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Sebastian Relard
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Sebastian Relard

AI and automation developer · Düsseldorf · remote

Open to a permanent role, remote.On-site work in North Rhine-Westphalia is possible; start date to be agreed.
Request my CVopens your email app · hallo@relard.dev
Sebastian Relard

Summary

Sebastian Relard on the bank of the Rhine in Düsseldorf, with the Rheinknie Bridge behind him
Düsseldorf, by the Rheinknie Bridge, April 2026

I develop automations with AI integration and the web applications they run in. I’ve been programming since 2020, self-taught, on client projects and my own systems.

On a project, I first ask which step of the work is being done twice. Then I plan the automation, program it and look after it once it is running.

  • FocusAI integration with checks in the code, automation with n8n and Python, web applications with Next.js and Supabase
  • Way of workingremote, on site in North Rhine-Westphalia by arrangement
  • TypeScript
  • Python
  • Next.js
  • Supabase
  • n8n
  • Playwright

Career

  1. Started programming, self-taught.
  2. First paying clients: websites and online shops for local businesses.
  3. First SaaS application of my own, with users and online payment.
  4. AI systems for businesses: chatbots, automations, lead pipelines.
  5. Founded Relard Digital Solutions. The first order automation for a client goes into operation; work on Monvesta Academy begins.
  6. Until the end of July, part-time employment (a German mini-job) at a Düsseldorf agency, working on an AI product adviser for manufacturer websites. After that, freelance work for the same agency, including the website check and the document search.
  7. TodayOpen to a permanent role as an AI and automation developer, remote.

Projects

In operation 3

  • Orders from the inbox

    For a paint manufacturer, via a Düsseldorf agency · in operation since 2025

    Turns orders sent as Excel, CSV or PDF in seven formats into an online shop’s import file and replies by email. It works by fixed rules, with no AI at all; it is covered by 165 tests and has a statistics page.

    Described in full: Orders from the inbox

    • Python
    • pandas
    • pdfplumber
    • IMAP
    • MySQL

  • Monvesta Academy

    Client project · in operation

    Learning platform with multi-step share analysis and a portfolio overview, plus the bilingual website with online payment and CRM integration.

    Described in full: Monvesta Academy

    • Next.js
    • Supabase
    • Stripe
    • Zoho CRM

  • Monvesta LinkedIn Autopilot

    Client project for Monvesta · in use

    Collects topics and has three drafts written for each one in the brand’s voice; the team reviews them in a spreadsheet.

    • n8n
    • Claude
    • Airtable

In testing or pilot 2

  • AI product adviser for manufacturer websites

    For a Düsseldorf agency, first as an employee, then freelance · in test operation with the first client · since April 2026

    Answers product questions in five languages from the manufacturer’s documents and hands over to sales or service. The program detects promises about prices, discounts or warranties and replaces them. It keeps several clients’ data apart and is checked against 316 real customer questions.

    • Next.js
    • Supabase pgvector
    • RAG
    • n8n

  • Website check

    For a Düsseldorf agency · in pilot operation · October 2026

    Every week it checks the websites the agency looks after, on phone, tablet and desktop, checks every finding a second time and sends a report. Its own proxy blocks connections into the internal network; on a test site with 25 deliberately planted errors, it found all 25.

    • TypeScript
    • Playwright
    • Docker
    • n8n

Prototypes, MVPs and my own systems 4

  • Document search by content

    For a Düsseldorf agency · Prototype for a proposal · October 2026

    Finds files on an existing server by their content, including scanned receipts. Combines keyword and semantic search; in a test with invented data, the right document came first in 22 of 25 cases.

    Described in full: Document search by content

    • Python
    • FastAPI
    • SQLite FTS5
    • Embeddings
    • OCR

  • Lead Automation System

    My own system · five workflows

    My own process for enquiries: they are checked, answered and offered free slots from the calendar; rebooking and cancelling work via a link.

    Try it yourself: Lead Automation System

    • n8n
    • OpenAI
    • Supabase
    • MS Graph

  • Anlauf

    My own product · since July 2026, not launched yet

    Finds and rates job openings, tailors the CV and cover letter once approved, checks every statement against the real data and matches replies in the inbox.

    • Node.js
    • Supabase
    • Claude
    • Stripe

  • Table planning for networking evenings

    Client MVP for an event organiser · 2025

    Seats guests at tables round by round, avoiding repeat encounters where possible, with QR check-in and a timer on the phone.

    • Next.js
    • Supabase Realtime
    • custom algorithm

Replaced 1

  • Invoicing back end for course sales

    For Monvesta · 2026, since replaced

    The system was designed to create an invoice to DIN 5008 automatically after each order, with a sequential number and a reverse-charge note, and then send the confirmation.

    • Medusa
    • TypeScript
    • PostgreSQL
    • n8n

Technical detail

Here are decisions from my projects, each with the alternative I rejected, and why.

A checker that may only go where it should

From the website check

Task

A program visits other people’s websites automatically. It must never reach the server’s internal network, not even through redirects.

Implemented

A dedicated proxy checks every connection before the browser may open it, including redirects, WebSockets and changing DNS answers.

  • TypeScript
  • Playwright
  • Proxy
  • Docker
Why this way?

A list of allowed addresses in the browser alone is not enough: redirects and changing DNS answers get past it. At the proxy, the program sees every connection, including the ones that only appear while a page loads.

Everyone sees only their own data

From the AI product adviser and the client portal on relard.dev

Task

Clients may only see their own data, even if someone queries the database directly.

Implemented

The access rules apply in the database itself, not just in the application code. Sign-in works by link or password, and companies have their own roles.

  • Supabase Auth
  • Row-Level Security
  • PKCE
  • Middleware
Why this way?

Filters only in the application code would be simpler, but there a single forgotten condition is enough for other people’s data to show. Rules in the database still apply then. Requests with the admin key do bypass them, which is why such requests only run on the server.

Protecting public forms against abuse

From the forms and the analysis tool on relard.dev

Task

Public forms trigger server requests and paid AI calls. That makes them a target and a cost risk.

Implemented

Requests into the internal network are blocked. Each sender has a daily limit that is counted in the database, and every input is validated before it is processed.

  • SSRF protection
  • Rate limiting
  • Zod
  • Security headers
Why this way?

A counter in memory would not be enough on Vercel: several instances run in parallel and restart, and each one counts for itself. The counter in the database costs one extra query per request, but it holds everywhere.

Limiting what an AI can promise

From the AI product adviser for manufacturer websites

Task

An AI adviser on a manufacturer’s website must not promise prices, discounts or warranties.

Implemented

After every answer, a separate step in the code checks for such promises and replaces them. 45 test cases cover this. The adviser also says that it is an AI, as Article 50 of the EU AI Act requires.

  • Output guard
  • Tests
  • EU AI Act Art. 50
Why this way?

An instruction to the model alone does not hold reliably. A check in the code can be tested and applies to every model, even if the model is changed later.

Contact

Email is the quickest way to reach me. I’m happy to send you my CV. Most client projects are in private repositories. I’m glad to show you code from my own projects; client code only with the client’s permission.

Request my CV