--- name: Launch slug: launch category: DevOps description: Launch orchestrates a project from intake through domain, hosting, payments, email, research, copy, and distribution. Use it when you need to take a developed project live with approval gates and no copy-paste. github: "https://github.com/ucsandman/marketing-studio/tree/main/skills/launch" language: JavaScript stars: 225 forks: 31 install: "npx degit https://github.com/ucsandman/marketing-studio/tree/main/skills/launch ~/.claude/skills/launch" installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/launch source_path: skills/launch/SKILL.md collection_size: 15 category_size: 868 collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/ucsandman/marketing-studio" added: 2026-09-03T06:05:18.922Z last_synced: 2026-09-03T06:05:18.922Z canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/launch" --- # Launch Launch orchestrates a project from intake through domain, hosting, payments, email, research, copy, and distribution. Use it when you need to take a developed project live with approval gates and no copy-paste. **Install:** ```bash npx degit https://github.com/ucsandman/marketing-studio/tree/main/skills/launch ~/.claude/skills/launch ``` ## README # /launch — full launch orchestration You are orchestrating a product launch using two layers: - **CLI (`launch/`, package `@marketing-studio/launch`)** — everything deterministic: state, validation, posting providers, research fetchers, payload rendering. Run it as `node "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../../dist/index.js" ` (or `launch ` if linked) -- the CLI lives in this package, `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../..`. - **This session** — everything generative or credentialed-through-MCP: DashClaw infra calls, WebSearch synthesis, draft copywriting, and the approval gates. The CLI never holds DashClaw credentials and never sends email/SMS. Honesty rule: each step below is labeled **[CLI]** or **[session]**. Don't do session work by shelling out, and don't reimplement CLI work inline. Target `` is the project directory being launched (sibling of the engine repo). Humans can drive the same engine visually with `launch ui` (local dashboard, same gates — see docs/ui-dashboard.md); this skill remains the autonomous path. ## Sequence ### 1. Intake [CLI] ``` launch init --domain --price [--name --tagline --audience] ``` Pull flag values from the conversation. Read back `/.launch/launch.config.json` and confirm the summary with the user. Re-run with `--force` if they correct anything. ### 2. DashClaw setup [session] 1. `select_project` (or `create_project` if this product has no DashClaw project yet). 2. `create_launch` with `declared_stack` from the config — typically `["domain", "vercel", "stripe", "resend"]`. 3. `preflight_launch` — validates every provider token BEFORE any money is spent. If it fails, STOP and present a remediation table (provider → failing check → fix); do not proceed to spend steps. ### 3. Domain [session] — 💰 SPEND GATE #1 1. `check_domain_availability` for the config domain (and 2-3 alternatives if taken). 2. Present price and alternatives to the user. 3. **SPEND GATE: ask the user for explicit approval with AskUserQuestion and WAIT for their answer. Never call `purchase_domain` without a fresh approval in this conversation.** Record the approval decision via `dashclaw_guard` + `dashclaw_record` for the audit trail. 4. On approval: `purchase_domain`. On decline: skip to step 4 using an already-owned domain or stop. ### 4. Hosting [session] 1. `create_vercel_project` (link the product repo). 2. `create_vercel_deployment` and poll `get_vercel_deployment_status` until READY. 3. `add_vercel_domain` for the purchased domain. 4. `set_dns_records` per Vercel's required records (A/CNAME from the add-domain response); verify with `get_dns_records`. 5. Set any product env vars with `set_vercel_env_var`. ### 5. Payments [session] — 💰 SPEND GATE #2 (live mode) Stripe best practices: create in TEST mode first, verify the full flow, then — and only then — recreate in live mode behind the gate. 1. `create_stripe_product` + `create_stripe_price` (TEST mode) from config pricing. 2. `create_stripe_webhook` pointing at the product's webhook endpoint; store the signing secret as a Vercel env var (`set_vercel_env_var`), never in the repo. 3. Verify test checkout end-to-end. 4. **SPEND GATE: live mode creates real billable objects. Ask the user for explicit approval with AskUserQuestion and WAIT for their answer before recreating product/price/webhook in live mode.** Audit via `dashclaw_guard` + `dashclaw_record`. ### 6. Email infra [session] 1. `create_resend_domain` for the config domain. 2. `set_dns_records` with the DKIM/SPF records from the response. 3. `verify_resend_domain` (DNS propagation can take minutes — poll, don't fail fast). ### 7. Research [CLI + session] 1. **[CLI]** `launch research ` (live mode — keyless fetchers: x-algorithm README, Algolia Show HN winners, hunted.space, per-sub Reddit rules). 2. **[session]** WebSearch synthesis per platform (queries from THINKING.md: "X algorithm ranking signals ", " LinkedIn algorithm what's working", PH featuring criteria). Write the synthesis into each brief's `## Session research` section — the CLI preserves that section on regeneration. 3. **[CLI]** `launch research --check` must pass (all briefs fresh) before copy. ### 8. Copy [CLI + session] 1. **[CLI]** `launch copy --scaffold`. 2. **[session]** Fill every draft in `/.launch/drafts/` with real copy written from the research briefs (hooks from Show HN winners, X thread structure, LinkedIn link-in-first-comment, per-sub Reddit angles, email/SMS from the announcement templates). Replace every `{{placeholder}}` including `{{unsubscribeUrl}}`. 3. **[CLI]** `launch copy --validate` — loop fill→validate until exit 0. ### 9. 🚦 PUBLISH GATE [session] Render EVERY draft (all platforms + the email HTML + SMS text) to the user in one review block. **Ask for explicit approval with AskUserQuestion (multiSelect per-platform opt-out) and WAIT for the user's answer. Nothing is published until the user approves; platforms they deselect are skipped.** Record the decision via `dashclaw_record`. ### 10. Distribute [CLI + session] 1. **[CLI]** `launch post --all --live` — posts X, Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit via API; submits sitemap + URL inspection to Google; skips blocked providers with a summary; the posted-ledger makes re-runs idempotent. 2. **[CLI]** Assisted platforms at their recommended times (from the briefs): - `launch post --platform hackernews --assist --live` — opens the prefilled Show HN submitlink, copies the maker comment. The HUMAN clicks submit. - `launch post --platform producthunt --assist --live` — writes `.launch/out/producthunt-kit.md`, opens the submit page, copies the tagline. Schedule per the kit (12:01 AM PT, low-competition day). 3. **[CLI]** `launch notify --channel email` and `--channel sms` — renders artifacts + `.launch/out/notify-payloads.json` (consent-filtered). 4. **[session]** For each payload entry: `send_resend_email` / `send_twilio_sms` with the exact `input` object. The CLI never sends. ### 11. Verify & report [CLI + session] 1. **[session]** `verify_launch` + `get_launch_status` for the infra side. 2. **[CLI]** `launch status ` for the distribution side. 3. Final report: live URL, posted links from the ledger, pending assisted steps, and the stats command (`launch stats --platform producthunt --slug `). ## Failure handling - Any MCP failure: surface the error verbatim, consult `get_launch_status`, and fix forward. - NEVER re-run a spend step (domain purchase, live Stripe) after a failure without a fresh approval gate — check the launch plan state and the audit log first. - Posting failures: the ledger guarantees completed platforms are skipped on re-run; fix the failing provider (see `launch doctor`) and re-run `launch post --all --live`. - Credential problems: `launch doctor --json` gives provider → mode → fix hint; degrade blocked API platforms to assisted/manual instead of failing the launch. ## Dry-run rehearsal (run this before any real launch) No money, no posts, no sends — end to end. `launch post` is DRY-RUN BY DEFAULT now, so `--dry-run` below is optional (kept for back-compat) and `--live` is what actually publishes. `--assist` is the one exception: it opens a prefilled page and copies text but submits nothing, so it runs for real without `--live`. ``` launch init --domain --price launch research --offline launch copy --scaffold # fill drafts (session) … launch copy --validate launch post --all --dry-run # prints exact request payloads, writes nothing launch notify --channel email --dry-run launch notify --channel sms --dry-run launch status ``` Skip every DashClaw spend step during rehearsal (no `purchase_domain`, no live Stripe). The rehearsal is green when every command exits 0 and the drafts pass validation. ## Credentials Social API keys live in the engine repo's `.env` (template: `.env.example`, per-provider setup cost/time guides in `docs/setup-.md`, launch-day checklist in `docs/launch-runbook.md`). DashClaw infra credentials live with the DashClaw MCP server — this skill calls the tools, the CLI never sees those secrets.