Show HN: I put an AI agent on a $7/month VPS with IRC as its transport layer

Summary

← home building a digital doorman I put an AI agent on a $7/month VPS, connected it to my own IRC server, and pointed it at my GitHub repos. Visitors can ask it about my work and get answers backed by actual code, not rephrased resume text. the problem with "ask my resume" Every portfolio site with an AI chatbot does the same thing: feed the resume into a model and let visitors rephrase it. It's a parlor trick. The model can't tell you anything the resume doesn't already say. I wanted something different. If a hiring manager asks "how does George handle test coverage?" the answer shouldn't be "George values comprehensive testing." It should clone the repo, count the tests, read the CI config, and come back with specifics. So I built the infrastructure to make that work. the architecture Two agents, two boxes, two security boundaries. visitor (browser) │ └─ georgelarson.me/chat/ │ └─ gamja web IRC client │ └─ wss://nullclaw.georgelarson.me:443 │ └─ Cloudflare (proxy, TLS termination, bot protection) │ └─ ergo IRC server (LarsonNet) │ └─ #lobby │ └─ nully (nullclaw agent) ├── reads public GitHub repos ├── preloaded portfolio context └── routes to ironclaw via #backoffice │ └─ #backoffice (private IRC channel) │ └─ ironclaw (separate box, via Tailscale) ├── email access ├── calendar └── private context nullclaw is the public-facing doorman. It runs on a minimal perimeter box, a 678 KB Zig binary using about 1 MB of RAM. It handles greetings, answers questions about my projects, and can clone repos to substantiate claims with real code. ironclaw is the private agent on a separate, more powerful system. It has access to email, deeper personal context, and handles complex inquiries routed from nullclaw. That boundary is deliberate: the public box has no access to private data. why IRC I could have used Discord, Telegram, or a custom WebSocket chat. IRC is the right choice for three reasons: It fits the aesthetic. My portfolio site has a terminal UI. An IRC client embedded...