Ship checklist

Pre-Launch Checklist · Solo Founder Edition

When to Use

• Product MVP ready for first user trials
• Before a major feature release
• Anything that goes in front of customers

How to Use

Claude runs through each item and outputs ✅/⚠️/❌ + one line of evidence. Final verdict: GO / NO-GO.

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Code & Security (7 items)

1. ⬜ code-reviewer ran, no CRITICAL/HIGH unresolved or tracked
2. ⬜ No hardcoded secrets: grepped for api_key|password|token|secret, no leaks
3. ⬜ Dependency scan: npm audit / pip audit shows no high/critical vulnerabilities
4. ⬜ .env not in git: .env in .gitignore, with .env.example template
5. ⬜ Errors don't leak internals: production error messages contain no stack/SQL/path details
6. ⬜ Production DB backup: at least one automated backup mechanism
7. ⬜ HTTPS: all external interfaces enforce TLS

Functionality & UX (5 items)

8. ⬜ Core happy path manually tested 3 times: once per different browser/device
9. ⬜ 3 edge case tests: empty input / oversized input / disconnect-reconnect
10. ⬜ Loading/Error states: every async operation has UI fallback, no frozen white screen
11. ⬜ Mobile usable: if not a desktop tool, run through on iPhone
12. ⬜ Destructive actions have confirmation: delete/charge/send must require second confirmation

Data & Compliance (3 items)

13. ⬜ Privacy policy + Terms of Service: required if collecting user data (open-source templates OK)
14. ⬜ ICP filing (if deployed in China + public-facing): unregistered sites get pulled
15. ⬜ User data export/delete flow: meets basic data rights expectations

Payments (if charging, 4 items)

16. ⬜ Payment full test: success / failure / cancel / duplicate submission each tested once
17. ⬜ Refund/cancel path: user can self-serve or has a clear channel
18. ⬜ Invoice/receipt: both business and individual options available
19. ⬜ Webhook idempotency: Stripe/WeChat Pay callbacks won't double-credit

Operations & Marketing (4 items)

20. ⬜ Error monitoring: at least Sentry or self-hosted logging + alerting
21. ⬜ Uptime monitoring: UptimeRobot / BetterStack or similar
22. ⬜ Customer support channel: at least one of WeChat blog / email / WeChat group, and email must be reachable
23. ⬜ Launch materials: landing page + demo GIF/video + social feed copy + WeChat blog post (can summon @marketing)

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Exemptions (explicitly skippable)

If the product is a pure internal tool / single-client custom build:

• Can skip: 13, 14, 21 (case-by-case)
• Cannot skip: 1-6, 8-12, 16-19 (if payments involved)

If it's a free open-source tool:

• Can skip: 13, 14, 16-19
• Cannot skip: 1-12, 20, 22, 23

Skipping requires a written reason, not default skip.

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Output Format

# Pre-Launch Check: [Product/Feature Name]
Date: YYYY-MM-DD

## Item-by-Item Check

### Code & Security
1. code-reviewer ran —— ✅ Last run 2026-04-25, no CRITICAL, HIGH fixed
2. No hardcoded secrets —— ✅ Grepped, only .env.example has placeholders
3. Dependency scan —— ⚠️ 1 medium vulnerability (lodash), doesn't affect main flow, fix next release
4. ...

### Functionality & UX
8. Core happy path —— ❌ Only tested on Chrome, Safari not tested
...

## Status Summary

| Category | Total | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ | Skipped |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code & Security | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ...

## Verdict

⚠️ **NO-GO · 2 issues to fix**:
1. #8 Safari not tested —— estimated 30 min
2. #20 Error monitoring not configured —— estimated 1 hour

Re-run this checklist after fixes. ETA: tonight.

GO Criteria

• All CRITICAL items (1, 2, 4, 12, 16, 17) must be ✅
• No more than 3 ❌ on other items, each with a clear "why it's OK to ship first" reason
• Every ⚠️ has a ticket / next-release plan

Don'ts

• Don't fake ✅ to hit a deadline (your code-reviewer sub-agent will catch it)
• Don't replace items with "I'll fix it later" — either write a ticket or give an explicit skip reason
• Don't let perfectionism block shipping — Solo Founders win through iteration, not first-version perfection