Ben worked on the ai-dynamo/nixl repository, focusing on enhancing build flexibility by decoupling etcd as a mandatory build-time dependency. He updated the build system configuration and C++ worker code to support optional etcd integration, allowing nixlbench to compile successfully even when etcd is not present in the environment. This technical approach leveraged C++ and Meson to ensure that runtime behavior remained consistent regardless of etcd availability. By addressing this build system limitation, Ben improved cross-environment reliability, reduced onboarding friction, and enabled broader deployment scenarios. The work demonstrated thoughtful depth in balancing build requirements with runtime compatibility.