Conviction: What 1.5 years and one burnout taught me about coding with AI agents

Product reviewed: Inkdrop (Version 6) — note-taking app/editor

What’s new / key features (mentioned)

• Inkdrop v6 released after 1.5 years of development, including a ~3-month burnout period.
• Website fully rebuilt from scratch for this release.

New editor experience

• Demo shows it’s the real editor running (not a mock).
• Background video recorded and synchronized with the live editor.
• Supports:
  • Sectioning
  • Code blocks
• Adds new “introduction sections” to quickly explain what’s new in v6.
• Supports composing notes in the demo/editor.

Editor workflows referenced

• Slash commands and autocomplete are expected to remain/extend.

Planned future: mobile app

• Working on an iOS/Android version using React Native.
• Plans to support importing desktop themes via JSON palette data (recently supported in v6).

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User experience / developer workflow perspective (video’s main takeaways)

• The creator frames v6 as the culmination of a long personal project and emphasizes motivation and conviction over “AI excitement.”
• Mentions AI coding workflow lessons, but these are more about how he works while developing Inkdrop than direct Inkdrop features.
• Key themes:
  • Single-tasking still matters even with AI/agent workflows.
  • “Understanding is the new bottleneck,” and agents can increase cognitive debt if you swarm too many.

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Pros (as implied by the release story)

• A large, long-awaited update with many improvements (described as a “super duper long list” in release notes).
• Real demo of the actual editor, improving confidence in what users get.
• Clear onboarding for v6 via introduction sections.
• Long-term maturity: Inkdrop is ~10 years old, implying stability and continued evolution.
• Developer-focused tooling and structured note capabilities (sections, code blocks).

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Cons / limitations (explicitly mentioned)

• No direct “Inkdrop cons” are stated in the subtitles.

Indirect “process cons” (workflow-related)

• Running too many coding agents leads to:
  • Context switching
  • Difficulty remembering what you were doing (cognitive overhead/debt)
• This impacts the creator’s work style, but isn’t framed as an Inkdrop limitation.

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Comparisons made

• Against excessive AI/agent multitasking
  • “Swarming agents” is compared to a superpower, but it can degrade focus through context switching and cognitive debt.
  • Analogy: multitasking without understanding is like a sailor boarding without a rudder/compass.
• Personal product comparison
  • Inkdrop development is likened to a long-running manga title (e.g., Eiichiro Oda / One Piece)—building the “same title” for years.

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Ratings / numerical scores

• No explicit product ratings (e.g., stars) are given.

Numerical figures included:

• 1.5 years development time
• ~3 months burnout
• 10 years since Inkdrop started
• “four-year-old daughter” mentioned (context, not a product metric)

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Unique points mentioned (complete set)

1. AI should be secondary; don’t let it replace what matters personally.
2. Creator experienced burnout in 2025 and couldn’t work for about three months.
3. Regret over missing family time; memories are “priceless.”
4. AI paradigm shift can be addictive and make you forget time.
5. Recommendation: choose the kids/family when torn between excitement and responsibilities.
6. Single-tasking matters more than agent quantity.
7. “Swarming” multiple coding agents feels like a superpower (initially).
8. Too many agents can cause loss of focus and increased context switching.
9. Introduces cognitive debt as the real problem vs technical debt.
10. “Understanding is the new bottleneck.”
11. Leonardo da Vinci analogy: practice without knowledge is like sailing without rudder/compass.
12. Workflow change: use at most one agent for complex tasks + 1–2 for small tasks.
13. Agents should produce detailed plans and reports for every task.
14. Tooling mention: tmux Claude Session Manager, which didn’t scale well due to context switching.
15. Notes about AI tunnel vision; better understanding enables better options.
16. Inkdrop v6: official release.
17. Website rebuilt from scratch for v6.
18. v6 demo uses the real editor and synced background video.
19. Editor supports sections and code blocks.
20. v6 includes new introduction sections to explain changes quickly.
21. Development took 1.5 years, including burnout.
22. Thanks to customers and feedback during canary testing.
23. Creator’s motivation philosophy: build things that keep you happy.
24. Inkdrop is 10 years old; long-term maintenance is sustained by personal motivation.
25. Plans for mobile version using React Native.
26. Mobile theme import planned via JSON palette data supported in v6.
27. Mobile/editor will keep functionality like slash commands and autocomplete.
28. Marketing plans: videos including Neovim setup and a walkthrough of Inkdrop v6.

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Speaker breakdown

• Primary speaker: “Takuya”
  • Announces and describes Inkdrop v6 release and editor/demo details.
  • Shares personal development journey and AI workflow lessons used during development.
• No other distinct speakers are clearly indicated in the subtitles.

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Overall verdict / recommendation

Inkdrop v6 appears to be a substantial, well-executed update with a rebuilt website and a demonstrated real editor featuring sections and code blocks, plus improved onboarding for what’s new. The video doesn’t list specific downsides about the product itself, so the recommendation is positive.

If you’re a note-taking app user who values an editor with structured writing (and possibly code blocks), Inkdrop v6 is worth checking out, especially given the roadmap toward mobile support.