What we do
Ambar Works helps companies ship and maintain production software by making targeted improvements to open-source projects — then doing the work to get those changes upstream and keep them healthy over time.
If you've ever needed "just one change" in a critical dependency (and then discovered it turns into a permanent fork), you already understand the problem we solve.
Services
Upstream-first feature work
Implement features you need in open-source components, with an emphasis on reviewability, maintainability, and merging upstream.
Bug fixing and hardening
Root-cause tricky production issues, add test coverage, and land fixes where they belong — upstream when possible.
Long-term maintenance
Keep your critical patches alive across releases: rebasing, compatibility updates, CI fixes, and ongoing stewardship.
Release and integration support
Help you consume upstream releases confidently: backports, upgrade plans, performance checks, and rollout safety.
"Own this subsystem" engagements
When something becomes business-critical, we can act as responsible maintainers — triage, roadmap, fixes, and upstream coordination.
How we work
Discover
A short technical intake covering goals, constraints, timelines, and the upstream landscape.
Plan
A clear proposal outlining approach, milestones, and definition of done.
Build
Small, reviewable changes with tests and documentation.
Upstream
Pull requests, maintainer feedback cycles, and iteration until changes land.
Maintain
Optional ongoing support to keep systems stable through future releases.
We optimize for:
- small diffs
- strong tests
- clear ownership
- fewer surprises
- sustainable maintenance
Open source approach
Our goal is to avoid long-lived forks.
When upstreaming isn't possible (licensing, policy, timing), we are explicit about tradeoffs and provide a plan to reduce future maintenance cost.
Our default stance:
- communicate early with maintainers
- keep changes minimal and well-tested
- design for long-term compatibility
- write things future-you won't hate
Engagement models
Fixed-scope milestones
Best for well-defined features or specific upstreaming goals.
Retainer / maintenance
Best when you need consistent attention: patch upkeep, triage, upgrades, and upstream coordination.
Rescue missions
Short, focused debugging or stabilization for production issues and urgent regressions.
Who this is for
- Teams relying on open-source components where waiting for upstream isn't an option
- Companies tired of carrying private patches indefinitely
- Engineering orgs that value sustainable changes over quick hacks
- Maintainers who need help shepherding improvements responsibly
About
Ambar Works is a small engineering shop focused on reliable systems and sustainable open-source improvements.
We care about craftsmanship: clean code, pragmatic decisions, and leaving things better than we found them.
Ambar Works is led by Kyle Ambroff-Kao, a software engineer with a background in distributed systems, storage, and open-source infrastructure.
Kyle has spent years building production systems and maintaining open-source software, with an emphasis on upstream-first development, long-term stewardship, and reducing the cost of change over time.
Ambar Works reflects a preference for small teams, careful engineering, and work that remains useful long after the initial delivery.
Selected work
Examples of past work include:
- Upstreamed performance improvements in critical dependencies, eliminating long-lived forks
- Stabilized production regressions through targeted tests and upstream fixes
- Maintained critical patches across multiple upstream releases with predictable delivery
FAQ
Do you only work upstream?
Upstream-first is the goal. When upstream isn't feasible, we propose the least painful alternative and a plan to reduce ongoing maintenance.
Can you work with our existing team?
Yes. Pairing, PR-based collaboration, and clear handoffs are standard.
What do you need to get started?
A repository or reproduction steps, expected behavior, constraints, and a point of contact for technical decisions.
Do you offer ongoing support?
Yes. Maintenance and stewardship are a core part of the model.
Contact
To start a conversation, send a short note including:
- what you need changed
- where it lives (repository or link, if possible)
- timeline and constraints