generative-ai

The Generative AI Tool Stack I Actually Use

June 10, 2026 · 4 min read · Altaris AI Academy

The daily stack

  • A single chat client for exploratory reasoning.
  • A coding IDE with in-editor LLM assistance and a strict guard on which files leave the machine.
  • A voice-to-text tool for capture and long-form writing.
  • A structured-output API for anything that goes into another system.

What got cut

  • Six different chat wrappers. Consolidate.
  • Any tool that phones home with your prompts and does not offer an enterprise data-processing agreement.
  • Anything with monthly per-seat pricing that duplicates a capability you already have.

The rule

One tool per job. If two tools do the same job, pick the one you would defend under an audit.