Six ways Khtain ships value for solo operators.
Each service line is built around the same principle: infrastructure-grade tooling, sized for a company of one. Pick what you need, skip what you don't.
AI Agent Deployment
Autonomous LLM workflows that run on your infrastructure 24/7.
Definition
AI agent deployment is the process of building and operating autonomous LLM-driven workflows that run on your infrastructure 24/7. Khtain deploys agents using Claude, OpenAI, or local LLMs via Ollama, with orchestration through Hermes, LangGraph, or n8n — all running on servers you own.
Engagement shapes
Every engagement is fixed-fee. Exact scope, milestones, and delivery shape are written into the proposal after the free 30-minute scoping call.
What you get
Common use cases
| Use case | What the agent does |
|---|---|
| Inbox triage | Sort and label customer emails by intent, draft replies |
| Content pipeline | Pull topics → research → outline → draft → review |
| Sales research | Auto-research leads from a CRM list, output structured briefs |
| Support deflection | RAG agent answering your docs over Slack/Discord |
| Data extraction | Pull structured data from messy sources (PDFs, websites, transcripts) |
| Workflow orchestration | Notion → Slack → Linear → email coordination |
We deploy agents that work in production for years, not demos that break in 3 months. Every agent gets retry logic, structured logging, cost monitoring, and a kill switch. You can debug it without us.
Stack we use
Models: Claude (primary), GPT-4o, o1, local Llama/Qwen via Ollama. Frameworks: Hermes, LangGraph, AutoGen, n8n. Infrastructure: Docker on Hetzner/OVH. Observability: Langfuse.
Custom Tools
Small, sharp software for one specific job — no SaaS bloat.
Definition
Custom tool development means building software for one specific job that no off-the-shelf product handles well. Khtain ships these in modern lightweight stacks (Astro, Hono, SQLite), deployed to your infrastructure, with no recurring license fees.
Engagement shapes
Every engagement is fixed-fee. Exact scope, milestones, and delivery shape are written into the proposal after the free 30-minute scoping call.
The "I'll just use Notion / Airtable / Zapier" path works until it doesn't. Once your workflow has 3+ moving parts and one custom condition, you spend more time fighting the tool than using it. A custom 200-line Hono service does the job in a third of the cognitive overhead — and runs on a tiny VPS.
Examples we've shipped
Stack we use
Frontend: Astro, Next.js, Svelte. Backend: Hono, FastAPI. Database: SQLite, Turso, Postgres. Hosting: Cloudflare Workers, Fly.io, Hetzner.
Private Server Setup
Self-hosted infrastructure you actually own.
Definition
Private server deployment means provisioning, configuring, and securing dedicated infrastructure for your business — Linux servers on Hetzner, OVH, or similar providers, set up with Docker, reverse proxies, automated backups, and monitoring. You retain full control and pay only for the underlying hosting.
Engagement shapes
Every engagement is fixed-fee. Exact scope, milestones, and delivery shape are written into the proposal after the free 30-minute scoping call.
What we deploy
- →Application hosting (your custom apps, agents, databases)
- →Self-hosted alternatives: Plausible, Outline, n8n, Cal.com, Postgres+Hasura, Listmonk, OpenWebUI+Ollama
- →Monitoring: Uptime Kuma, Grafana
- →Backup automation to Backblaze B2 or rclone targets
- →VPN access via Tailscale or WireGuard
Self-hosted vs SaaS
| Need | SaaS option | Self-hosted | Why self-host |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytics | Google Analytics | Plausible | No data sold, EU-friendly |
| Docs / wiki | Notion | Outline | Local search, no SaaS lock-in |
| Automation | Zapier | n8n | Unlimited tasks, owns the data |
| Scheduling | Calendly | Cal.com | Custom workflows, no per-seat fee |
| Email lists | Mailchimp | Listmonk | Unlimited subscribers, no API limits |
| LLM access | ChatGPT Pro | OpenWebUI + Ollama | Local models, no prompt logging |
Self-hosting trades up-front setup for permanent ownership. You can never be deplatformed and your data stays yours.
Stack we use
Linux: Debian or Ubuntu LTS. Containers: Docker Compose. Reverse proxy: Caddy. Hosting: Hetzner, OVH, Vultr. Storage: Backblaze B2, S3-compatible.
Data Servers
Your data, your control — TrueNAS, Postgres, encrypted backups.
Definition
Data server deployment means setting up dedicated storage and database infrastructure under your direct control — TrueNAS for file storage, PostgreSQL or SQLite for application data, with automated backups and access controls. Most solo operator setups run on a single mid-tier server with multi-TB capacity.
Engagement shapes
Every engagement is fixed-fee. Exact scope, milestones, and delivery shape are written into the proposal after the free 30-minute scoping call.
What we set up
- →TrueNAS or Unraid for file storage
- →PostgreSQL or SQLite for structured data
- →Automated daily backups to off-site (Backblaze B2, AWS S3 Glacier)
- →Encrypted-at-rest storage
- →Access controls (per-user permissions, VPN-only access)
- →Monitoring and alerting on disk health
Hardware recommendations
Stack we use
Blockchain Advisory
Engineering perspective on Web3 — no hype, no token-shilling.
Definition
Blockchain advisory means providing engineering review, architectural guidance, and tactical implementation help for crypto and Web3 projects — without the marketing-driven posturing that dominates the space. Khtain advises on smart contract design, tokenomics sanity-checks, deployment infrastructure, and avoiding common security pitfalls.
Engagement shapes
Every engagement is fixed-fee. Exact scope, milestones, and delivery shape are written into the proposal after the free 30-minute scoping call.
What we do
- →Smart contract code review (Solidity / Foundry-based projects)
- →Tokenomics sanity checks (does the model actually work as designed?)
- →Deployment and indexing infrastructure (The Graph, custom indexers)
- →Wallet integration patterns
- →Token-gating for off-chain tools
- →Validator node setup and monitoring
- →Honest project viability assessment ("should you actually do this?")
What we don't do
- ×Marketing or community management
- ×Token launch strategy or VC introductions
- ×Memecoin or pump-and-dump projects
- ×Anything that requires us to be optimistic about price action
Stack we use
Solidity, Foundry, Hardhat. ethers.js, viem. The Graph for indexing. Tenderly for monitoring. Chains: Ethereum mainnet, L2s (Optimism, Arbitrum, Base), occasional Solana.
Custom Software
Full applications shipped end-to-end, with full code ownership.
Definition
Custom software development means building production applications from scratch for solo operators who need something specific that doesn't exist as a SaaS product. Khtain ships using modern lightweight stacks: Next.js or Astro on the front, FastAPI or Hono on the back, SQLite/Postgres for data, hosted on infrastructure you control.
Engagement shapes
Every engagement is fixed-fee. Exact scope, milestones, and delivery shape are written into the proposal after the free 30-minute scoping call.
Examples we've shipped
Custom Tools = small, single-purpose, often internal-use. Custom Software = full applications, multiple features, often customer-facing.
Stack we use
Frontend: Next.js, Astro, Svelte. Backend: FastAPI, Hono. Database: SQLite, Postgres, Turso. Auth: Clerk or self-hosted. Payments: Stripe or Lemon Squeezy. Hosting: Cloudflare Workers, Fly.io, Hetzner.
Quick comparison: which Khtain service fits your need?
| If you want to... | Pick this service |
|---|---|
| Automate a recurring workflow with AI | AI Agent Deployment |
| Build a small tool for one specific job | Custom Tools |
| Stop paying SaaS for things you can self-host | Private Server |
| Take control of your data storage | Data Servers |
| Get engineering review of your crypto project | Blockchain Advisory |
| Build a full custom application | Custom Software |
FAQ
Common questions
Can I bundle multiple services in one engagement?
Yes. Most engagements involve 2-3 service lines. A typical solo founder project might combine: AI agent deployment + private server hosting + a small custom tool. Bundled engagements are quoted as one fixed-fee with a small bundle discount.
Do you provide hosting, or do I provide it?
Both options work. We can deploy to infrastructure you already own (your existing servers, AWS account, Vercel, etc.) or set up new hosting in your name. We never host things on infrastructure we control long-term — that creates a dependency we want to avoid.
What if I need ongoing changes after launch?
Three options: (1) Self-manage using the documentation we provide. Most clients do this. (2) Optional monthly retainer for monitoring + minor changes. (3) Per-change billing for occasional updates. All quoted during scoping.
How do you price projects?
Fixed-fee per project, quoted in writing after the free scoping call. Scope creep is handled with written change orders before any new work starts. We don't do hourly billing because it punishes clients for clear thinking.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, mutual NDAs are standard. We'll sign whatever you send. We retain the right to describe work categories at a high level (e.g., "we built a custom CRM for an indie agency") even under NDA — specifics stay confidential.
How do payments work?
Half on contract signing, half on delivery. Wire transfer, Stripe, or USDC accepted. Invoices issued from Khtain Digital Ltd. (Canadian company, GST included for Canadian clients).
What if I hate what you ship?
We've never had this happen because we ship in small demonstrable increments — you see working code very early in the engagement, so misalignment surfaces fast. If somehow we get to delivery and you genuinely don't want what's there, we refund 100% and you keep the code anyway. We'd rather lose money than ship something hostile.
Ready to discuss a project?
Free 30-minute scoping call. We'll figure out which service line fits, what the engagement shape looks like, and whether Khtain is the right partner.