Takeaway
I spent my weekend tinkering with three open‑source AI tools — OpenWebUI, OpenCode, and OpenDesign — and accidentally built a tiny personal AI studio on my machine.
This is my “Weekend Token Utilisation Report,” because saying “I played with AI toys all weekend” doesn’t sound respectable enough for LinkedIn.
Saturday Morning: OpenWebUI — My AI Café
I started with OpenWebUI, which feels like a cozy café where your local LLM hangs out, waiting for you to ask questions ranging from “Explain quantum physics like Rajinikanth” to “Write me a grocery list.”
What it is
A local-first AI chat interface
Works with Ollama, LM Studio, remote APIs
Supports agents, workflows, RAG, voice, extensions
Lets you build your own mini AI tools
Why it’s fun
Because it doesn’t judge your prompts.
Ask it nonsense, ask it philosophy, ask it code — it just vibes.
Setup
Install Ollama
Install OpenWebUI
Connect your models
Start chatting like it’s Yahoo Messenger in 2004
Saturday Afternoon: OpenCode — My Coding Partner Who Never Sleeps
Then came OpenCode, which is basically VS Code after a spiritual awakening.
What it is
A local AI coding environment
Chat + code completion + debugging
Works with local or cloud models
Clean, distraction-free UI
Why it’s awesome
Because it feels like pair programming with a calm, polite engineer who never says, “Bro, you missed a semicolon.”
Setup
Install the app
Connect your model
Start coding with AI whispering helpful suggestions
Sunday Morning: OpenDesign — The AI Design Studio That Actually Ships Real Output
OpenDesign is NOT an image generator. It’s a local-first design workspace that works with your coding agent to produce real, runnable design artifacts.
What it actually does
OpenDesign helps your AI agent generate:
Landing pages (HTML/CSS you can deploy)
Dashboards (responsive, styled layouts)
Slide decks (HTML or PPTX)
Social cards (HTML → PNG)
Short videos (HTML → MP4)
Design systems (brand styles in Markdown)
Think of it as giving your coding agent a full design department.
Why it’s addictive
Because you ask for a “Stripe-like landing page,” and it gives you real HTML you can host.
Ask for a “dashboard with a dark theme,” and it generates the layout.
Ask for a “slide deck summarizing my weekend token usage,” and it builds the slides.
Setup
Install OpenDesign
Connect it to your coding agent (OpenCode, Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini, etc.)
Start generating real design output
Sunday Afternoon: Making All Three Work Together
This is where the magic happened — the three tools formed a local AI production pipeline.
The Trio
OpenWebUI → Brainstorming, chatting, planning
OpenCode → Coding, debugging, refining
OpenDesign → Turning ideas into real design artifacts
Example workflow
Brainstorm landing page ideas in OpenWebUI
Build the backend logic in OpenCode
Generate the frontend layout in OpenDesign
Publish to Blogger/Substack/Hashnode
Feel proud of your weekend token utilisation
Why this matters
You’re not “using AI tools.”
You’re running a local AI studio — private, fast, flexible, and subscription-free.
Benefits (The Serious Part of the Naughty Title)
Privacy — everything runs locally
Speed — no cloud latency
Creativity — chat + code + design in one loop
Control — choose your models, workflows, extensions
Zero subscription guilt — your wallet is safe
Token utilisation bragging rights — you earned this
The Twist
“My Weekend Token Utilisation Report” sounds like something you’d present to your CFO.
But really, it’s just me saying:
“I spent my weekend feeding tokens to AI models instead of doing laundry.”
And honestly, I regret nothing.
~Mohan Krishnamurthy
www.leomohan.net
