RemoteReact + TypeScriptStorybook · ChromaticNx monorepos at scale5,703+ npm installs

Building the bridge between design systems and AI-native developer tooling.

I'm Rich Tillman — Principal Frontend Engineer. I architect enterprise-scale React platforms, Nx monorepos, and 0→1 SaaS products — and the design systems (Storybook + React + Figma) that keep design, product, and engineering shipping in lockstep.

See selected work Get in touch forgekit.cloud ↗

5,703+: npm installs · ForgeKit MCP
200+: component design system
500K+: users on shipped RN apps
$400K/mo: revenue uplift · NARS AR

React 18+/
TypeScript/
Next.js/
TanStack Start/
React Native/
Expo/
Storybook 8+/
Chromatic/
Nx/
Turborepo/
Chakra UI/
shadcn/ui/
Tamagui/
Radix UI/
Figma MCP/
Claude Code/
Cursor/
Zustand/
TanStack Query/
tRPC/
Playwright/
Vitest/
Supabase/
React 18+/
TypeScript/
Next.js/
TanStack Start/
React Native/
Expo/
Storybook 8+/
Chromatic/
Nx/
Turborepo/
Chakra UI/
shadcn/ui/
Tamagui/
Radix UI/
Figma MCP/
Claude Code/
Cursor/
Zustand/
TanStack Query/
tRPC/
Playwright/
Vitest/
Supabase/

Rich can “speak design” in a way that few engineers can — he can explain the engineering to design and the design to engineering. We have hardcore data engineers working productively on intricate styling problems, all on the rails Rich laid down. This is a winning strategy, and we have it thanks to Rich's conviction.

— Matt StephensonDirector of Engineering, Redesign Health2023 EOY review

Experience

Frontend, design systems, and AI-native tooling.

Each role traded velocity, scale, and depth in different combinations — from 0→1 design systems to shipping MCP servers used in production by external teams.

Jan 2026 — Present
Remote
Founder & Principal Engineer
@ ForgeKit
Published the first MCP servers purpose-built for Figma → React design system workflows. 5,703+ external npm installs and active production adoption.
- MCP
- Nx
- Storybook
- Figma Code Connect
Nov 2025 — Jan 2026
Remote · Contract
Senior Frontend Engineer · AI Training & Evals
@ micro1
Designed evaluation prompts and UI for AI coding agents. Advised eng teams on Claude Code & Cursor adoption in production.
- TanStack Start
- Chakra UI
- Prompt Eng
Jul 2022 — May 2024
Remote
Engineering Director (0→1)
@ Redesign Health
Double-promoted to ED. Led 3 cross-functional teams (15+) launching multiple greenfield healthcare SaaS products. Built a 50+ component design system in Storybook + Chromatic that cut dev time 30% across a 10–15 dev org and unified Figma → React handoff.
- 0→1 SaaS
- Design System
- Storybook
- Chromatic
- Zustand
Jan 2022 — Jul 2022
Remote · Contract
Sr. Frontend & Tech Lead
@ Pineapple Corporation
Stood up an Nx monorepo hosting 8+ apps; cross-platform Expo/RN serving 100K+ users with 60+ Storybook-driven components shared across web and native.
- Nx Monorepo
- Expo
- NativeBase
- Storybook
Jul 2021 — Jan 2022
Remote
Founding Frontend Engineer
@ PHC Global
0→1 enterprise B2B fintech SaaS. Architected an Nx monorepo with 30+ shared libs, gRPC middleware, and a Chakra-based design system — cut infra cost 30% and shipped 8 weeks early.
- Enterprise SaaS
- Nx Monorepo
- Chakra UI
- gRPC
- GCP
Sep 2016 — Jan 2021
Santa Monica, CA
Lead Frontend Engineer (0→1)
@ Freebird
Built one of the earliest production React design systems on Storybook (2016) — a 200-component library spanning B2B, B2C, and React Native. Pioneered Storybook + React + Figma as a shared source of truth for design, product, and engineering well before Code Connect existed.
- Design System (2016)
- Storybook
- React Native
- Figma

Selected Projects

Tools I've shipped that other developers actually install.

Open source MCP servers, CLIs, and product work — built around the workflows I want for myself.

Figma MCP server extracting design tokens into a typed TypeScript theme file.

FeaturedMCP · Open Source

ForgeKit Figma MCP

MCP server that extracts Figma variables and design tokens, generating typed theme configs for Chakra, Tailwind, and shadcn — bridging design and AI-driven codegen.

5,703+ installsView on npm

Storybook MCP scaffolding component stories from metadata.

MCP · Open Source

ForgeKit Storybook MCP

Exposes Storybook metadata and argTypes to AI coding agents — automating story generation, docs scaffolding, and component testing across design systems.

Active production useView on npm