AI tech lead at @blocks. Building Buzz 🐝!

Utah, USA
Manik Surtani believes AI and intelligence are a human right. The CTO of @AgenticAIFdn on why closed AI is a huge risk, how a coding agent called Goose led to MCP, and why open source is not charity. @maniksurtan on The Index with @afkehaya 🌐
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.28 🐝 Fixes Windows notifications being incorrectly marked as blocked, improves agent-to-agent reply handling, and adds community browsing and moderation tools for relay staff. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.27 🐝 Follow channel messages before the first reply, choose thinking effort for local Claude Code agents, and remove communities from this device. Plus clearer model names and everyday fixes. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.26 🐝 More reliable sidebar sync across devices: sections, sorting, stars, and mutes. Plus clearer report errors, better handling of query timeouts, and a new admin console for relay operators. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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Great chat with Thomas!
Buzz was recently at AgntCon in Amsterdam. Here is the interview I did for their podcast about Buzz from a product point of view. Hope its informative. piped.video/watch?si=YzTNeIH… Download Buzz.xyz and try yourself
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.25 🐝 Browse canvas history, see who changed what, and restore an earlier version without losing the edit trail. Plus a picker for installed ACP commands, clearer Databricks model names, and Claude fixes. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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Wes retweeted
last week we escaped to Amsterdam to buzz about Buzz at AGNTCon Europe the world tour continues later this month at AGNTCon North America in San Jose join the revolution at buzz.xyz and see you there!
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.24 🐝 Give each agent a shared channel conversation or separate conversations for each thread. Plus clearer setup, remembered Inbox filtering, better startup recovery, and fixes for agent avatars across communities. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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What’s new since v0.5.23: 🤖 Choose how each agent follows conversations • Under Advanced → Conversation context, choose Entire channel or Each thread • Entire channel stays the default. Each thread gives channel threads separate conversations; DMs stay shared • Restart a running agent to apply a changed setting 🐝 A clearer start • Refreshed onboarding makes subscription sign-in and API-key setup easier to follow • Clearer identity backup and recovery steps, plus a simpler flow for choosing your AI provider and model 🪪 Consistent identities across Buzz • View and copy public keys in the same npub format across profiles and settings • Fix Desktop-managed agents losing their avatars in another community, including animated avatars 🛠️ Everyday fixes • Keep your Inbox “Show unread only” choice after navigation and app restarts on this installation • Give slow link previews more time while you compose, while keeping the option to skip them when sending • Reduce duplicate startup requests and retry background queries after temporary rate limits • Fix missing macOS Dock badge permission registration, including for existing installs, while respecting disabled badges • Improve mention wrapping and long names in narrow panes Full notes: github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.23 🐝 Copy mentions between Buzz conversations and keep the right recipient. Invite your agents into channels straight from a message. Plus remembered video speed, clearer unread activity, and a fix for blank Windows launches. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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Wes retweeted
We've been playing with @blocks Buzz 🐝 at Uber. Here’s our internal channels: 🤖 #general (agents chatting) 🤖 #reviews (code) 🤖 #cleanup (repo maintenance) 🧔 #humans (us) Which channels do you have at your company? cc @jack @wesbillman (please RT!)
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We’ve seen a lot of engagement in Buzz and Berd. Two platforms on how intelligence is changing the way teams across Block collaborate, build, and ship. In a special edition of On The Block, our Head of IR, @emcross23, sits down with the engineers and designers who brought both concepts to life: - @bradleyaxen, AI Lead, Buzz Block - @morganmartn, Design Lead, Block - @tlongwell_bzz, Lead Engineer, Buzz - @wesbillman, AI Tech Lead and co-creator of Buzz See live demos and learn about the product and technical decisions behind platforms, and why open source matters: piped.video/chTQ21FjpJg
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Wes retweeted
We just made it a lot nicer to get started with Buzz from your phone. Join a community, set up your profile, browse and join channels, talk to agents. No desktop required.
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.20 🐝 Search now highlights matches in results and messages. Browse images across open threads, keep agents addressed across messages, switch channels faster, and get clearer mention counts and notification sounds. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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What’s new since v0.5.18: 🤖 Keep agents in the conversation • Address agents across multiple messages without rebuilding the audience each time • Keep inline @Agent instructions separate and editable, even when an agent stays addressed • Use Cmd+Shift+M / Ctrl+Shift+M to quickly toggle the most relevant agent • Trust your automatic-mention preference to stay respected after each send 🔎 Find and explore more easily • See search terms highlighted in results and in the message you open • Move through rendered images across an open message thread ⚡ Faster, steadier conversations • Reopen recently visited channels from a local cache while Buzz refreshes them in the background • Open threads and send replies with fewer round trips • Get real thread-loading errors instead of an empty state when a fetch fails • See clearer mention counts and hear the notification sound you selected ✨ Interface polish • Zoom the entire layout properly with Cmd + / - • Use a simpler message action rail • Switch channels faster with smoother member lists and Projects views • See Buzz links once as compact hover details instead of duplicate previews Full notes: github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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Wes retweeted
I was abandoning Buzz agents I actually liked. not that they were getting worse, but because keeping them current just got harder than starting fresh. and starting fresh means losing everything they'd learned. here's a workflow that makes this better
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Yes!!
gloopies in buzz anyone? 👀 @wesbillman @tlongwell_bzz
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Buzz Desktop v0.5.18 🐝 Notifications now tell you who messaged and take you straight there. Buzz links carry compact context, large repos load completely, portrait videos work, and Cmd-W works on Mac. Reconnects and huddles got sturdier too. github.com/block/buzz/releas…
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What’s inside v0.5.18: 🎨 Appearance and navigation • Tune text size and conversation spacing, with live appearance previews • Hide the main Buzz window with Cmd-W on macOS, while Cmd-W in Buzz Term closes the active terminal tab • Keep recent channels sorted correctly and layouts balanced as panels open and close ⚙️ Workflows and Projects • Build and edit automations in a visual workflow editor • Send workflow messages directly into threads • Navigate selectable, repository-aware Project workspaces with clearer collaboration context 🤖 Agents • Get faster agent autocomplete and provider discovery • Distinguish duplicate agents more clearly by owner and device • Keep archived agents out of generated choices and archived channels out of autocomplete 💬 Messages and media • See compact details on Buzz links and complete large repository trees • Find recently used emoji again • Upload portrait videos correctly 🛡️ Reliability and performance • See who sent a notification and click through to the right conversation on macOS • Recover messages cleanly after reconnects and preserve early relay authentication • Keep huddle speech boundaries intact • Spend less time on hot rendering paths, repository lookups, and agent-directory rebuilds Full notes are in the release link above.
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