mmichaux-ext

README.md



Hi! I'm Mattias! I'm a full stack engineer at GitLab on the DevRel Engineering team, based in Ghent, Belgium. I joined GitLab in October 2025, and the DevRel Engineering team sits exactly where I want to be: at the bridge between product and community.
I've 20+ years experience in open source, most of it in and around the PHP and Drupal ecosystems, with experience on both sides of the stack: software development and infrastructure, all the way down to data centres and racks.

How I work

I work on multiple things in parallel, switching contexts deliberately and coming back with fresh eyes
If I do something more than once, I want it structured, documented, and repeatable
I containerise everything: a devcontainer per project means a reproducible setup on any machine, shareable with anyone
I keep strict isolation between projects: no shared state, context, or access

Working with me
I am direct and value facts over fluency. If something is wrong I will say so, and I expect the same in return. MRs, questions, and honest feedback are always welcome. I focus during work but love talking about side projects, homelabs, and personal life over a coffee chat.
A few things worth knowing: I engage best when I am involved in solving something, not just informed about it. I prefer to understand the reasoning behind a change before I get on board with it, so if you are introducing something new that affects how I work, share the why and I will engage constructively.
My approach to AI
I treat AI agents as teammates, not automation. I read every line of output, verify everything, and teach the agent what I learn from maintainer feedback so we do not repeat mistakes. One rule I do not bend on: an agent never posts a comment, opens an MR, or commits anything without my explicit confirmation.
Availability
I work from home in Ghent, Belgium. My primary working hours are 9:00 to 17:30 CET/CEST. I keep Slack open but do not treat it as an instant messenger. For anything that needs a decision or has context, an issue or MR is better. For urgent things, ping me directly.
Happy to talk about any of these over a coffee chat:

Home automation and Home Assistant
Homelab and self-hosted infrastructure
Devcontainers and reproducible development environments
AI agents and how to work with them effectively
Drupal and the PHP open source ecosystem
Ghent (we probably have more in common than you think)
House renovation and working with your hands