Hi, I'm Max Fischer.

I build things, kitesurf, and travel with a dachshund.

That's my kite up there. Grab the bar and fly it.

The drawing: a beach with the sea on the right. I'm out on the water on a twin tip, flying my red kite. My camper van is parked on the sand with two empty camping chairs next to it, and Johnny, my black and tan dachshund, runs along the beach after the kite's shadow.

Max has the bar right now.

the bar, slide it

Your logbook: 0 stamps Keys: focus the bar, hold ← or →.

Max Fischer with a golden crown and his dachshund in front of a red wall.
Me, a crown and Johnny. Guess who's actually in charge.

the short version

About me

I'm Max. I build software and sell it as MXF Labs. I've been kitesurfing since 2011 and taught it for six years as a certified instructor.

A lot of the year I work from a camper van somewhere in Europe, together with my girlfriend and our dachshund Johnny. The rest of the time it's Germany. Claude Code is my daily tool.

I'm building toward freedom, not a startup exit.

studied aerospace engineering, quit corporate, building from a van a lot of the year

The long way to the beach

  1. Bavaria

    Born and raised there. Abitur in the pocket, big plans, no idea what to do with them.

  2. University, take one

    Dropped out after a few weeks. It wasn't the right time.

  3. The water years

    Got certified as an instructor and spent years teaching on the water.

  4. University, take two

    Went back and studied aerospace engineering (Luft und Raumfahrttechnik). Why? I wanted to build kites.

  5. Corporate

    Worked corporate for about a year. Hated every second. Quit and taught myself to code.

  6. Shipping since 2024

    First product commit in September 2024. Today seven products are out there and one more is in the lab.

  7. Now

    Building from Germany and, a lot of the year, from the van. Most things don't need to be perfect, they need to exist.

seven flags on my beach

Things I build

Every flag is a real product you can use today. Small, focused, made by one person. Some are free. The paid ones are one time prices.

  • QueryGlow

    A self hosted database GUI your team opens from a URL. PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite and more. $79 once, source code included.

    queryglow.com

  • ShotsGlow

    A native Windows screenshot tool. Backdrop, annotate, redact, remove backgrounds on device, works offline. In the Microsoft Store.

    shotsglow.com

  • PPWR-DOC

    Declarations of conformity for the EU Packaging Regulation in five minutes. 8 languages, from 49 EUR once.

    ppwr-doc.com

  • kiteCOMPASS

    4,800+ kite spots, scored on about five years of daily weather. Free.

    kitecompass.app

  • KitesurfOK

    Hand vetted kitesurf jobs in 30+ countries, updated daily. Free to apply.

    kitesurfok.com

  • Pebble

    Git native memory for Claude Code. An open source MCP server with ten tools and zero LLM API calls. MIT licensed.

    github.com/mxfschr/pebble

  • claude-code-seo

    An executable SEO system for Claude Code: a 26 section knowledge base and 9 slash commands. Started as my r/SEO notes.

    github.com/mxfschr/claude-code-seo

ThemenFlow is in the lab: SEO content strategy for German speaking marketers. Not out yet.

I sell my software as MXF Labs. mxflabs.com

Beach rules

  1. Ship before it's perfect.Most things don't need to be perfect, they need to exist. Iteration beats planning every time.
  2. Own your infrastructure.I host my own stuff where I can. No vendor lock in, no surprise bills, full control.
  3. Build what you use.If you're the user, you'll build something better.
  4. Pay once.One time prices where they work. Your data stays where it is.
  5. Low overhead, high freedom.A laptop, a camper van, a good kite spot. Revenue goals beat growth goals.

shout across the beach

Say hi

Email works, so do X and GitHub.

[email protected]

Notes in the sand

Right now it's just you, me and Johnny on this page. One day you'll be able to leave a note here for the next visitor. Until then, an email does the same job.

collect them all, or don't

Your logbook

Every trick you fly lands here, and every stamp you earn gets stuck on my van as a sticker. Today's wind is made up from your date.

Tricks, records and stamps

Today's lesson

Park the kite at the zenith for 10 seconds.

Tricks, and how to do them

  • Zenith parkKite straight up at 12 o'clock for 3 seconds. Least power in the whole window. Where you go to take a breath.0
  • Edge parkKite at the edge of the window, around 10 or 2 o'clock, for 3 seconds. Keep the nose up or it slides into the water.0
  • SineDive the kite up and down through the power zone a few times. In light wind that is how you keep riding.0
  • DownloopA full loop low in the window while you stay on the water. A lot of pull, very fast.0
  • JumpSend the kite from low on one side up toward 12, fast. It lifts you. Gusts help. Height and hangtime go in your records.0
  • KiteloopLoop the kite while you are in the air. The scary one. The fun one.0
  • TransitionFly the kite over the top from one side to the other. That is how you change direction.0
  • Water relaunchCrashed? Hold one side of the bar. The kite rolls onto its tip, drifts to the edge and climbs back up.0
  • CrashCounts too. Everybody eats sand sometimes.0

Trick log

  1. Nothing yet.
Highest jump
0 m
Longest hangtime
0 s
Longest zenith park
0 s
Most pull
0 kg

Stamps

  • First flightFly my kite for 10 seconds.
  • Twelve o'clockZenith park.
  • On the edgeEdge park.
  • Light wind heroSine.
  • DownloopOne full loop, low in the window.
  • Lift offYour first jump.
  • Big airJump 10 m or higher.
  • KiteloopLoop it in the air.
  • Back upWater relaunch.
  • Over the topA transition.
  • UntangledLoop your twisted lines straight again.
  • Gust sendJump inside a gust.
  • Lull survivorKeep it flying through a lull.
  • Dawn patrolFly between 5 and 8 in the morning, your time.
  • Night sessionFly when it's actually night where you are.
  • Good listenerJohnny understood five words. Type them anywhere.
  • ???Twice. In the air.
  • ???Someone on the beach wants attention.
  • ???Say his name.
  • ???He knows twelve words.
  • ???Sunglasses recommended.
  • ???The sky has a switch.
  • ???Look down the beach.
  • ???Read to the very end of the story.
  • ???Something is still in the bag.
  • ???Who is wearing the crown?
  • ???Everything above. Then you get the crown.

Inside the van