CloudsForgeCase StudyI built an AI video workstation - design through distribution.
I recently built a desktop app that rents you a cloud GPU and configures everything in a couple of clicks - so you can run open-source AI video models at the provider's own rate.
Running open-source AI is unnecessarily hard.
These models need data-center GPUs that cost $10k+ - hardware almost nobody owns. Renting one yourself means conda environments, CUDA mismatches, dependency conflicts, and multi-page install guides. The alternative is paying 2-3× markups to subscription tools. The capability is open and free - the path to it is the wall.
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no $10k+ GPU on hand
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conda environments
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CUDA mismatches
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dependency conflicts
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multi-page install guides
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2–3× GPU markups
Four steps. No terminal required.
CloudsForge connects to RunPod, shows real GPU prices, auto-configures the whole environment, and gives you a clean UI for the job queue, logs, and gallery. You pay the GPU provider directly. Zero markups, zero telemetry.
- 01Connects to RunPod - real GPU prices, you pay the provider directly
- 02Auto-configures dependencies, models, and environments
- 03Clean UI for the job queue, real-time logs, and gallery
- 04Local-first, zero telemetry, lifetime ownership
Ideation to ship - solo.
Research & Design
Found the gap - no friction-free desktop client for open-source AI video. Mapped the competition (Runway, Kling, Pika, raw terminal), then designed the full desktop workflow in Figma around one idea: simplicity with control.
MVP Development
Built the desktop app in Electron + React. Wired up the RunPod integration, a job queue with real-time log streaming, and a model manager supporting Open-Sora v2, Wan2.1, and HunyuanVideo.
Launch & Ship
Set up cross-platform builds and code signing through GitHub Actions, shipped on Windows / macOS / Linux, and handled distribution and licensing via Gumroad. One-time $49 - no subscription, ever.
The full spectrum - one person.
Frontend, desktop runtime, cloud orchestration, build pipeline, payments. No handoffs, no gaps.
- 01Electron
- 02React
- 03TypeScript
- 04Node.js
- 05RunPod API
- 06GitHub Actions CI/CD
- 07Gumroad
Motion-graphics demo - coming soon
A full walkthrough reel is in production. The frames behind this slot are real CloudsForge generations.
What shipping a product taught me.
Desktop is its own discipline
Auto-update strategy, cross-platform testing, code signing, and dependency management are problems the web never makes you solve.
Cloud APIs are async-failure machines
Job queuing, provider rate limits, network drops, state sync between local-first and cloud - error handling becomes the architecture.
Positioning is a feature
Being explicit about what CloudsForge is NOT - not a model, not a provider, not a subscription - did more for clarity than any UI polish.
Building is the smaller half
Going from freelancer to founder means support, roadmap calls, and positioning - the code is necessary but it was never the whole job.
Available now · Windows · macOS · Linux · $49 one-time
I built this end-to-end. Now I want to do it with your team.
Design, frontend, backend, DevOps, payments - I've carried a real product across all of it, solo. I'm available for founding roles, senior engineering, and select freelance work.