Chris Mellor
AI-First Full-Stack Engineer · UK-based, remote
I build and ship production software with Claude Code, mostly on Laravel.
Professional Summary
I've been building software commercially for over six years, with the better part of a decade in tech before I moved into
development proper.
The way I build software has changed. These days I write less of it line by line and spend more time directing the work: I
plan it properly first, get the spec and the edge cases sorted before anything gets built, then let AI agents handle the
implementation. It means I ship more, and ship it faster, but the standards haven't slipped: the decisions and the review are
still mine.
I'm not just guessing and hoping something works. I know Laravel well, I'm more than comfortable on the front-end, and I've
got enough range across everything else to stay in control of the code rather than just accepting it—and I review everything
the AI writes, security included, because I don't take it on trust. Laravel is still my main framework, and this is
just genuinely how I work now.
How I Work
I've settled into a way of working that does most of the thinking up front, before any code exists. By the time I start building, the hard decisions are already made, so it lands clean and rarely needs much reworking:
- Map the problem
- Write the spec
- Break it into tickets
- Implement with AI agents
- Code & security review
Claude Code is what I use day to day, with Anthropic's models doing the work. I keep an eye on the other models and tools out there, but this setup has worked so well I've had no reason to move off it. And when I catch myself doing the same thing more than once, I'll turn it into a reusable skill so I never have to work it out from scratch again.
Technical Skills
AI Engineering & Workflow
- Claude Code (primary harness)
- Anthropic (Claude) models
- Spec-driven agent workflows
- AI-assisted code & security review
- Comfortable across other models & harnesses
Core Stack
- Laravel / PHP
- Livewire
- Vue.js & Inertia.js
- Alpine.js
- Tailwind CSS
Platform & Practices
- Pest / PHPUnit
- CI / CD
- Docker
- Linux & web infrastructure
Professional Experience
Software Engineer
Right Global Group
04/2026 - Present
Full-stack engineer on a multi-tenant prize-competitions platform (Laravel, Inertia, Vue 3, MariaDB, Redis / Horizon) running roughly 30 production tenant sites. Everything below was built with my AI-first, spec-driven workflow.
- Designed and built an in-house SMS marketing platform end-to-end—letting tenants message their customers with reusable recipient lists, a rules-based automation engine (e.g. an SMS triggered when a new customer registers and makes a purchase), and campaign analytics
- Laid the groundwork for the company's move to a self-service SaaS on Laravel Cloud, standing up automated per-tenant app provisioning and porting the platform from MariaDB to PostgreSQL where Cloud required it
- Optimised a ~100M-row tenant database with targeted indexing and caching, used Laravel Nightwatch to find and fix the next bottlenecks, and replaced a fragile manual deploy script with a GitHub Actions pipeline that ended recurring out-of-memory failures and enabled fast, parallel multi-tenant deploys
- Built a dual-sided referral programme—letting customers refer new customers for a cut, plus a separate influencer tier with its own rates and rewards, with the reward and payout logic to back it
- Built an on-demand image optimisation proxy (Intervention) that compiles and caches lean image variants on first request, cutting page weight from oversized customer uploads across the site
Freelance
02/2025 - Present
Fullstack Laravel Developer
App-Hive
11/2025 - Present
- Built and maintained a Shopify plugin using the TALL stack (Tailwind, Alpine.js, Laravel, Livewire), implementing features based on customer requests and requirements
- Built these the same way I work now—planning up front, then implementing with AI agents—which is what let me turn features around quickly on tight deadlines
- Effectively the sole developer on the product—building from the maintainer's issues and shipping through his review—I've merged close to 60 pull requests in eight months: around 50 features and a dozen fixes
Full-stack Developer
Everyone Inc
06/2025 - 08/2025
- Collaborated with the management team and their client to rebuild the website from the ground up using the TALL stack. Developed many of the front-end views with Blade, Tailwind CSS, and Alpine.js base
Laravel Developer
NERIS Analytics Limited
02/2025 - 05/2025
- Worked closely with the development team via Linear to implement new features and streamline the backlog of support tickets and bug fixes
Senior Laravel Developer
Townsend Music
08/2025 - 11/2025
- Implemented new website designs from Figma into the company’s Filament-based platform, integrating templates with dynamic data
- Maintained and extended core systems built on the Filament framework, resolving bugs reported through Sentry and ClickUp
- Monitored and resolved failed jobs and service outages, responding to automated alerts via Slack to minimise downtime
Laravel Developer
59club Ltd
01/2022 - 11/2024
- Core member of a three-person team rebuilding the company's flagship software from the ground up using the TALL stack (Tailwind, Alpine.js, Laravel, Livewire)
- Delivered a complete mobile solution end-to-end—a cross-platform app (Vue.js + Ionic) and its supporting Laravel API with Sanctum auth—independently learning the stack and shipping both to production within six months
- Established and configured Laravel Vapor infrastructure, including dynamic per-PR environments for safer testing
PHP Developer
Jump Twenty Four Ltd
06/2021 - 12/2021
- Led multiple client projects in an agency environment, focusing on modernising legacy applications using Laravel and modern PHP practices
- Architected and implemented new features using Inertia.js, adapting to each client's technology requirements
For my complete work history, visit my LinkedIn profile
Open Source & Side Projects
The biggest change AI has made for me is that language and framework are no longer the barrier they used to be. When I
need something, I build it—whatever it takes. I wanted a better Markdown viewer, so I built one; I wanted a
voice-dictation tool, so I built that too—both well outside my day-to-day stack, and both built with the same care I'd
give production work, code and security reviewed rather than blindly trusted. In a role, that means I can help improve
things beyond a company's core stack, not just within it.
I've contributed to the Laravel ecosystem for years, creating and maintaining open source packages that have collectively
passed 1,000 stars on GitHub, with some featured on social media and reviewed on YouTube. I'd rather build and support my
own solution (or a fork) than lean on something unmaintained. Alongside publishing code, I stay close to the community
through newsletters, Laracasts, and discussion online.
Interests
Outside of work I love to travel—often solo, sometimes with my partner—usually after falling down a YouTube travel-vlog rabbit hole. I'm into live music too, and the occasional festival when a favourite band is touring.