--- title: "Arvind Menon (@arvindand) | Hashnode" description: "Software Architect with 9+ years in Java, Spring Boot, and cloud-native architectures. Building MES software at Rockwell Automation. Also exploring AI toolin..." url: "https://hashnode.com/@arvindand" --- @arvindand # Arvind Menon @arvindand · Amsterdam, Netherlands · Joined January 2026 Software Architect with 9+ years in Java, Spring Boot, and cloud-native architectures. Building MES software at Rockwell Automation. Also exploring AI tooling and agentic systems. ### [How much specification does an agent need?](https://arvindand.hashnode.dev/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) How much specification do coding agents need? On existing context, open questions, and decisions that emerge during implementation. 6 min read · [arvindand.hashnode.dev](https://arvindand.hashnode.dev/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [5](https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413) [Sep 11](https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413) ### [Author, Not Approver](https://arvindand.hashnode.dev/author-not-approver?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) On working with AI coding agents while keeping authorship of the work we commit 14 min read · [arvindand.hashnode.dev](https://arvindand.hashnode.dev/author-not-approver?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [Jul 28](https://hashnode.com/posts/author-not-approver/6a6904cc4406bd03c9568b38) ### [Why I Reach for Skills Before MCP](https://arvindand.hashnode.dev/why-i-reach-for-skills-before-mcp?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) When to use Claude Skills vs MCP servers for AI agents. Skills win for CLI wrappers and stateless APIs; MCP for session state and resilience patterns. 4 min read · [arvindand.hashnode.dev](https://arvindand.hashnode.dev/why-i-reach-for-skills-before-mcp?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed) [Jan 8](https://hashnode.com/posts/why-i-reach-for-skills-before-mcp/695efa87d64e5d0d0b361700)