MVP Launch Checklist

A battle-tested 10-point checklist for web app MVP launches. Based on building 30+ apps.

Philosophy: "Don't overbuild. Just make it stable, usable, and something people can trust."

The 10-Point Checklist

1. Stripe Setup (Payment Infrastructure)

What counts as DONE:

• Trials configured with appropriate period
• Plan switching works (upgrade/downgrade)
• Failed payment handling with retry logic
• Webhook endpoint registered in Stripe Dashboard
• Live keys tested (not just test mode)

Required Webhook Events:

• customer.subscription.trial_will_end
• customer.subscription.created
• customer.subscription.updated
• customer.subscription.deleted
• invoice.payment_succeeded
• invoice.payment_failed
• invoice.created
• checkout.session.completed

Verification: See references/stripe-testing.md

2. Mobile-First Design

What counts as DONE:

• Tested on real phones (not just browser resize)
• Touch targets appropriately sized (44x44px minimum)
• Forms work on mobile keyboards
• No horizontal scroll on mobile

Key insight: Browser resize mode lies. Real device testing is mandatory.

Bonus (not required):

• PWA manifest for installability
• Offline capability for core features

3. Smooth Onboarding

What counts as DONE:

• Steps kept minimal (3-5 max)
• Users guided to a fast first win
• Progress indicator if multi-step
• Can be skipped/completed later

Anti-pattern: Don't require 10 fields before users see value.

4. AI & Automation Stability

What counts as DONE:

• API errors handled gracefully
• Retry logic with exponential backoff
• Edge cases don't crash the app
• Timeouts configured appropriately
• Fallback behavior when AI fails

Good defaults:

• 3 retry attempts
• 30-60s timeout for complex operations
• User-friendly error messages

5. Critical Emails

What counts as DONE:

• Welcome email (immediate after signup)
• Trial-ending email (before trial expires)
• Failed payment email (when charge fails)
• Password reset (if not using external auth)

Nice to have (don't overbuild):

• Support acknowledgment email
• Usage milestone emails

6. Error Logging

What counts as DONE:

• Error tracking service configured (Sentry, Bugsnag, etc.)
• PII scrubbed from logs
• Critical errors trigger alerts
• Enough context to debug issues

Goal: Catch bugs before users notice them.

7. User Feedback Loop

What counts as DONE:

• Simple form or tool to collect feedback
• Screenshots/context capture (optional but helpful)
• Feedback reaches the team (email, Slack, GitHub Issues)

Examples: Typeform, in-app widget, email link, GitHub Issues integration.

8. Authentication & Roles

What counts as DONE:

• Secure page protection (no unauthorized access)
• Password reset works (or external auth handles it)
• Basic roles defined (admin vs user minimum)
• Session management (logout, expiry)

If using external auth (Clerk, Auth0): Most of this is handled for you.

9. Custom Domain with SSL

What counts as DONE:

• Own domain configured (no .vercel.app, .replit.app)
• HTTPS enabled (auto or manual SSL)
• DNS properly configured

Why it matters: Trust. Users won't pay for myapp.replit.app.

10. Real Database & Backups

What counts as DONE:

• Production database (not dev/local DB)
• Automated backups configured
• Point-in-time recovery possible

Good choices: Supabase, Neon, PlanetScale, Convex, AWS RDS.

Anti-pattern: Replit DB, SQLite in production, no backups.

Scoring

Overall (sum of 10 areas):

• 85-100: Launch Ready
• 70-84: Nearly Ready
• 50-69: Needs Work
• <50: Not Ready

References

• references/search-patterns.md - Grep patterns for discovery
• references/stripe-testing.md - Stripe CLI verification commands