Note
Build over buy
A personal bias toward building when the goal is learning, experimentation, and hands-on work.
When I choose between building and buying, I usually lean toward building. The point is not efficiency in the business sense. The point is to learn, experiment, and get my hands dirty by making many things myself.
I only reach for an existing tool when I do not want to take on a specific challenge or when building it would be prohibitively expensive. That makes little sense as a business default, but it creates room for the kind of work I want to do as a hobbyist.
For small tools, Architecture for small tools keeps the surface area tight enough that building them stays interesting instead of turning into a maintenance project.