Why One Developer Builds Custom Tools Only After Exhausting Every Other Option

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A software developer writing for DEV Community describes a disciplined three-step process before building any custom tooling: first use an existing library as-is, then attempt to fix it upstream via a pull request, and only build from scratch as a last resort. The author spent 71 minutes building a new skill module one Thursday morning before deleting it, illustrating that replacement decisions are driven by persistent friction rather than preference. Upstream contributions are highlighted as genuinely valuable but unpredictable — one fix to a Go Discord library was merged within two days, while a GitLab-related patch to another project received no response despite the repository staying active. The author's own release tool, colophon, was created solely because a needed fix had no viable upstream home, not out of a belief that existing tools were inferior. The piece argues that self-built modules are expensive permanent commitments, and that the not-invented-here accusation is worth taking seriously before reaching that third rung.

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