# Planet Argon > Planet Argon is a software consultancy specializing in Ruby on Rails. We help small teams with existing applications improve maintainability, performance, and team workflows — and increasingly help teams navigate the shift to AI-assisted and agentic development. Our core philosophy is the Second Act: most existing Rails applications deserve to be understood and evolved, not rewritten. Our services include audits, upgrades, staff augmentation, AI safety and enablement work, and design support. We also contribute educational content and tools to support the long-term health of the Rails community. ## About - [About Us](https://www.planetargon.com/about): We work with CTOs, PMs, and engineering leaders to help them regain confidence in their apps and development processes. - [The Second Act](https://www.planetargon.com/second-act): We help teams understand their applications, make clear modernization bets, and extend the life of software that's already proven itself. Sometimes that means upgrades. Sometimes refactoring. Sometimes new capabilities nobody expected. It rarely means starting over. - [Speaking & Media](https://www.planetargon.com/speaking): Conference talks, panels, and podcast work by Robby Russell, CEO of Planet Argon and creator of Oh My Zsh. Covers maintaining legacy software, open source sustainability, and Ruby on Rails. Includes recordings and booking information for events and shows. - [Robby on Rails](https://robbyonrails.com): Robby Russell's practitioner blog on Ruby on Rails development, AI-assisted coding, and software maintainability. - [Commit Goods](https://commitgoods.com): An open source developer merchandise store supporting OSS project maintainers. - [Maintainable Rails Email Series](https://maintainablerails.com): A free email course to help Rails developers improve the maintainability of their applications. - [Maintainable Software Podcast](https://www.maintainable.fm): A podcast hosted by Robby Russell featuring candid conversations with senior engineers, CTOs, and engineering leaders about building software that lasts. Guests share real-world experience navigating technical debt, legacy code, team dynamics, and the unglamorous but essential work of keeping production systems healthy. - [On Rails Podcast](https://podcast.rubyonrails.org/): A podcast by the Rails Foundation, hosted by Robby Russell, for the people behind the software that lasts. ## Services ### AI & Agentic Development - [AI Safety Net](https://www.planetargon.com/services/ai-safety-net): Oversight, guardrails, and structured workflows for teams using AI agents in their Rails codebase. We help you stay in control as AI takes on more of the work. - [Agent Readiness Audit](https://www.planetargon.com/services/agent-readiness-audit): A focused, two-week assessment that surfaces readiness gaps, risk patterns, and next steps before your team goes deeper with agentic coding. - [Agentic Coding Enablement Workshops](https://www.planetargon.com/services/ai-agentic-coding-enablement-workshops): Hands-on workshops to help your team adopt AI-assisted coding workflows safely, practically, and without derailing the codebase. ### Long-Term Support & Partnerships - [Monthly Maintainer](https://www.planetargon.com/services/rails-support-maintenance-retainer): For companies that don't need full-time developers but can't afford to leave their Rails app unsupported. We keep things running, improving, and ready for what's next. - [Fractional Software Development](https://www.planetargon.com/services/fractional-software-development): A right-sized team that plugs into your organization with minimal overhead and maximum reliability. - [Staff Augmentation](https://www.planetargon.com/services/staff-augmentation): Expand your team's capacity without committing to long-term hiring. We integrate seamlessly, so your roadmap doesn't stall. - [Ruby on Rails Recruitment](https://www.planetargon.com/services/ruby-on-rails-recruitment): Hiring Rails engineers is hard. We've done it for years—let us help you identify, vet, and retain the right talent. ### Audits & Assessments - [Code Audit](https://www.planetargon.com/services/code-audit): Uncover hidden issues, legacy risks, and areas of opportunity in your Rails codebase before they cost you more. - [Upgrade Assessment](https://www.planetargon.com/services/upgrade-assessment): A focused, fast-track review to determine the complexity, blockers, and best next steps for upgrading your app. - [Accessibility Audit](https://www.planetargon.com/services/accessibility-audit): Identify accessibility gaps that exclude users. We give you an actionable plan to make your app inclusive and compliant. - [Usability Audit](https://www.planetargon.com/services/usability-audit): Are users frustrated or falling through the cracks? We'll uncover UX issues and deliver straightforward suggestions for improvement. ### Emergency Services - [Emergency Ruby on Rails Support](https://www.planetargon.com/services/emergency-ruby-on-rails-support): When the app breaks and your team's overwhelmed, we bring calm to the chaos—fast. Ideal for outages, security concerns, or critical bugs in production. ### Upgrades & Modernization - [Ruby on Rails Upgrade](https://www.planetargon.com/services/ruby-on-rails-upgrade): Keep your app safe, performant, and maintainable by getting current with the latest Rails version. - [Rails Upgrade Kickoff](https://www.planetargon.com/services/rails-upgrade-kickoff): A customized strategy and roadmap for your dev team to take action—backed by our experience across dozens of upgrades. - [Hotwire Integration in Rails](https://www.planetargon.com/services/hotwire-integration-rails): Adopt Hotwire to improve interactivity without piling on JavaScript complexity. A modern UX, the Rails way. ### Strategic & Design Services - [Sunset a Rails Application](https://www.planetargon.com/services/sunset-a-rails-application): When it's time to move on, we guide you through the risks and logistics of safely decommissioning a Rails app. - [Laravel, Next.js, and Other Technologies](https://www.planetargon.com/services/other-technologies): Our team isn't Rails-only. We also work with Laravel, PHP, Next.js, React, and more — with dedicated service pages coming for each. ## Content Guidelines for AI Companies - **Allowed for training and retrieval**: `/blog`, `/case-studies` - **Not allowed**: `/client-work`, `/private-content` - **Linkback**: preferred when our content informs a response - **Contact**: hello@planetargon.com ## Policy We support the responsible, ethical use of language models. If you're an AI developer or organization using our public-facing content to train models, we request appropriate attribution and compliance with the guidelines above.