      = second_avg - first_avg
    if delta > 5:  return "rising"
    if delta < -5: return "falling"
    return "stable"

Split the buffer in half. Compare averages. Rising, falling, or stable. This lets hck_GPT say "your CPU has been climbing for the last few minutes" instead of just showing the current number.

7. System Prompt with Live PC Context — Facts, Not Vibes

When a message reaches Ollama, the LLM doesn't guess about your system.
It gets injected context built from real data:

== Live System State ==
CPU: 67%  @ 3840 MHz / max 4800 MHz
RAM: 71%  (11.4/16.0 GB used,  4.6 GB free)
Disk C: 48.3 GB free / 476.0 GB total

== Today's Averages ==
CPU avg: 34.2%  peak: 89.0%
RAM avg: 68.1%

== Top Processes (by CPU) ==
  chrome.exe       CPU 18.4%  RAM 892 MB
  code.exe         CPU 12.1%  RAM 441 MB
  python.exe       CPU  3.2%  RAM 156 MB

== Hardware Profile ==
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H  (14 cores, boost 4.7 GHz)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060  VRAM: 6 GB
RAM: 16.0 GB @ 3200 MHz

== Today vs Typical ==
CPU today 34% vs typical 28%  /\ (+6%)
RAM today 71% vs typical 51%  /\ (+20%)

== Learned Usage Patterns ==
Typical CPU avg (7-day baseline): 28%
Heaviest app this week: chrome.exe

Each section comes from a different module. psutil for live data.
SQLite for historical averages. WMI for hardware profile.
The Stats Engine for 7-day baselines.

The "Today vs Typical" section is the difference between an assistant that says "CPU 67%" and one that says "CPU 67% — but your normal is 28%, something is off." Context, not just data. That's the whole philosophy in two lines of a prompt.

What This Costs vs The OpenAI Approach

	hck_GPT (this approach)	pip install openai
Dependencies	zero (beyond psutil)	openai, tiktoken, etc.
Model size	zero (rule engine is pure Python)	N/A (cloud)
API costs	zero	$0.002-0.06 per message
Latency	<1ms rules, 2-5s Ollama	500-2000ms
Internet	not required	required
Privacy	data stays local	sent to OpenAI servers
RAM	~5MB	N/A

What I'd Do Differently

The intent vocabulary is hand-built.
~200 patterns across 25 intents.
Every time a user asks something I didn't anticipate,
I add patterns manually. This doesn't scale past maybe 50 intents.
A lightweight local classifier (even scikit-learn with TF-IDF) would handle the long tail better.

The confidence thresholds (0.60, 0.35, 0.20) were tuned by testing, not by math. They work for my use case but they're not optimal.
A proper evaluation dataset would help.

Session memory is per-session only. The user knowledge base (SQLite in AppData) stores hardware profiles and usage patterns, but conversation context doesn't persist across restarts yet.

Why I'm Writing This

Every "build an AI assistant" tutorial I found in 2026...
starts with pip install langchain or pip install openai.
Cloud API. Token costs. Internet required.
That's fine for some use cases.

But if you're building a desktop app that runs on someone else's machine, behind their firewall, on their data, you need a different approach.
This is that approach: a hybrid engine that's fast when it can be, smart when it needs to be, and never crashes because a server is down.

PC Workman is open source, MIT licensed.
The full AI engine is in hck_gpt/- intent parser, hybrid engine, response builder, session memory, context builder.
Read it, fork it, build something better.

Try It

Download the .exe (no Python needed): GitHub Releases

Read the source: github.com/HuckleR2003/PC_Workman_HCK

All my links: linktr.ee/marcin_firmuga

If you build something with a similar approach,
or if you'd do it completely differently.
I want to hear about it!

I'm Marcin Firmuga, solo developer and founder of HCK_Labs.
Building PC Workman publicly between retail shifts.
**800+ hours, 25 GitHub stars, and one offline AI engine that grew 9 layers when I wasn't looking.

Follow the build: GitHub · LinkedIn · X · Medium

Why I Sign Every .exe With Sigstore - PC Workman v1.7.2 Release, Security-First Open Source

Marcin Firmuga — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:43:04 +0000

Someone tried to scare me with a security audit. It backfired.

A few days ago, a stranger on the internet found PC Workman — my open-source system monitor — downloaded the .exe, and before running it, did what any sane person should do in 2026: they ran a full security audit.

Not a quick VirusTotal check. A proper audit. They used Claude to analyze the codebase, the build pipeline, the permissions model, the network behavior, everything.

Then they sent me the results. I think they expected me to panic.
Instead I replied: "Can I see the full report?"

They shared it. The audit confirmed what I already knew — clean code, no telemetry, no hidden network calls, no suspicious behavior. They ended up becoming a tester.

This is the story of PC Workman v1.7.2, the biggest release in the project's history, and why security isn't something I added after the fact. It's baked into how I build.

Why Nobody Trusts .exe Files Anymore (And Why They Shouldn't)

Let's be honest. Downloading a random .exe from GitHub in 2026 is a trust exercise most people fail. And they're right to fail it.

Open-source doesn't mean safe. It means auditable. The code being public is step one. But if you're shipping executables, you need to prove that the .exe you're distributing was actually built from that public code, wasn't tampered with, and doesn't phone home.

Most solo developers skip this entirely. They push a PyInstaller build to releases, write "trust me bro" in the README, and wonder why downloads stay low.

I decided early on that if PC Workman was going to ask for system-level access — reading CPU temperatures, monitoring processes, scanning Windows registry — then security couldn't be an afterthought.

What Security Actually Looks Like in PC Workman

Sigstore Digital Signatures

Every release gets signed with Sigstore. This is the same signing infrastructure used by Kubernetes, npm, and PyPI. It creates a cryptographic proof that ties the executable to my GitHub identity and logs it in a public transparency ledger.

Anyone can verify it:

sigstore verify github PC_Workman_HCK_1.7.2.exe --bundle sigstore.bundle

If the signature doesn't match, the file was tampered with. Don't run it.

VirusTotal — 70+ Engines, Every Release

Before any .exe goes public, it gets uploaded to VirusTotal and scanned against 70+ antivirus engines. Current result for v1.7.2: 0 detections.

You don't have to take my word for it. Go to virustotal.com, upload the file yourself, and check.

GitHub CodeQL — Automated on Every Commit

CodeQL runs on every push to main. It scans for common Python vulnerability patterns: injection attacks, path traversal, insecure deserialization, hardcoded secrets. If something triggers, it blocks the commit.

This isn't something I run occasionally. It runs on every single commit, automatically.

SECURITY.md — 445 Lines of Policy

Most GitHub repos either don't have a security policy, or they have a template that says "email me." PC Workman's SECURITY.md is 445 lines covering:

Supported versions and update timeline
How to report vulnerabilities (private GitHub reporting + email)
Response timeline (24h acknowledgment, 72h validation, 7 days for critical fixes)
CVSS severity classification
Dependency management process
Detailed verification instructions for every release
FAQ addressing trust questions directly

It exists because if you're asking users to run your code with admin privileges, you owe them a complete answer to "why should I trust this?"

What PC Workman Does NOT Do

No telemetry. Zero. Nothing phones home.
No analytics. No tracking. No user profiling.
No cloud dependency. Core monitoring is 100% offline.
No data leaves your machine unless you explicitly use the optional AI features.

The network section of the audit came back clean because there's nothing to find.

v1.7.2 — What Actually Changed

Now for the release itself. The last downloadable .exe was v1.6.8 from March. That was a monitoring tool that collected data and showed it to you.

v1.7.2 is a different animal. It acts on what it finds.

Hybrid AI Engine (Complete hck_GPT Rewrite)

The AI layer went from a single chat_handler.py file to a modular engine with 5 subpackages: engine/, intents/, memory/, context/, responses/.

The routing logic is simple: known intents (stats, alerts, temperature, processes) hit the rule engine first. Fast, predictable, zero external dependency. Open-ended questions ("why is my PC slow right now?") get forwarded to Ollama — a local LLM that runs on your machine. No cloud API. No API key. No tokens.

If Ollama isn't installed, the engine falls back gracefully. No crashes, no error messages about missing services. It just uses what it has.

Every response is bilingual. Polish or English, auto-detected per message. The parser uses ASCII-fold dual scoring to handle Polish diacritics without breaking intent matching.

There's also a proactive monitor running as a background daemon. It watches for sustained CPU pressure (>80% for 30 seconds), RAM warnings (>85%), throttling, low disk space, and long session uptime. When something triggers, it pushes an alert to the chat panel. You don't have to ask. It tells you.

Startup Manager

Full page that reads from three Windows registry hives (HKCU, HKLM, WOW6432Node). No admin rights needed for reading. Knowledge base of 30 common programs with impact ratings (High/Medium/Low). Three panels: programs to optimize, programs safe to disable, and the full list.

Disable means real winreg.DeleteValue() — but only after a confirmation dialog. Nothing gets removed silently. User choices persist to JSON between sessions.

Services Manager

Catalogue of 40+ Windows services sorted into four categories: Essential (locked, can't be touched), Recommended, Optional, and Likely Unnecessary. Each row shows current status, startup type, and action buttons (Stop/Start/Restart).

The interesting part is the TURBO Mode integration. You select which non-essential services should auto-stop when TURBO activates. When TURBO deactivates, they restore to their previous state. Selections persist between sessions. All changes get logged.

Admin detection is built in — if you're not elevated, the manager shows a warning banner instead of pretending the buttons work and failing silently.

Optimization Hub

The old single "Optimization & Services" button in My PC Central got replaced with a 3-zone interactive Canvas widget. Left zone: Optimization Center. Top-right: Startup Manager with live registry entry count. Bottom-right: Services Manager with running service count. Hover brightens the active zone. Metrics update from a background daemon thread.

Everything Else

First Setup & Drivers page with arc gauge health score computed from driver ages and startup count. Reads directly from Windows registry. No internet, no third-party API.
Dashboard nav buttons fully redesigned — dark gradients, bordeaux brackets, 7 vector icons drawn on Canvas (zero image files).
Inter font via GDI32 with Segoe UI fallback.
HCK_Labs and Guide pages redesigned as full blog layouts.
Efficiency tab fixes: correct physical core count, per-core session stats, side-by-side TOP CPU/RAM consumers.
4 new query_api methods: temperature history, temperature summary, top processes lifetime, weekly comparison with trend detection.
hck_GPT language bug fixed, temperature fallback fixed, unconditional TURBO tip removed.
Complete .exe packaging rewrite: 25+ hidden imports, settings directory bundled, proper output naming.

The Numbers

Version: 1.7.2
Commits since last .exe: ~60
New modules: 8
GitHub stars: 25
Downloads: ~100+
Hours logged: 800+
VirusTotal: 0/70 detections
Sigstore: Signed and verified
CodeQL: Active on every commit
SECURITY.md: 445 lines
Telemetry: None. Zero. Nothing.

Why I Ship .exe Files (And Why More Developers Should)

Most open-source projects live and die on GitHub. The README says "clone the repo, install dependencies, run startup.py." That's fine for developers. For everyone else, the project doesn't exist.

Shipping an executable is harder. You deal with PyInstaller nightmares (8 hours debugging hidden imports for v1.6.8), false positive antivirus detections, signing infrastructure, and the constant question of "how do I prove this is safe?"

But it's also where the real feedback comes from. Source code users are patient. They expect rough edges. .exe users click the button and expect it to work. That's the standard worth building toward.

v1.7.2 is the second .exe I've ever shipped. The first was v1.6.8 in March — a monitoring tool with placeholder buttons and a neon green Turbo Boost card. The app barely resembles that version now.

If you want to try it, the .exe is on GitHub Releases. If you want to audit it first, the source is right there. If you want to verify the signature, the instructions are in SECURITY.md. If you find something wrong, the reporting process is documented.

That's how it should work.

What's Next

v1.7.3 through v1.7.8 will build out the TURBO suite: suspending inactive background processes, auto power plan switching, CPU core unparking, and full integration testing.

v2.0 targets Microsoft Store publishing and Ollama as a first-class local AI option.

Next week I start Umiejętności Jutra 3.0 — Google's AI certification program through SGH. First structured learning since I finished technikum. Curious how it'll shape the roadmap.

PC Workman is open source, MIT licensed. 800+ hours of solo development between retail shifts. Still shipping. Still signing. Still scanning.

Star the repo: github.com/HuckleR2003/PC_Workman_HCK

All my links: linktr.ee/marcin_firmuga

I'm Marcin Firmuga, solo developer and founder of HCK_Labs. Building PC Workman publicly, honestly, between Żabka shifts. Follow the build: GitHub · LinkedIn · X/Twitter · Medium

Wednesday Code Autopsy #4: The Canvas Arc Nobody Uses - PC Workman

Marcin Firmuga — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:50:16 +0000

Needed circular progress gauge. Googled "Python circular progress bar." Every answer: pip install [library].

Drew mine with pure tkinter Canvas:

Zero dependencies
Two parameters: style="arc", extent=-270
Professional look
20 lines of code

secret: tkinter has THREE arc styles. 99% of devs only use one.

The Problem

I needed a circular progress gauge for PC Workman's "First Setup & Drivers" page.

Something clean. Professional. The kind you see in system health dashboards.

First instinct: Google.

Search: "Python circular progress bar"

Results:

matplotlib circular progress tutorial
PIL + pillow gauge example
PyQt QProgressBar subclass
Custom tkinter widget library

Every answer started the same: pip install [library].

PC Workman is already PyQt6 + tkinter + psutil + SQLite. Adding matplotlib for one gauge? Overkill.

There had to be a better way.

The Discovery

Opened the tkinter Canvas docs.

Not Stack Overflow. Not a tutorial. The actual documentation.

Found create_arc():

style: One of 'pieslice' (default), 'chord', or 'arc'.

style="arc" — draws just the arc itself. No fill. No center lines.

This was it.

The Solution

def _draw_arc(canvas, score):
    # Background arc (full 270° track)
    canvas.create_arc(10, 10, 110, 110,
                      start=225, extent=-270,
                      style="arc", outline="#1f2937", width=7)

    # Progress arc (proportional to score)
    if score is not None:
        color = _score_color(score)
        extent = -int(270 * score / 100)
        canvas.create_arc(10, 10, 110, 110,
                          start=225, extent=extent,
                          style="arc", outline=color, width=7)

Result:

[10-second PC Health gauge animation]

Clean. Professional. Zero dependencies.

How It Works

The Geometry

create_arc() takes a bounding box, not center + radius:

canvas.create_arc(x1, y1, x2, y2, ...)
#                 └─────┬─────┘
#                 rectangle containing circle

For a perfect circle at (60, 60) with radius 50:

canvas.create_arc(10, 10, 110, 110, ...)
#                 60-50, 60-50, 60+50, 60+50

The Angles

tkinter measures angles from East (3 o'clock) = 0°, counterclockwise:

Direction	Degrees
East	0°
North	90°
West	180°
South	270°

Trick: Negative extent goes clockwise.

For a speedometer (7:30 to 4:30 position):

start=225,   # 225° = bottom-left (7:30)
extent=-270  # -270° clockwise = wraps to bottom-right (4:30)

Perfect 270° gauge.

The Secret Third Style

Most devs know two Canvas arc styles:

Style	What It Draws
`"pieslice"`	Filled wedge from center (default)
`"chord"`	Arc + straight line connecting ends
`"arc"`	Just the arc curve

Almost nobody uses style="arc".

That's your circular progress bar.

style="arc", outline="#10b981", width=7

7-pixel green arc. No fill. No custom drawing.
style="arc" has been in tkinter since Python 1.x. 99% of developers have never touched it.

The Production Implementation

The two-line example is simplified. Here's what ships in PC Workman:

def _draw_arc(canvas, score):
    canvas.delete("all")
    W, H = 108, 92
    cx, cy, r = W // 2, H // 2 + 4, 35

    # Layer 1: Outer glow (wider, darker)
    canvas.create_arc(cx-r-4, cy-r-4, cx+r+4, cy+r+4,
                      start=225, extent=-270, style="arc",
                      outline="#1a2035", width=10)

    # Layer 2: Track (gray path)
    canvas.create_arc(cx-r, cy-r, cx+r, cy+r,
                      start=225, extent=-270,
                      style="arc", outline="#1f2937", width=7)

    # Layer 3: Progress (colored, proportional)
    if score is not None:
        col = _score_color(score)
        extent = -int(270 * score / 100)
        canvas.create_arc(cx-r, cy-r, cx+r, cy+r,
                          start=225, extent=extent,
                          style="arc", outline=col, width=7)

        # Score text
        canvas.create_text(cx, cy - 3, text=str(score),
                          fill=col, font=("Consolas", 22, "bold"))
        canvas.create_text(cx, cy + 17, text="/100",
                          fill="#6b7280", font=("Consolas", 9))

Three layers on same Canvas:

Outer glow — 10px dark, 4px larger radius (depth)
Track — 7px gray, full 270° (background)
Progress — 7px colored, proportional (gauge)

No masking. No blending. Just stacking arcs.

The Math

extent = -int(270 * score / 100)

Score	Calculation	Result
100	-int(270 * 1.0)	-270 (full)
75	-int(270 * 0.75)	-202 (¾)
50	-int(270 * 0.5)	-135 (½)
0	-int(270 * 0.0)	0 (empty)

The int() is critical. tkinter won't accept float extents — it'll silently fail and draw nothing.

Color Grading

def _score_color(score):
    if score >= 80:
        return "#10b981"  # Green
    if score >= 55:
        return "#fbbf24"  # Amber
    return "#ef4444"      # Red

def _score_grade(score):
    if score >= 85: return "EXCELLENT"
    if score >= 70: return "GOOD"
    if score >= 50: return "FAIR"
    return "POOR"

Three thresholds. Same color in arc, number, and label.

No color library. Just hex values.

The Scanning State

Gauge drawn twice:

On load — gray track only (score=None)
After scan — colored progress (score=0-100)

# Initial
_draw_arc(health_canvas, None)

# After scan thread
_draw_arc(health_canvas, calculated_score)

if score is not None prevents empty arc or crash.

While scanning (registry check, driver status, updates), gauge waits as clean gray circle.

Copyable Minimal Example

Want this in your project? Here's the stripped version:

import tkinter as tk

root = tk.Tk()
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=120, height=120, bg="#0a0e14")
canvas.pack()

def draw_gauge(score):
    canvas.delete("all")

    # Gray track
    canvas.create_arc(10, 10, 110, 110,
                      start=225, extent=-270,
                      style="arc", outline="#1f2937", width=8)

    # Colored progress
    if score:
        extent = -int(270 * score / 100)
        canvas.create_arc(10, 10, 110, 110,
                          start=225, extent=extent,
                          style="arc", outline="#10b981", width=8)

        # Text
        canvas.create_text(60, 60, text=str(score),
                          fill="white", font=("Consolas", 18, "bold"))

draw_gauge(73)
root.mainloop()

20 lines. Zero dependencies. Production-ready.

Why This Matters

This gauge powers health check in PC Workman (110+ downloads, 23 GitHub stars).
First thing users see in "First Setup & Drivers."

Makes the section feel premium — smooth, clean, not default tkinter.
All because I read Canvas docs instead of installing matplotlib.

The Bigger Lesson

Most developers solve problems by adding dependencies.
Need progress bar? Install library.

Need chart? Install library.

Need widget? Install library.

Nothing wrong with libraries. Good ones save time.
But sometimes the best solution is in stdlib docs.
In a parameter you've never used.
On a page you've never read.
style="arc" has existed since Python 1.x.
99% of developers never touched it.
I found it in 5 minutes of reading docs instead of Googling "how to."

What's Next

PC Workman v1.7.x builds toward TURBO Mode. Windows optimization tools:

CPU unparking
RAM flushing
Service management
Power plan switching

"First Setup & Drivers" scans system, gives health score before TURBO touches anything.

This gauge is part of that foundation.

v1.7.2 ships next week.

Your Turn

What's your "I can't believe this is possible with just X" moment?
Time you almost installed library, then realized solution was in docs?
Drop it below

PC Workman v1.7.2: I Built a Driver Booster Competitor From Scratch, Fixes. Monday Grind Blueprint #3

Marcin Firmuga — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:40:56 +0000

6 AM. Monday. Couldn't sleep.

Not the inspirational "I'm so motivated" kind of can't sleep. More like my brain decided to start compiling the entire weekly sprint at 5:47 AM and wouldn't shut up until I opened VS Code.

By 11 AM I had shipped four things that weren't even on this week's list. By Friday, the actual plan got done too. Some of it. Enough of it. This is the story of both.

PC Workman is at v1.7.2 now. If you're new here: it's an open-source AI-powered system monitor I've been building solo for 800+ hours. Python, PyQt5, WMI, a custom AI diagnostic engine called hck_GPT, and a lot of late nights after Żabka shifts. This week was one of the heaviest since I started.

Let's cut it open.

1. hck_GPT Time Badges — The Small Feature That Took Months to Actually Do

This one has been haunting me since Monday Grind Blueprint #1.

The problem was simple: hck_GPT would tell you things like "Chrome ate 6GB RAM recently." When recently? An hour ago? Yesterday? During that Windows update at 3 AM?

No timestamp. No context. Just "recently."

I kept pushing it back. "Next sprint." "After the UI redesign." "When I have time." Classic.

Monday morning, 6:23 AM, I just... did it.

The Interesting Part

hck_GPT's chat panel is a tk.Text widget. Most people use Text widgets for plain text. Type stuff in, maybe color some words, done.

But tkinter has this thing called window_create() that lets you embed any widget inside the text flow. Not on top of it. Not floating above it. Inside it, like it's just another character.

So instead of prepending "[08:52]" as plain text (boring, hard to style, breaks if the message wraps weird), I built a tiny canvas badge:

# panel.py
def _make_time_badge(self):
    badge = tk.Canvas(
        self.log,
        width=62, height=14,
        bg=THEME["bg_panel"],
        highlightthickness=0,
    )
    badge.create_rectangle(0, 0, 62, 14, fill="#0d0f14", outline="")
    badge.create_rectangle(0, 0, 3, 14, fill="#dc2626", outline="")   # left red bar
    badge.create_rectangle(59, 0, 62, 14, fill="#dc2626", outline="") # right red bar
    badge.create_line(3, 0, 3, 14, fill="#374151")
    badge.create_text(31, 7, text=time.strftime("%H:%M"),
                      fill="#94a3b8", font=("Consolas", 7, "bold"))
    return badge

Dark background, red accent bars on each side, Consolas font, 7pt bold. It looks like a tiny terminal badge sitting in the chat.

Then in add_message():

def add_message(self, msg):
    self.log.config(state="normal")
    if msg.startswith("hck_GPT:"):
        badge = self._make_time_badge()
        self.log.window_create("end", window=badge, padx=2, pady=1)
        self.log.insert("end", " ")
    self.log.insert("end", msg + "\n")
    self.log.config(state="disabled")

That window_create("end", window=badge) is the whole trick. The canvas lives inside the text flow, scrolls with everything else, and costs almost nothing performance-wise.

Small feature. One morning. Months overdue. Now every hck_GPT message says when it happened. 08:52, not "a while ago."

2. Process Library — From "Unknown" to "Oh, That's What You Are"

This one started in Blueprint #1 too. The idea was simple: when PC Workman mentions a process, you should know what it is without opening Google.

process_library.json already had ~60 entries. But real usage kept surfacing gaps. hck_GPT would say "WmiPrvSE.exe is using 34% CPU" and the tooltip showed... nothing. Unknown process.

This week I added 8 more entries, specifically the ones that kept showing up as unknowns during actual sessions:

wmiprvse.exe — WMI Provider Host. Every monitoring tool talks to this. Including PC Workman itself.
msmpeng.exe — Windows Defender's scan engine. The one that randomly spikes CPU at 2 AM.
registry — NT kernel process, no .exe extension. Easy to miss entirely.
claude.exe — Yes, the Claude desktop app. I use it enough that it shows up in Top 5.
hitman.exe, hitman2.exe, hitman3.exe — HITMAN trilogy. Each one with different VRAM profiles.
datatransfer.exe — Connected Devices Platform sync. Nobody knows what this is until it's eating RAM.

Each entry follows the same schema:

{
  "msmpeng.exe": {
    "name": "Windows Defender Antimalware Service",
    "vendor": "Microsoft",
    "category": "Security",
    "description": "Core scan engine for Windows Defender. Periodic CPU spikes are normal during scheduled scans.",
    "power_usage": "medium-high during scans",
    "safety": "safe — do not kill",
    "typical_cpu": "0-5% idle, 15-40% during scan",
    "typical_ram": "150-300 MB"
  }
}

Clean, queryable, and every field actually means something.

Tooltips Everywhere, Not Just in Chat

Before this week, the hover tooltip only worked inside hck_GPT's chat panel. If a process showed up in the main dashboard Top 5 panels, you were on your own.

Fixed that. But it wasn't as simple as "just add a tooltip."

The Top 5 panels update every render tick. Process names change constantly. If you capture the process name at widget creation time, the tooltip will show stale data within seconds.

Solution: store the process name in a mutable dict that gets updated every tick:

# main_window_expanded.py
widget_data = {
    "row": row, "name": name_lbl,
    "cpu_bar": cpu_bar, "cpu_val": cpu_val,
    "ram_bar": ram_bar, "ram_val": ram_val,
    "proc_name": "",   # updated every render tick
}

if self._process_tooltip:
    def _enter(e, wd=widget_data):
        pn = wd["proc_name"]
        if pn:
            tt = _proc_lib.format_tooltip_text(pn)
            if tt:
                self._process_tooltip.show(e, pn, tt)
    def _leave(e):
        self._process_tooltip.hide()
    name_lbl.bind("<Enter>", _enter)
    row.bind("<Enter>", _enter)    # whole row = bigger hit area

Then in the render loop, one line:

widget_data["proc_name"] = display_name

The wd=widget_data in the lambda captures by reference, not by value. So when the render loop updates proc_name, the tooltip reads the fresh name. No timer, no polling, no auto-hide. Mouse in = tooltip. Mouse out = gone. User reads at their own pace.

3. First Setup & Drivers — Building a Driver Booster From Scratch

This was the big one. Not planned for Monday. Not planned for this week at all. Just... happened.

I opened Driver Booster, IObit's tool, the one everyone installs when they get a new PC. And I thought: what does it actually do?

It reads your installed drivers. Checks versions. Shows you what's outdated. That's it. The "boost" part is just a download link.

I can do that. Without internet. Without admin rights. Without a third-party API.

Reading Drivers From the Windows Registry

Windows stores driver metadata in the registry under SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{GUID}. Each device class (GPU, Audio, Network, USB) has its own GUID. You open the key, enumerate subkeys, and read three values: DriverDesc, DriverVersion, DriverDate.

def _read_class_driver(guid):
    key_path = fr"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{guid}"
    with winreg.OpenKey(winreg.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key_path) as cls:
        for i in range(min(winreg.QueryInfoKey(cls)[0], 24)):
            sn = winreg.EnumKey(cls, i)
            if not sn[:4].isdigit():
                continue
            with winreg.OpenKey(cls, sn) as dev:
                desc = winreg.QueryValueEx(dev, "DriverDesc")[0]
                if any(kw in desc.lower() for kw in _SKIP):
                    continue
                ver      = winreg.QueryValueEx(dev, "DriverVersion")[0]
                drv_date = winreg.QueryValueEx(dev, "DriverDate")[0]
                return {"name": desc, "version": ver, "date": drv_date}

No internet call. No admin popup. Just winreg.OpenKey on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Windows lets you read this without elevation. You just can't write to it.

The _SKIP list filters out virtual network adapters (Hyper-V, VPN clients, Docker). Without it, the page fills up with phantom devices nobody cares about.

The Date Format Problem

Driver dates come from the registry as strings. Sounds simple. Except Windows uses at least three different formats depending on... I honestly don't know what. Device class? Driver manufacturer? Phase of the moon?

MM-DD-YYYY
YYYY-MM-DD
YYYYMMDD

The _driver_age_days() function tries all three. If none work, it returns None and the health score takes a small penalty for "unknown age" instead of crashing.

Health Score — Computed, Not Faked

Driver Booster shows you a big number. "Your system health: 73%." Where does that number come from? Nobody knows.

Mine is transparent:

def _compute_score(drivers, startup_count):
    score = 100
    for d in drivers:
        days = _driver_age_days(d.get("date", ""))
        if days is None:   score -= 6
        elif days >= 365:  score -= 20
        elif days >= 180:  score -= 9
    if startup_count > 12: score -= 15
    elif startup_count > 8: score -= 8
    return max(10, min(100, score))

Driver older than a year? Minus 20. Unknown date? Minus 6. Too many startup programs? Penalty. The formula is right there. You can read it, disagree with it, and fork it.

The score renders as an arc gauge drawn with canvas.create_arc(). 270° sweep, green→amber→red based on value. Nothing fancy. Nothing hidden.

Quick Actions

The page also has a Quick Actions panel. One-click access to Device Manager, Services, System Info, and MSConfig. These are just subprocess.Popen calls to devmgmt.msc, services.msc, msinfo32.exe, and msconfig.exe.

Sounds trivial. But I deep-researched what other tools in this space offer for first-time PC setup, and most of them... don't offer this. They focus on the driver scan and ignore the fact that someone setting up a new machine probably also wants quick access to system tools.

The Architecture Bit

The page itself is ~370 lines (ui/pages/first_setup_drivers.py). UI builds immediately — instant render, no loading screen. The driver scan runs in a threading.Thread and posts results back to the main thread via sf.after(0, lambda: _apply(...)).

Startup programs come from two registry hives:

paths = [
    (winreg.HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
     r"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run", "User"),
    (winreg.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,
     r"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run", "System"),
]

User-level and system-level. Both matter.

There's also a setup checklist that persists to data/cache/setup_checklist.json. Toggle items on click, progress bar updates live. Small thing, but it makes the page feel like a tool you come back to, not a one-time scan.

4. The Bug Nobody Noticed

The "First Setup & Drivers" button in yourpc_page.py was routing to the wrong page.

Click "First Setup & Drivers" → opens the optimization wizard. Not the setup page. The optimization wizard worked fine, so nobody reported it. Including me. I was clicking through the sidebar, not through the yourpc page buttons.

# Before (wrong):
btn.config(command=lambda: self._nav_to("optimization_wizard"))

# After (correct):
btn.config(command=lambda: self._nav_to("first_setup"))

One line. Probably been wrong since the button was created. The sidebar badge now also shows the live checklist state (e.g., "3/6 done"), loaded from JSON on every render.

5. The Scars

Every week has them. Here are this week's:

The scroll_frame width trap. When you embed a tk.Frame inside a tk.Canvas via create_window, the frame doesn't automatically fill the canvas width. Your entire page content renders in a narrow strip on the left. All your fill="x" packs are filling a 1px-wide frame and you don't know why.

Fix:

win_id = wrap.create_window((0, 0), window=sf, anchor="nw")
wrap.bind("<Configure>",
          lambda e: wrap.itemconfig(win_id, width=e.width - 2))

One binding. Took me 10 minutes of staring at the screen to figure out. If you're doing scrollable frames in tkinter — bookmark this.

The dead-code ghost. Earlier in the project, I deleted a _build_yourpc_page_OLD_REMOVED function. But a nested function inside it (_build_sensors_page_placeholder) survived the edit because the first attempt only replaced the function header, leaving the body orphaned. 40 lines of dead code sitting there, not breaking anything, not doing anything. Just vibing. Had to go back and kill it properly.

The write tool rejection. After writing ~370 lines for the new Setup & Drivers page, the file write failed because a linter touched the file between read and write. Had to re-read and re-issue the entire write. Not a code problem. Workflow problem. Lesson: on large files, write in one shot without anything touching the file in between.

What's Coming — The Week Plan (v1.7.2 → v1.7.4)

This was the Monday Grind Blueprint #3 plan. Here's what's on the board:

Dashboard Button Redesign

The buttons work. They look like 2015. PIL-generated gradients, canvas caching for button states, CSS-like hover system with state tracking. Zero FPS impact — gradients are pre-rendered once on init, then reused. The purple color scheme stays.

System Cleanup Utilities

Temp files cleaner (%temp%, Windows\Temp, Prefetch, browser caches). Log file manager with archive-before-delete. Startup optimizer with enable/disable toggles and impact ratings (High/Medium/Low).

One rule that won't change: nothing gets deleted without explicit user confirmation. No "we cleaned 2.3 GB!" surprises. You see the size, you confirm, then it happens. Detailed log of everything that was removed.

Complete "My PC" Health Tab

Right now: pretty placeholder. This week: real hardware detection via WMI queries (Win32_Processor, Win32_VideoController), temperature warnings (>85°C yellow, >90°C red), uptime stats, and JSON export for the health report.

TURBO — Auto RAM Flush

The one I'm most curious about. Advanced SystemCare and CCleaner claim 300-800 MB freed. What are they actually doing?

Researching three approaches:

EmptyStandbyList.exe (Sysinternals) — clears standby list
Native Python via ctypes (SetSystemFileCacheSize) — direct kernel call
Gentle per-process working set flush — least aggressive

Trigger: RAM >75% for >30 seconds. Measure before/after. Show the user exactly how much was freed. Toggle on/off, threshold adjustable.

If it works reliably without causing instability, it becomes the first real TURBO feature in PC Workman.

The Numbers

Version: 1.7.2
Hours logged: 800+
GitHub stars: 23
Downloads: ~100
Roadmap issues: 17 tracked, 4 done, 7 in review
Retail shifts between coding sessions: 5 per week
Microsoft Store: Q4 2026
Sleep this week: not enough

The Bigger Picture

I started PC Workman on a laptop hitting 94°C during compilation. Got fired three days before Christmas. Moved back to Poland. Started working at Żabka to pay bills while I keep building.

This isn't a weekend project. It's 800+ hours of "I refuse to let another project die at 70%."

v1.7.2 is the most feature-complete version yet. The First Setup & Drivers page alone competes with tools people pay for. The process library makes hck_GPT actually useful instead of just impressive. The timestamps make diagnostics real instead of vague.

And we're not even at v2.0 yet.

If you're building something solo, between shifts, between life — I see you. Keep shipping. Even the messy weeks count.

Star the repo if you want to follow along: github.com/HuckleR2003/PC_Workman_HCK

All my links: linktr.ee/marcin_firmuga

Monday Grind Blueprint sets the bar.
Wednesday Code Autopsy cuts it open.
Friday Shipped & Scarred shows what actually happened.

See you Wednesday.

About the Author

I'm Marcin Firmuga. Solo developer and founder of HCK_Labs. Building PC Workman — an open-source AI-powered system monitor — from scratch, publicly, honestly. Before this: game translations, IT technician internships, warehouse shifts in the Netherlands, and twelve failed projects I never finished. This one stuck.

Follow the build: GitHub · X/Twitter · LinkedIn · Medium

Friday Shipped & Scarred #3: PC Workman 1.7.1, The Foundation Great Release

Marcin Firmuga — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:32:02 +0000

PC Workman v1.7.1 shipped this morning:
18 test cases rewritten (previously broken)

~130 lines dead code removed
UI component refactor (AnimatedBar class)

3 chart bugs fixed (startup blank screen, filter lag, color inconsistency)

Process display redesign (readability improvements)

No new monitoring features. That's the point. This is infrastructure for TURBO Mode (system optimization tools coming in 1.7.x series).

Stack: Python, PyQt6, tkinter, psutil, SQLite

Dev time: Single morning (flow state after 9h retail shift)

Community impact: Closed testing issue from @Mary-devz

The Plan vs The Reality

Monday's roadmap:

3 issues from 1.7.8 milestone
UI button redesign
Code optimization in hck_gpt/

What actually happened:

Tuesday-Wednesday: Schema.org validator debugging
Thursday: 9h Żabka shift → 00:30 home → 5.5h sleep
Friday 6 AM: Flow state activated → full release shipped

Not what I planned. Better than what I planned.

Dead Code Archaeology

Fast-moving projects accumulate technical debt. PC Workman went from simple psutil wrapper to multi-module platform in ~12 months. That speed left artifacts.

Example: main_window_expanded.py

def _build_yourpc_page_OLD_REMOVED(self):
    """
    Old implementation of Your PC page.
    Extracted to ui/components/yourpc_page.py in v1.5.2
    ~130 lines of dead UI code
    """
    # ... 130 lines that haven't been called in 4 months

The problem: Not connected to anything. Never called. Just cognitive overhead.

The fix: Delete. Entire function removed.

Example: core/monitor.py

import platform  # Used: never
import psutil    # Used: everywhere

The fix: Remove unused import.

Example: requirements.txt

tkinter
tk>=0.1.0

The problem: Both are stdlib. Neither is pip-installable. Silent failures on pip install -r requirements.txt.

The fix: Remove both. Document stdlib dependencies in README instead.

Test Suite Rewrite: From Broken to Verified

Before (test_monitor.py):

def test_monitor_has_read():
    s = monitor.read()       # ❌ Method doesn't exist
    assert 'cpu_percent' in s

Actual method: monitor.read_snapshot()

This test has never passed. It was never run.

After (test_monitor.py):

@patch('core.monitor.psutil.cpu_percent', return_value=45.2)
@patch('core.monitor.psutil.virtual_memory')
@patch('core.monitor.psutil.disk_usage')
@patch('core.monitor.psutil.net_io_counters')
def test_read_snapshot_keys(self, mock_net, mock_disk, mock_mem, mock_cpu):
    """Snapshot contains all required keys with correct types"""
    mock_mem.return_value = MagicMock(percent=62.5)
    mock_disk.return_value = MagicMock(percent=78.0)
    mock_net.return_value = MagicMock(bytes_sent=1000, bytes_recv=2000)

    snapshot = monitor.read_snapshot()

    assert 'cpu_percent' in snapshot
    assert isinstance(snapshot['cpu_percent'], (int, float))
    assert 'ram_percent' in snapshot
    assert 'timestamp' in snapshot

Changes:

psutil fully mocked (no live system dependency)
Actual method name used
Type validation added
Runs in CI without hardware

Test Coverage Summary

test_monitor.py (7 cases)

Snapshot key presence & types
Process list parsing correctness
Sort order (CPU, RAM)
top_processes(n) limit enforcement
Cache hit behavior
Background thread population timing

test_analyzer.py (7 cases)

Zero-buffer edge case (should return zeroes)
CPU average calculation accuracy
averages_now_1h_4h() structure validation
Timestamp-based sample filtering
Spike detection (clear jump vs stable values)
Threshold sensitivity

test_avg_calculator.py (4 cases)

Missing file handling (empty list return)
Single-day aggregation with known values
Multi-day split (separate avg per date)
Result dict key validation

Total: 18 test cases, all using unittest.mock, zero live system dependencies.

Impact: TURBO Mode features (coming soon) will mutate system state. Verified data pipeline baseline is essential.

UI Component: AnimatedBar

Problem

Bars updated instantly:

# Before - instant jump
self.cpu_bar.place(relwidth=new_value)

Visually jarring when values change significantly (e.g., 20% → 75%).

Solution: Ease-out Animation Component

# ui/components/led_bars.py
class AnimatedBar:
    def __init__(self, parent, color, height=8):
        self.bg_frame = tk.Frame(parent, bg="#1e293b", height=height)
        self._fill = tk.Frame(self.bg_frame, bg=color, height=height)
        self._fill.place(relx=0, rely=0, relwidth=0, relheight=1)

        self._current = 0.0
        self._target = 0.0
        self._animating = False

    def set_target(self, pct: float):
        """Set target percentage (0.0 to 1.0)"""
        self._target = max(0.0, min(1.0, pct))
        if not self._animating:
            self._animating = True
            self._step()

    def _step(self):
        """Animation frame (ease-out)"""
        diff = self._target - self._current

        # Snap threshold: 0.4%
        if abs(diff) < 0.004:
            self._current = self._target
            self._fill.place(relwidth=self._current)
            self._animating = False
            return

        # Ease factor: 18% of gap per frame
        self._current += diff * 0.18
        self._fill.place(relwidth=self._current)

        # ~60fps
        self._fill.after(16, self._step)

Design Choices

Choice	Reasoning
Ease-out vs fixed-step	Always converges, no oscillation
Snap threshold (0.4%)	Prevents infinite micro-adjustments
18% ease factor	Fast initial movement, smooth slow-down
16ms frame time	~60fps
Layout-agnostic	`bg_frame` packs/grids anywhere

Usage

# Session Averages (3 bars)
self.cpu_bar = AnimatedBar(parent, color="#3b82f6")
self.cpu_bar.bg_frame.pack(fill="x", pady=2)
self.cpu_bar.set_target(0.63)  # 63%

# TOP 5 Processes (10 bars × 2 panels = 20 instances)
for i in range(5):
    cpu_bar = AnimatedBar(row_frame, color="#3b82f6")
    ram_bar = AnimatedBar(row_frame, color="#fbbf24")
    # ... layout logic

Result: All bars in app use same component. Future bars = 2 lines of code.

Process Display Redesign

Before (22px tall):

1. chrome.exe    [C ████░░ 12%] [R ██░░░░ 8%]

Issues:

Single-char labels (C, R) unclear
Name truncated at 14 chars (EpicGamesLau...)
Cramped layout

After (36px tall):

1. chrome.exe
   CPU ████████░░ 12%   |   RAM ████░░░░ 35%

Changes:

Two-line layout
Full labels (CPU, RAM) in accent colors
Name limit: 20 chars (covers most processes)
Equal-width bars with visual divider
Better hierarchy (name bold, metrics secondary)

Implementation

# Row container
row = tk.Frame(panel, bg=THEME["bg_panel"], height=36)
row.pack(fill="x", pady=1)

# Line 1: Process name
name_label = tk.Label(
    row,
    text=f"{i+1}. {proc_name[:20]}",
    bg=THEME["bg_panel"],
    fg=THEME["text"],
    font=("Consolas", 9, "bold"),
    anchor="w"
)
name_label.pack(fill="x", padx=8, pady=(4,0))

# Line 2: Metrics container
metrics = tk.Frame(row, bg=THEME["bg_panel"])
metrics.pack(fill="x", padx=8, pady=(0,4))

# CPU half
cpu_frame = tk.Frame(metrics, bg=THEME["bg_panel"])
cpu_frame.pack(side="left", fill="both", expand=True)

cpu_label = tk.Label(cpu_frame, text="CPU", 
                     fg="#3b82f6", font=("Consolas", 8))
cpu_label.pack(side="left")

cpu_bar = AnimatedBar(cpu_frame, color="#3b82f6", height=6)
cpu_bar.bg_frame.pack(side="left", fill="x", expand=True, padx=4)

cpu_pct = tk.Label(cpu_frame, text=f"{proc['cpu']:.0f}%",
                   fg=THEME["muted"], font=("Consolas", 8))
cpu_pct.pack(side="right")

# Divider
divider = tk.Frame(metrics, bg=THEME["muted"], width=1)
divider.pack(side="left", fill="y", padx=4)

# RAM half (same pattern)

Impact: Processes now identifiable at a glance. No guessing what C and R mean.

Chart Fixes: Three Bugs, One Session

Bug 1: Blank on Startup

Problem: canvas.winfo_width() returns 1 before tkinter paints widget. Retry logic was fragile.

Fix:

# Canonical tkinter pattern for "wait for real dimensions"
self.realtime_canvas.bind('<Configure>', self._on_chart_configure)

def _on_chart_configure(self, event=None):
    """Fires when canvas gets real dimensions (or resizes)"""
    self._chart_items = []  # Reset item pool
    self._schedule_chart_update(50)  # Immediate redraw

Result: Chart renders on first paint, every time.

Bug 2: Filter Lag

Problem: Clicking 1H or 4H loaded data but chart didn't update until next 2-second tick.

Fix:

def _on_filter_click(self, filter_name):
    """User clicked 1H, 4H, or Live"""
    self._current_filter = filter_name
    self._load_chart_data()
    self._schedule_chart_update(50)  # ← Added this line

Result: Instant visual feedback on filter change.

Bug 3: Color Inconsistency

Problem: Chart used #1e3a8a, #92400e, #064e3b (dark navy, brown, dark green) — remnants from intermediate implementation.

Fix:

# Consistent palette used everywhere else in app
CHART_COLORS = {
    'cpu': '#3b82f6',   # Blue
    'ram': '#fbbf24',   # Amber
    'gpu': '#10b981'    # Green
}

Result: Visual consistency across entire interface.

What's Coming: TURBO Mode

The 1.7.x series builds toward TURBO Mode — Windows system optimization tools triggered from dashboard.

Planned Features

1. Stop Non-Essential Services

# Pseudocode
essential = ['Dhcp', 'Dnscache', 'EventLog', ...]
running = get_running_services()
stoppable = [s for s in running if s not in essential]

for service in stoppable:
    if service.cpu_avg_7d < 0.5 and service.ram_avg_mb < 50:
        service.stop()

Impact: Free CPU/RAM from background services user doesn't need.

2. Unpark CPU Cores

# Windows parks cores under light load
# TURBO unpaks all physical cores
for core in range(cpu_count(logical=False)):
    set_core_parked_state(core, parked=False)

Impact: All cores available for compute-heavy tasks.

3. Auto Power Plan Switch

# Switch based on load threshold
if cpu_avg_5min > 60 or gpu_avg_5min > 70:
    set_power_plan('High Performance')
else:
    set_power_plan('Balanced')

Impact: Performance when needed, power saving when idle.

4. RAM Flush (>75% usage)

# Clear Windows standby list
if ram_percent > 75:
    flush_standby_list()  # ctypes call to kernel32

Impact: Reclaim cached RAM under memory pressure.

5. Suspend Inactive Processes

# Identify processes idle >10min
for proc in running_processes():
    if proc.cpu_time_last_10min == 0:
        proc.suspend()  # psutil.Process.suspend()

Impact: Free resources from backgrounded apps.

Why This Matters

TURBO Mode touches Windows internals. Incorrect implementation = system instability.

Requirements:

Verified data pipeline (tests)
Clean codebase (no dead code confusion)
Stable UI components (AnimatedBar reusable)
Bug-free monitoring (chart fixes)

v1.7.1 provides all of these.

When TURBO features land (1.7.2-1.7.8), they'll be built on solid foundation.

Scarred: Lessons Learned

1. Sleep debt is real

Flow state at 6 AM on 5.5h sleep? Lucky. Not sustainable.

2. Foundation work is invisible

No screenshots. No new features. But when TURBO Mode doesn't crash Windows? This is why.

3. Community feedback → credibility

Mary-devz raised testing issue. I shipped tests. Issue closed. Trust built.

4. Flow state doesn't wait

Best coding happens when it happens. 9h retail shift → 5.5h sleep → flow state → full release.

Plan around energy, not calendar.

What's Next

1.7.2 scope (next week):

UI button redesign (original roadmap item)
Possibly auto-update check (#14 - quick win)

1.7.x series:

TURBO Mode implementation (features listed above)
Complete "My PC" health tab
Microsoft Store preparation

Long-term:

v1.7.8 feature-complete
Store submission Q3 2026
v2.0 with full TURBO suite

Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Core	Python 3.8+
UI Framework	PyQt6
Legacy UI	tkinter
Monitoring	psutil
Storage	SQLite
Testing	unittest + unittest.mock
Build	PyInstaller
Signing	Sigstore

Monday Grind Blueprint #2: 80 Processes Explained, 3 Issues Targeted, 1 Week to Ship

Marcin Firmuga — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:05:17 +0000

Nobody needs another AI feature.

They need to know if svchost.exe is safe or a virus.
I spent Easter weekend building something embarrassingly simple: a JSON file that explains what 80+ Windows processes actually do.
Not machine learning. Not blockchain integration. Not "AI-powered insights."
Just context.
And it works better than I expected.

The Problem: Task Manager Shows Data, Not Understanding
Open Task Manager right now. You'll see:

svchost.exe — 6 instances, 800MB RAM
dwm.exe — 40% CPU spike
RuntimeBroker.exe — Random activity
System — Always at the top

What do you do?
Google "is svchost.exe a virus?"
Read 10 forum threads.
Still not sure.
Maybe kill the process.
Break something.
PC_Workman now solves this in 0.5 seconds:
Hover on svchost.exe in the chat →
Service Host Process
Microsoft Corporation
Hosts Windows services. Multiple instances are normal.
Power: Low-Medium
Safety: Safe (part of Windows)
CPU: 1-15% per instance
RAM: 50-200MB per instance
Done.
No Google. No paranoia. Just facts.

Easter Weekend: From "Too Tired" to "Shipped"
Context:
Week 1 at Żabka retail: 5:30 AM starts, solo store shifts by day 5, 20 zł/h (~$5/hour).
Monday plan: Process library + timestamps + 2 articles
Tuesday-Friday reality: Too exhausted to code after 9-hour shifts
Saturday-Sunday: Redemption arc
What shipped:

process_library.json — 80+ process definitions
process_library.py — Loader with lookups
tooltip.py — Hover UI widget
Integration in panel.py — Regex binding for chat

Time: ~4 hours total
Difficulty: Medium (Tkinter events + regex)
Impact: HIGH (users finally understand what processes are)

What I Built: The Process Library System
File 1: process_library.json (The Data)
Location: PC_Workman_HCK/data/process_library.json
Size: 80+ definitions (will grow to 150+)
Categories:

System: explorer.exe, svchost.exe, dwm.exe, csrss.exe
Browsers: chrome.exe, firefox.exe, edge.exe, opera.exe, brave.exe
Gaming: steam.exe, valorant.exe, leagueoflegends.exe, fortnite.exe, minecraft.exe
Development: python.exe, node.exe, code.exe, docker.exe, git.exe
Communication: discord.exe, teams.exe, zoom.exe, slack.exe
Media: spotify.exe, vlc.exe, obs64.exe, photoshop.exe
Productivity: excel.exe, word.exe, notion.exe, outlook.exe
Utilities: 7zfm.exe, winrar.exe, everything.exe
Virtualization: vmware.exe, virtualbox.exe

Structure:
json{ "chrome.exe": { "name": "Google Chrome", "vendor": "Google LLC", "category": "browser", "description": "Web browser. RAM usage increases with open tabs.", "power_usage": "high", "safety": "safe", "typical_cpu": "5-25%", "typical_ram": "200-800MB per window" }, "svchost.exe": { "name": "Service Host Process", "vendor": "Microsoft Corporation", "category": "system", "description": "Hosts Windows services. Multiple instances are normal.", "power_usage": "low_medium", "safety": "safe", "typical_cpu": "1-15% per instance", "typical_ram": "50-200MB per instance" } }
No AI-generated descriptions. All written in plain English, human-verified.

File 2: process_library.py (The Loader)
Location: PC_Workman_HCK/hck_gpt/process_library.py
What it does:

Loads JSON on startup
Provides case-insensitive lookups
Formats tooltip text for display

Implementation:
pythonclass ProcessLibrary:
` """Loads process definitions from JSON and provides lookups"""

def __init__(self):
    self.processes = {}
    self._load_library()

def _load_library(self):
    """Load process_library.json"""
    lib_path = os.path.join(
        os.path.dirname(__file__), 
        '..', 
        'data', 
        'process_library.json'
    )

    if os.path.exists(lib_path):
        with open(lib_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
            self.processes = json.load(f)
        print(f"[ProcessLibrary] Loaded {len(self.processes)} process definitions")

def get_process_info(self, process_name):
    """Case-insensitive lookup"""
    return self.processes.get(process_name.lower().strip())

def format_tooltip_text(self, process_name):
    """Format for display"""
    info = self.get_process_info(process_name)
    if not info:
        return None

    return f"""📦 {info['name']}

{info['vendor']}

{info['description']}

Power: {info['power_usage']}
Safety: {info['safety']}
CPU: {info['typical_cpu']}
RAM: {info['typical_ram']}"""

Singleton instance

process_library = ProcessLibrary()`
Why singleton? One load at startup, shared across all components.

File 3: tooltip.py (The UI Widget)
Location: PC_Workman_HCK/hck_gpt/tooltip.py
What it does:

Creates borderless tooltip window
Positions near mouse cursor
Displays formatted process information
Auto-hides on mouse leave

Implementation:
pythonclass ProcessTooltip:
` """Shows tooltip on hover over process names"""

def __init__(self, parent):
    self.parent = parent
    self.tooltip_window = None

def show(self, event, process_name, tooltip_text):
    """Show tooltip at mouse position"""
    if not tooltip_text:
        return

    self.hide()  # Destroy old tooltip

    # Create borderless window
    self.tooltip_window = tk.Toplevel(self.parent)
    self.tooltip_window.wm_overrideredirect(True)
    self.tooltip_window.wm_attributes("-topmost", True)

    # Position near mouse
    x = event.x_root + 20
    y = event.y_root + 10
    self.tooltip_window.wm_geometry(f"+{x}+{y}")

    # Styled frame + label
    frame = tk.Frame(
        self.tooltip_window,
        bg=THEME["bg_panel"],
        highlightbackground=THEME["accent2"],
        highlightthickness=2,
        padx=12,
        pady=8
    )
    frame.pack()

    label = tk.Label(
        frame,
        text=tooltip_text,
        bg=THEME["bg_panel"],
        fg=THEME["text"],
        font=("Consolas", 9),
        justify="left"
    )
    label.pack()

def hide(self):
    """Destroy tooltip"""
    if self.tooltip_window:
        self.tooltip_window.destroy()
        self.tooltip_window = None`

Positioning logic: +20px right, +10px down from cursor to avoid blocking text.

File 4: panel.py (The Integration)
Location: PC_Workman_HCK/hck_gpt/panel.py
What changed:

Import process library:
`
pythonimport re

try:
from hck_gpt.process_library import process_library
from hck_gpt.tooltip import ProcessTooltip
HAS_PROCESS_LIBRARY = True
except ImportError:
HAS_PROCESS_LIBRARY = False
print("[hck_GPT] Process library not available")

Initialize tooltip in init:

python# Tooltip system
self.tooltip = ProcessTooltip(parent) if HAS_PROCESS_LIBRARY else None

Bind tooltips method:

pythondef _bind_process_tooltips(self):
"""Scan chat text for process names and bind hover events"""
if not HAS_PROCESS_LIBRARY or not self.tooltip:
return

# Get all text
content = self.log.get("1.0", "end-1c")

# Search for .exe patterns
exe_pattern = r'\b\w+\.exe\b'

for match in re.finditer(exe_pattern, content, re.IGNORECASE):
    process_name = match.group(0)

    # Check if process exists in library
    info = process_library.get_process_info(process_name)

    if info:
        # Create unique tag
        tag_name = f"process_{process_name}_{match.start()}"

        # Add tag to text
        # (Tkinter text index conversion logic here)
        self.log.tag_add(tag_name, start_pos, end_pos)

        # Style the tag (underline, color)
        self.log.tag_config(
            tag_name,
            foreground=THEME["accent2"],
            underline=True
        )

        # Bind hover events
        tooltip_text = process_library.format_tooltip_text(process_name)

        self.log.tag_bind(
            tag_name,
            "<Enter>",
            lambda e, pn=process_name, tt=tooltip_text: 
                self.tooltip.show(e, pn, tt)
        )

        self.log.tag_bind(
            tag_name,
            "<Leave>",
            lambda e: self.tooltip.hide()
        )

Call after adding messages:

pythondef add_message(self, msg):
# ... add text to chat
self._bind_process_tooltips() # Scan and bind`
Regex pattern: r'\b\w+.exe\b' matches word boundaries + .exe extension (case-insensitive)
Why unique tags? Same process can appear multiple times in chat — each occurrence needs separate hover binding.

Why This Matters
Before process library:
User: "epicgames.exe is using 40% CPU — is that normal?"
Action: Google → Reddit → forum threads → paranoia → maybe kill process
After process library:
User hovers on epicgames.exe

Epic Games Launcher
Epic Games, Inc.
Game distribution platform. Updates games in background.
Power: Medium-High
Safety: Safe
CPU: 10-40% (during updates)
RAM: 300-800MB

User: "Oh, it's updating games. That's fine."
Result: Informed decision instead of guessing.

This Week's Plan: 3 Issues from Roadmap 1.7.8
Full roadmap: https://github.com/users/HuckleR2003/projects/3/views/2?pane=issue&itemId=166508113&issue=HuckleR2003%7CPC_Workman_HCK%7C17
Total issues to v1.7.8: 17
Selected for this week: 3

Issue #1: Missing tests, discussions, packaging

Source: GitHub issue from Mary-devz (community feedback)
Problem:

No automated tests yet
Need discussion about update mechanisms
Packaging strategy unclear

Plan:

Set up pytest framework
Create test suite for core modules
Discuss auto-update vs manual download strategy
Define packaging requirements for Microsoft Store

Why this matters: Community feedback = roadmap priorities

Issue #2: [UI] Main dashboard button graphics redesign

Source: Own issue
Problem:

Current buttons functional but inconsistent
Need final visual style before Store submission
Button states (normal/hover/active) need polish

Plan:

Finalize button style guide
Redesign primary controls (Start Monitoring, Settings, Reports)
Implement hover animations
Ensure accessibility (contrast ratios, click targets)

Why this matters: UI = first impression for new users

Issue #3: [Code] Optimize hck_gpt/ modules

Source: Own issue
Problem:

Multiple small files in hck_gpt/ folder
Some code duplication
Performance could be better

Plan:

Analyze module dependencies
Consolidate related functionality
Remove duplicate code
Profile performance bottlenecks
Document optimization decisions

Why this matters: Clean code = easier maintenance = faster feature development

Build-in-Public Philosophy
Why share the struggle?
Because "I planned X, did Y" is more valuable than "look at my perfect progress."
Week 1 reality:

Monday: Ambitious plan
Tuesday-Friday: Too tired after Żabka
Saturday-Sunday: Catch-up sprint
Monday: Selective focus on 3 issues

Not shipping everything. Shipping what matters.
The gap between plan and execution = the actual content.

Current State & Goals
Today:

Day job: Żabka retail (20 zł/h, 1-2 months bridge)
Dev time: Weekends + evenings when possible
PC_Workman: v1.7.0 (process library shipped)

This week:

Close 3 issues from roadmap
Build momentum toward v1.7.8

April target:

v1.7.8 feature-complete
All critical issues resolved

Q3 2026:

Microsoft Store submission
Public release v2.0

June-July 2026:

Exit Żabka → Junior dev role

What's Next
Process library expansion:

Target: 150+ definitions by v1.7.8
Community contributions (submit PRs with process definitions)
Auto-categorization for unknown processes (future)

This week deliverables:

Test framework setup + initial tests
UI button redesign completed
hck_gpt/ optimization documented

Long-term vision:

Microsoft Store release
Cross-platform support (Linux, macOS)
Process behavior learning (detect unusual patterns)

Try It Yourself
PC_Workman v1.7.0:

GitHub: https://github.com/HuckleR2003/PC_Workman_HCK
Free, open source, portable .exe
Windows 10/11

Process library:

JSON format (easy to extend)
MIT license
Contributions welcome

GitHub, here :)
All my links here :)

About the Author
I’m Marcin Firmuga. Solo developer and founder of HCK_Labs.

I created PC Workman , an open-source, AI-powered
PC resource monitor
built entirely from scratch on dying hardware during warehouse
shifts in the Netherlands.
This is the first time I’ve given one of my projects a real, dedicated home.

Before this: game translations, PC technician internships, warehouse operations in multiple countries, and countless failed projects I never finished.

But this one? This one stuck.
800+ hours of code. 4 complete UI rebuilds. 16,000 lines deleted.
3 AM all-nighters. Energy drinks and toast.

And finally, an app I wouldn’t close in 5 seconds.
That’s the difference between building and shipping.

PC_Workman is the result.

Friday Shipped & Scarred #1: The Day git --force Deleted 130 PC Workman Commits (I Got 90 Back)

Marcin Firmuga — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:03:34 +0000

Friday Shipped & Scarred #1: The Day git --force Deleted 130 Commits (And How I Got 90 Back)

First in a weekly series tracking PC_Workman development. The good, the broken, the lessons learned.

Monday: My Heart Stopped

I ran git push --force on PC_Workman.
130 commits became 1 commit.

Eight months of development history disappeared.
Not the code. The code was fine. But the story was gone.

Every "Fixed memory leak" commit. Every "Rebuilt UI (again)" message. Every timestamp proving this project wasn't slapped together over a weekend.
Gone.

The Panic

First reaction: freeze.
Second reaction: check GitHub.

One commit. Master branch. That's it.
Reflog? Empty.

Old branches? None with the history.

GitHub API endpoints? Nothing recoverable.

I'd read about this happening to others. "Always backup before git surgery" they said.
I didn't backup this time...

The Recovery: An Accidental Save

Then I remembered something.

Three weeks ago, I created an archive branch.

Not for backup. Just to keep old files around for reference. Old UI screenshots. Deprecated features. That kind of thing.

I checked it.

90 commits.

Not the full 130. But 90 commits with complete history dating back months.

The archive had saved me.

What I Lost (And What I Kept)

Lost:

40 commits (most recent work)
Detailed messages about recent bugfixes
Exact timeline of last month's changes

Kept:

90 commits showing project evolution
Proof of 8 months of development
Complete rebuild history (I did 4 complete UI rebuilds - that's documented)

Could have lost:

Everything.

90 out of 130 = 69% recovery rate.

Not perfect. But infinitely better than 1 out of 130.

This Week: Cleaning Up What The Disaster Exposed

The git crisis had a silver lining: it forced me to look closely at the repository.

And I found... problems.

Problem 1: Missing CONTRIBUTING.md

Someone opened an issue: "CONTRIBUTING.md link is broken"
I checked. The file was gone.
Lost in the git chaos. Never recovered from the archive.

Solution: Rewrote it from scratch. Better this time. Clearer guidelines. Actual examples.
Result: Contributor can now actually contribute.

Problem 2: AI-Generated Patterns in README

Last week I posted on Reddit asking why my project looked "AI-generated."
Got brutal, honest feedback:

Empty bullet points (- with no text)
Emoji bullets (everywhere)
AI-style phrasing ("Why it's different" with arrow format)

Solution:

Removed all empty bullets
Removed emoji formatting
Rewrote descriptions in plain English
Added actual technical depth from CHANGELOG

Before:

Monitors your PC
Shows graphs

After:
Real-time CPU, GPU, RAM tracking with historical analysis.
Dashboard loads optimized from 800ms to 200ms through widget reuse pattern.

Specific. Technical. No fluff.

Problem 3: Polish UI Text (In An English Project)

I thought I'd translated everything.
I was wrong.

Found Polish text in:

Status messages ("Ładowanie..." = "Loading...")
Dashboard labels ("Użycie CPU" = "CPU Usage")
Error messages
Placeholder tooltips

Files changed:

ui/windows/main_window.py
ui/windows/main_window_expanded.py
ui/components/fan_dashboard.py
ui/components/sidebar_nav.py
ui/pages/fan_control/usage_stats.py
ui/pages/fan_control/hardware_info.py
6 more files

Time spent: 6 hours
Times I thought I was done: 3
Times I actually was done: 1

Problem 4: Marketing Docstrings

Early code had docstrings like:

def update_dashboard():
    """
    Revolutionary real-time dashboard update system.
    Leverages advanced widget reuse patterns for optimal performance.
    Seamlessly integrates with monitoring engine.
    """
    # ... actual code

Nobody talks like this in real code.

After cleanup:

def update_dashboard():
    """Update dashboard widgets. Reuses existing widgets instead of recreating."""
    # ... actual code

Boring. Accurate. Better.

Removed from:

Main window files
Fan dashboard
All page components

Result: Code reads like code, not a sales pitch.

Problem 5: Guide-AI Repository (Side Project)

While cleaning PC_Workman, noticed Guide-AI repo was stale:

No screenshots (people can't see what it does)
No tags
Outdated description

Fixed:

Added QR code demo screenshots
Added proper GitHub topics (react, supabase, ai, qr-codes)
Rewrote description with actual value prop Not perfect. But visible now.

What Shipped This Week

Repository cleanup:

CONTRIBUTING.md rewritten
README cleanup
12 files Polish -> English translation
Marketing docstrings -> technical docstrings
Guide-AI repo updated

Stats:

90+ commits recovered and visible
0 empty bullet points remaining
0 Polish UI strings remaining
0 "leverages advanced" phrases remaining

What Broke

Git recovery wasn't perfect:

Lost 40 commits
Lost detailed timeline of February changes
Had to manually recreate some documentation

Translation took 3x longer than expected:

Found Polish text in 12 files (thought it was 4)
Each pass found more hidden strings
Final check: found 3 more files

Time management:

Planned: 2 hours for cleanup
Actual: 8 hours across 3 days

Lessons Learned

1. Before ANY risky git operation:

git branch backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

5 seconds. Could save months.

2. "Clean" code has layers

First pass: obvious issues

Second pass: hidden patterns

Third pass: still finding things

Clean once isn't enough.

3. Accidental backups count as backups

That archive branch saved me.
Wasn't intentional. Still worked.
Lesson: Keep old branches longer than you think necessary.

4. Reddit feedback hurts but helps

Being told your project "looks AI-generated" stings.
But it pushed me to actually clean up the issues.
Feedback <3.

Next Week:

-Monday Blueprint Grind #1
-Wednesday Code Autopsy #2

Topic: Process aggregation - how PC_Workman tracks per-process CPU/RAM usage without destroying performance.

Format: Technical deep-dive into hck_stats_engine/process_aggregator.py

Also coming:

First YouTube Short (Code Autopsy video format)
v1.7.0 planning (TURBO mode research)

The Numbers

PC_Workman current state:

Version: 1.6.8
Commits visible: 90+ (recovered)
Development time: 800+ hours
Next milestone: v2.0 → Microsoft Store (Q3 2026)

This week's time investment:

Git recovery: 2 hours
README cleanup: 1 hour
Code translation: 6 hours
Documentation: 1 hour

Total: 10 hours (planned 4, actual 10)

Try It / Break It / Fix It

PC_Workman is open source. MIT licensed.

GitHub: github.com/HuckleR2003/PC_Workman_HCK

Download: Latest release

Follow the journey:

Building in public. Shipped & Scarred every Friday.

Questions, comments, roasts? Hit me up.

About the Author

I’m Marcin Firmuga. Solo developer and founder of HCK_Labs.

Before this: game translations, PC technician internships, warehouse operations in multiple countries, and countless failed projects I never finished.

But this one? This one stuck.
800+ hours of code. 4 complete UI rebuilds. 16,000 lines deleted.
3 AM all-nighters. Energy drinks and toast.

And finally, an app I wouldn’t close in 5 seconds.
That’s the difference between building and shipping.

PC_Workman is the result.

My first series of Wednesday Code Autopsy! Every wednesday :)

Marcin Firmuga — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:23:34 +0000

Marcin Firmuga

Mar 25

Code Autopsy #1: How ~90 Lines Turned System Monitoring Into A Conversation

#python #opensource #buildinpublic #ai

Comments

5 min read

Code Autopsy #1: How ~90 Lines Turned System Monitoring Into A Conversation

Marcin Firmuga — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:08:57 +0000

Code Autopsy #1: How 30 Lines Turned System Monitoring Into A Conversation

Part of the PC_Workman build-in-public series. Code Autopsy drops every Wednesday.

The Problem: Numbers Without Answers

You open Task Manager.

"CPU: 87%"

Cool.

But WHY 87%?

Is that normal? Should you worry? What process caused it? When did it start?

Task Manager doesn't answer. HWMonitor doesn't answer. MSI Afterburner doesn't answer.

They show you WHAT is happening. Never WHY.

That's the gap PC_Workman fills.

PC Workman 1.6.8 - hck_GPT in action. Service Setup - quick access to disable useless services, or services what you don't will use (Bluetooth, Print, fax). Today Report - Info about correctly collecting data by sessions. Daily usage averages. And Alerts from suspected spikes/moments by temperatures or voltage.

The Solution: EventDetector

After 800 hours building PC_Workman (most of it on a laptop that peaks at 94°C), I realized: users don't need more data. They need context.

So I built EventDetector.

30 lines of Python that turn monitoring into a conversation.

Here's how it works.

Step 1: Track YOUR Baseline (Not Generic Averages)

Most tools compare against hardcoded thresholds:

"50% CPU is normal"
"60% RAM is high"
"80°C is warm"

Problem: Your normal isn't my normal.

A gaming PC idling at 30% CPU? Normal.

A lightweight laptop idling at 30% CPU? Something's wrong.

EventDetector tracks YOUR baseline from the last 10 minutes:

def _get_baseline(self, now):
    """Get recent baseline averages from minute_stats.
    Cached for 60 seconds to avoid excessive queries.
    """
    cutoff = now - SPIKE_BASELINE_WINDOW  # 10 minutes

    rows = conn.execute("""
        SELECT AVG(cpu_avg) as cpu_avg, 
               AVG(ram_avg) as ram_avg,
               AVG(gpu_avg) as gpu_avg,
               AVG(cpu_temp) as cpu_temp, 
               AVG(gpu_temp) as gpu_temp
        FROM minute_stats
        WHERE timestamp >= ?
    """, (cutoff,)).fetchone()

    return baseline_cache

Key insight: The baseline is YOU. Not everyone. Just you.

PC Workman 1.6.8 - Events detector for hck_GPT insights. Based on long-term monitoring: CPU, GPU, RAM. EventDetector code with highlights on baseline, delta, rate limiting, severity

Step 2: Calculate Delta (Current vs YOUR Normal)

Once we have YOUR baseline, detecting spikes is simple math:

def _check_metric(self, now, metric_name, current_val, 
                  baseline_val, threshold, description):
    """Check if a metric exceeds its threshold above baseline"""

    delta = current_val - baseline_val

    if delta < threshold:
        return  # No spike - you're within YOUR normal range

Example:

Your CPU baseline (last 10 min): 42%
Current CPU: 87%
Delta: +45%
Threshold: 20%

Result: Spike detected. But we're not done yet.

Step 3: Rate Limiting (No Alert Spam)

Early versions of EventDetector had a problem: alert spam.

Chrome spikes CPU every 30 seconds? You'd get 120 alerts per hour.

Useless.

Solution: Rate limiting.

# Rate limiting: {metric_name: last_event_timestamp}
self._last_event_time = {}

def _check_metric(self, ...):
    # ... delta calculation ...

    # Rate limiting
    last_time = self._last_event_time.get(metric_name, 0)
    if now - last_time < SPIKE_COOLDOWN:  # 5 minutes
        return  # Too soon since last alert

    # Log the event
    self._last_event_time[metric_name] = now

Result: Max 1 alert per metric per 5 minutes. No spam.

Step 4: Severity Levels (Critical vs Warning vs Info)

Not all spikes are equal.

CPU spiking 21% above baseline? Worth noting.

CPU spiking 60% above baseline? Drop everything.

EventDetector categorizes:

# Determine severity
if delta >= threshold * 2:
    severity = 'critical'  # 🔴
elif delta >= threshold * 1.5:
    severity = 'warning'   # ⚠️
else:
    severity = 'info'      # ℹ️

Example thresholds:

CPU threshold: 20%
Delta 40%+: Critical
Delta 30%+: Warning
Delta 20-29%: Info

Result: Alerts match urgency.

The Final Output: Context, Not Just Numbers

Here's what you see in PC_Workman when a spike happens:

Before (Task Manager):

CPU: 87%

After (PC_Workman):

⚠️ CPU spike: 87% (baseline: 42%, delta: +45%)
Chrome.exe - started 3 hours ago

Same data. Different story.

One gives you anxiety. The other gives you action.

PC Workman 1.6.8 - My PC - Center of Actions.
STATS & ALERTS - Long term monitoring your components usage, process usage. And mainly time-travel TEMP and Voltages alerts about spikes, or suspected moments. Optimization & Services - For optimize and improve your PC performance. First Setup & Drivers - All for setup your new device/new os. Stability Tests - For check about correctly working of PC Workman and Database check. Your Account-Details - Soon :)

Implementation Notes

Handles 5 Metrics With Same Logic

The beauty of this design: reusable.

Same _check_metric function handles:

CPU usage
RAM usage
GPU usage
CPU temperature
GPU temperature

def check_and_log_spike(self, cpu_avg, ram_avg, gpu_avg,
                        cpu_temp=None, gpu_temp=None):
    baseline = self._get_baseline(now)

    # Check each metric with same logic
    self._check_metric(now, 'cpu', cpu_avg, 
                      baseline['cpu_avg'], 
                      SPIKE_THRESHOLD_CPU, 'CPU usage')

    self._check_metric(now, 'ram', ram_avg, 
                      baseline['ram_avg'],
                      SPIKE_THRESHOLD_RAM, 'RAM usage')

    # ... and so on

Clean. Maintainable. Scalable.

Performance: Cached Baselines

Baseline queries hit SQLite. Could be slow.

Solution: 60-second cache.

if now - self._baseline_cache_time < 60 and self._baseline_cache:
    return self._baseline_cache  # Use cached data

Result: Query once per minute, not once per second.

Storage: SQLite Events Table

All events logged to database:

INSERT INTO events
(timestamp, event_type, severity, metric, value, 
 baseline, process_name, description)
VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)

Benefits:

Historical tracking (what spiked last week?)
Pattern detection (Chrome spikes every Tuesday?)
Exportable data

What I Learned Building This

1. Users Don't Need More Data

Early versions of PC_Workman showed 20+ metrics.

Users ignored them all.

Lesson: Context, no quantity.

2. Rate Limiting Is User Experience

First version: no rate limiting.

Result: 500 alerts per hour. Unusable.

Lesson: Silence is a feature.

3. Personalization.

"50% CPU is high" works for nobody.

YOUR 50% vs MY 50% = different stories.

Lesson: Baselines must be personal.

PC Workman 1.6.8 - hck_GPT Insights

The Numbers

EventDetector stats:

~30 lines core logic
Handles 5 metrics
Max 1 alert per metric per 5 min
Baseline cached 60 sec
3 severity levels

PC_Workman stats:

800+ hours development
Built on 94°C laptop
v1.6.8 current (v2.0 -> Microsoft Store, Q3 2026)
60+ downloads
17 stars
Open source, MIT licensed

Try It Yourself

PC_Workman is open source.

EventDetector is in hck_stats_engine/events.py.

Download, run, break it, improve it.

GitHub: github.com/HuckleR2003/PC_Workman_HCK
File what I show you: PC_Workman_HCK/hck_stats_engine/events.py

Building in public. Code Autopsy every Wednesday.

Follow the journey:

Twitter: @hck_lab
LinkedIn: Marcin Firmuga
Everything: linktr.ee/marcin_firmuga

Next Week: Wednesday Code Autopsy #2

Topic: ProcessAggregator - how PC_Workman tracks which apps eat your CPU without destroying performance.
See you Wednesday.

Questions? Comments? Roasts? I'm building in public. Feedback welcome.

About the Author

I’m Marcin Firmuga. Solo developer and founder of HCK_Labs.

I created PC Workman , an open-source, AI-powered
PC resource monitor
built entirely from scratch on dying hardware during warehouse
shifts in the Netherlands.

This is the first time I’ve given one of my projects a real, dedicated home.

Before this: game translations, PC technician internships, warehouse operations in multiple countries, and countless failed projects I never finished.

But this one? This one stuck.
800+ hours of code. 4 complete UI rebuilds. 16,000 lines deleted.
3 AM all-nighters. Energy drinks and toast.

And finally, an app I wouldn’t close in 5 seconds.
That’s the difference between building and shipping.

PC_Workman is the result.

PC_Workman: Building a System Monitor for Microsoft Store

Marcin Firmuga — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:44:13 +0000

PC_Workman: Building a System Monitor for Microsoft Store

Eight months. 680 hours. 80 downloads.

Now: preparing for Microsoft Store.
Here's what's changing, what's staying, and why the Store matters.

Current State

PC_Workman v1.6.8 shipped February 2026.

Features:

Real-time CPU/GPU/RAM monitoring
AI diagnostics (hck_GPT)
SQLite-backed stats engine
Historical data tracking
Fan curve control

Tech:

Python 3.9+
PyQt5 (UI)
psutil/GPUtil (telemetry)
OpenAI API (AI assistant)

Distribution:

GitHub releases (.exe installer)
Sourceforge listing
80 downloads since January

Problem: Limited discovery.

Most users don't browse GitHub for system monitors.
They search Microsoft Store.

Why Microsoft Store

Discovery:

1+ billion Windows users
Built-in trust (Microsoft verification)
Automatic updates
One-click install

Legitimacy:

No SmartScreen warnings
Code signing included
Privacy policy required (forces transparency)
Age ratings (shows it's vetted)

Competition:
MSI Afterburner, HWMonitor, Core Temp - none on Store.
There's a gap.

v1.7.9 Roadmap (Before Store)

16 features planned March-June 2026.

Core Updates

Auto-update checker

Check GitHub releases on startup
Show banner if newer version exists
User choice: update now or later
No forced updates, no telemetry

Dashboard graphics refresh

New icon set
Purple → blue gradients
Hover animations
Better visual hierarchy

Code optimization pass #2

10-15% line reduction
Better performance (built on 94°C laptop, optimization isn't optional)
Type hints + docstrings
Remove dead code

TURBO BOOST Mode (The Big One)

Research from ASC, Razer Cortex, CCleaner, Wise optimizers.
16 optimization features tested:

Auto RAM flush - Clear standby memory when >75%
Process sleeper - Suspend inactive apps
Service killer - Stop non-essential Windows services
CPU unparking - Unlock parked cores
Power plan switch - Auto "High Performance" mode
Game mode - Windows Game Mode auto-enable
Network optimizer - TCP tweaks, DNS flush
Temp cleaner - Auto cleanup every X hours
SSD trim - Automatic TRIM, defrag only HDD
Startup optimizer - Disable non-essential startup
Real-time tune-up - AI decides what to boost when
Browser cache - Clear without closing browser
Priority manager - Boost game process priority
Auto detection - Detect fullscreen game → trigger boost
Thermal prevention - Kill processes at >85°C
Battery mode - Economy mode on battery

Status: Research phase.
Testing each on dying laptop.
Only features that actually work ship.

Target: v1.7.5 (first 5), v1.7.9 (all 16)

Tab Completions

Finishing placeholder pages:

My PC → Health Report (component diagnostics)
My PC → Cleanup (temp files, logs, cache)
Stability Tests (file integrity, engine status)

v2.0: Microsoft Store Preparation

Technical requirements:

MSIX packaging
- Convert .exe → .appx/msix
- Handle app sandboxing
- Limited file access (Store apps are restricted)
Code signing
- Requires certificate (~$200-400/year)
- Signs app as verified developer
- Removes SmartScreen warnings
Privacy policy
- Required by Store
- PC_Workman doesn't collect data
- Policy explains what's monitored (local only)
Store listing
- 500 char description
- 4-5 screenshots
- High-res icon (1024x1024)
- Category: Utilities & Tools

Challenges:

Cost: Code signing isn't free
Sandboxing: Might break some features (needs testing)
Review time: Can take weeks
Microsoft cut: Store takes % of sales (PC_Workman is free, so irrelevant)

Alternative:

Sideload MSIX (users install without Store)
GitHub releases remain primary
Store as secondary discovery channel

What Changes (And What Doesn't)

Changing:

Distribution (GitHub + Store)
Package format (.exe → MSIX)
Update mechanism (Store handles it)
Code signing (required)

NOT changing:

Free and open source (MIT license stays)
No data collection (privacy-first)
Core features (monitoring, AI, TURBO)
GitHub development (Store is just distribution)

Timeline

March 2026: v1.7.0-1.7.3
- Auto-update
- Dashboard refresh
- Code optimization

April-May: v1.7.4-1.7.6
- TURBO features (wave 1)
- Tab completions

June: v1.7.7-1.7.9
- TURBO complete (all 16 features)
- Final optimization
- Code freeze

Q3 2026: v2.0
- MSIX packaging
- Microsoft Store submission
- Local AI integration (Ollama/LM Studio)

Not promises. Goals.
Things break. Laptops die. Life happens.

Why I'm Building This

Nine months in Netherlands warehouse.
15km daily. Scanning barcodes.
Lost job December 22.

Started rebuild #4 that night.
Shipped first .exe three weeks later.

Not talent. Stubbornness.

PC_Workman exists because:

MSI Afterburner shows "CPU: 87%" - doesn't explain WHY
HWMonitor logs data - doesn't help you optimize
Task Manager is reactive - not proactive

Needed tool that EXPLAINS, not just SHOWS.
Built on 94°C laptop.
Optimized for real-world constraints.

Microsoft Store = next step in making it accessible.

Follow Development

GitHub: click!
Roadmap: click
Twitter: hck_lab
LinkedIn: here

KO-FI ❤ — Coffe?

Let's build.

Marcin Firmuga | Warehouse worker -> Indie developer | Building in public

Just an great steps :) 8 months of unstoppable working. Full build in public. Income? 0$ but don't care

Marcin Firmuga — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:30:26 +0000

PC_Workman 1.6.8: When "Quick Fix" Took 3 Weeks (Data Engine + AI Context + 70% Performance)

Marcin Firmuga ・ Feb 22

#python #opensource #buildinpublic #showdev

Forem: Marcin Firmuga

Real guide from my 10 months of work PC Workman (Open Source, fully build in public (fails, tiny wins)

How I Built an Offline AI Assistant in Python - No OpenAI, No LangChain, No Dependencies

How I Built an Offline AI Assistant in Python - No OpenAI, No LangChain, No Dependencies

1. Intent Scoring - One Algorithm for Two Languages, Zero NLP Libraries

2. Hybrid Confidence - When to Trust ML, When to Trust Keywords

3. The Routing Decision - 5 Steps from Message to Answer

4. Intent-Aware Temperature - The Surgeon vs The Friend

5. Fallback Chain with Availability Cache

6. Session Memory - AI That Remembers What It Said 3 Messages Ago

7. System Prompt with Live PC Context — Facts, Not Vibes

What This Costs vs The OpenAI Approach

What I'd Do Differently

Why I'm Writing This

Try It

Why I Sign Every .exe With Sigstore - PC Workman v1.7.2 Release, Security-First Open Source

Why Nobody Trusts .exe Files Anymore (And Why They Shouldn't)

What Security Actually Looks Like in PC Workman

Sigstore Digital Signatures

VirusTotal — 70+ Engines, Every Release

GitHub CodeQL — Automated on Every Commit

SECURITY.md — 445 Lines of Policy

What PC Workman Does NOT Do

v1.7.2 — What Actually Changed

Hybrid AI Engine (Complete hck_GPT Rewrite)

Startup Manager

Services Manager

Optimization Hub

Everything Else

The Numbers

Why I Ship .exe Files (And Why More Developers Should)

What's Next

Wednesday Code Autopsy #4: The Canvas Arc Nobody Uses - PC Workman

The Problem

The Discovery

The Solution

How It Works

The Geometry

The Angles

The Secret Third Style

The Production Implementation

The Math

Color Grading

The Scanning State

Copyable Minimal Example

Why This Matters

The Bigger Lesson

What's Next

Your Turn

Links

PC Workman v1.7.2: I Built a Driver Booster Competitor From Scratch, Fixes. Monday Grind Blueprint #3

1. hck_GPT Time Badges — The Small Feature That Took Months to Actually Do

The Interesting Part

2. Process Library — From "Unknown" to "Oh, That's What You Are"

Tooltips Everywhere, Not Just in Chat

3. First Setup & Drivers — Building a Driver Booster From Scratch

Reading Drivers From the Windows Registry

The Date Format Problem

Health Score — Computed, Not Faked

Quick Actions

The Architecture Bit

4. The Bug Nobody Noticed

5. The Scars

What's Coming — The Week Plan (v1.7.2 → v1.7.4)

Dashboard Button Redesign

System Cleanup Utilities

Complete "My PC" Health Tab

TURBO — Auto RAM Flush

The Numbers

The Bigger Picture

Friday Shipped & Scarred #3: PC Workman 1.7.1, The Foundation Great Release

The Plan vs The Reality

Dead Code Archaeology

Example: main_window_expanded.py

Example: core/monitor.py

Example: requirements.txt

Test Suite Rewrite: From Broken to Verified

Before (test_monitor.py):

After (test_monitor.py):

Test Coverage Summary