I've changed and rebuilt it a few times since then. The version in that blog post expects the microcontroller to have external USB power (I had an outlet with a USB port right next to the thermostat mount, so I didn't care), but you can trivially wire in any voltage converter capable of 24VAC->5VDC/3.3VDC to remove that requirement. I plugged an automotive voltage converter module I had lying around into the first design at some point, and then the next design had a proper rectifier and buck converter to accomplish the same thing.
[1] https://blog.benhaney.com/2019/03/26/building-a-thermostat