launch

name	launch
description	Self-contained SaaS pipeline — invoke directly, do not decompose. Generates a Vibes app, adds auth + billing, and deploys live. Uses Agent Teams to parallelize for maximum speed.
license	MIT
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, AskUserQuestion, Task, Teammate, SendMessage, TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet
compatibility	Requires Claude Code with Agent Teams support
metadata	{"author":"Marcus Estes"}

Plan mode: If you are planning work, this entire skill is ONE plan step: "Invoke /vibes:launch". Do not decompose the steps below into separate plan tasks.

Display this ASCII art immediately when starting:

░▒▓█▓▒░      ░▒▓████████▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓███████▓▒░░▒▓██████▓▒ ░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░
░▒▓█▓▒░      ░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░     ░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░
░▒▓█▓▒░      ░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░     ░▒▓████████▓▒░
░▒▓█▓▒░      ░▒▓████████▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░     ░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░
░▒▓█▓▒░      ░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░     ░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░
░▒▓████████▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓██████▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓██████▓▒░▒▓█▓▒░░▒▓█▓▒░

Notation

Ask [Header]: "question" means call AskUserQuestion with that header and question. Options listed as bullets. User can always type custom via "Other". When collecting a key/secret, put one option like "Paste key" — the user types the actual value via Other.

For architecture context, see LAUNCH-REFERENCE.md in this directory.

---

FIRST: Terminal or Editor UI?

This is the very first question — ask before anything else. DO NOT check .env, credentials, or project state before asking this question. DO NOT invoke /vibes:connect or any other skill before asking this question. If Editor is chosen, skip ALL pre-flight checks — the editor handles everything.

Ask the user:

"How do you want to build? Editor (opens a browser UI with live preview, chat, and deploy button) or Terminal (I'll generate and deploy from here)?"

Present Editor as the first/recommended option.

• If Editor: Start the editor server. Resolve the plugin root first, then launch:

  PLUGIN_ROOT=$(find ~/.claude/plugins/cache/vibes-cli -name "preview-server.js" -path "*/scripts/*" 2>/dev/null | head -1 | xargs dirname)
  node "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/preview-server.js" --mode=editor --prompt "USER_PROMPT_HERE"
  

  If no prompt was given, omit --prompt:

  PLUGIN_ROOT=$(find ~/.claude/plugins/cache/vibes-cli -name "preview-server.js" -path "*/scripts/*" 2>/dev/null | head -1 | xargs dirname)
  node "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/preview-server.js" --mode=editor
  

  Tell the user: "Open http://localhost:3333 — the editor handles everything from here: describe your app, preview it live, switch themes, and deploy with one click." Then stop. The editor UI takes over the entire workflow (setup, generation, preview, deploy). Do not continue with the phases below.

• If Terminal: Continue with the pre-flight checks and normal workflow below.

---

Pre-Flight Decision Tree

Run all five checks before collecting any input:

#	Check	Command	If True
1	.env has Clerk keys + Connect URLs	grep -qE '^VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_' .env && grep -qE '^VITE_API_URL=' .env && grep -qE '^VITE_CLOUD_URL=' .env	Set CONNECT_READY. Read .env for clerkPk. Skip T2, T3, infra spawn.
2	.env has admin user ID	grep CLERK_ADMIN_USER_ID .env	Store value. Skip Phase 3.
3	app.jsx exists	test -f app.jsx	Ask [Reuse]: "app.jsx exists. Reuse it or regenerate?" If reuse: skip T1.
4	Wrangler authenticated	npx wrangler whoami 2>&1	If NOT authenticated: tell user to run npx wrangler login and wait.
5	SSH key exists	ls ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ~/.ssh/id_rsa ~/.ssh/id_ecdsa 2>/dev/null	If missing AND not CONNECT_READY: warn about Connect deploy.

Phase 0: Collect Inputs

0.1 App Prompt

Ask [App prompt]: "What do you want to build? Describe the app you have in mind."

• "Todo list" — A simple task manager with categories and due dates
• "Photo gallery" — A shareable photo gallery with albums and captions
• "Team dashboard" — A metrics and status dashboard for small teams

Store as appPrompt.

0.2 App Name + Domain

Ask [App name]: "What's the app name? (used for subdomain + database)" AND [Domain]: "Where will this be deployed?"

• App name: "Derive from prompt" or "Let me specify"
• Domain: "Cloudflare Workers (Recommended)" or "Custom domain"

If "Derive from prompt": generate URL-safe slug (lowercase, hyphens, max 30 chars). If "Custom domain": ask for domain name. Store as appName.

Resolve Workers URL (if Cloudflare):

node "{pluginRoot}/scripts/lib/resolve-workers-url.js" --name "{appName}"

Store output as domain. If script fails, ask for their Cloudflare subdomain and construct {appName}.{subdomain}.workers.dev.

0.3 AI Features (conditional)

Scan appPrompt for AI keywords: "chatbot", "chat with AI", "summarize", "generate", "analyze", "AI-powered", "intelligent".

If detected: Ask [AI features]: "Does this app need AI features?"

• "Yes — I have an OpenRouter key" — I'll paste my API key
• "Yes — I need to get one" — I'll sign up at openrouter.ai
• "No AI needed" — Skip AI capabilities

If yes: check grep OPENROUTER_API_KEY ~/.vibes/.env. If found, offer reuse (mask key). Otherwise collect via Ask and offer to cache to ~/.vibes/.env. Store as openRouterKey (or null if no AI).

0.4 Theme Selection

Theme switching is handled by the live preview wrapper, not inside the app. The builder generates a single-theme layout. Set themeCount = 1.

---

Phase 1: Spawn Team & Parallel Work

1.1 Setup

1. Resolve plugin root: printenv CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT → store as pluginRoot
2. Create team: TeamCreate("launch-{appName}", "Full SaaS pipeline for {appName}")
3. Create all tasks per the table in LAUNCH-REFERENCE.md. If CONNECT_READY: mark T2+T3 completed immediately.

1.2 Spawn Builder (T1)

1. Read {pluginRoot}/skills/launch/prompts/builder.md
2. Substitute: {appPrompt}, {appName}, {pluginRoot}
3. Set {aiInstructions}: if openRouterKey is set, add rule about useAI hook (see vibes SKILL.md "AI Features"). If null, leave empty.
4. Spawn: Task tool, team_name="launch-{appName}", name="builder", subagent_type="general-purpose"

1.3 Clerk Credentials (T2) — simultaneous with builder

Skip entirely if CONNECT_READY.

Ask [Clerk app]: "Do you have a Clerk app configured?"

• "I have one ready" — Already has passkeys and email auth
• "I need to create one" — Walk me through setup

If creating new: guide through clerk.com/dashboard — create app, enable Email + Passkey, configure email settings (require OFF, verify ON, link ON, code ON). Then set up JWT template and webhook:

Ask [Clerk config]: "Complete these two setup steps in Clerk Dashboard:\n\n1. JWT Template: JWT Templates → New Template → name it with-email, paste this JSON as the custom claims (the || '' fallbacks are required — Fireproof Studio rejects null names):\njson\n{\n \"params\": {\n \"email\": \"{{user.primary_email_address}}\",\n \"email_verified\": \"{{user.email_verified}}\",\n \"external_id\": \"{{user.external_id}}\",\n \"first\": \"{{user.first_name || ''}}\",\n \"last\": \"{{user.last_name || ''}}\",\n \"name\": \"{{user.full_name || ''}}\",\n \"image_url\": \"{{user.image_url}}\",\n \"public_meta\": \"{{user.public_metadata}}\"\n },\n \"role\": \"authenticated\",\n \"userId\": \"{{user.id}}\"\n}\n\n2. Webhook: Webhooks → Add Endpoint → URL https://{domain}/webhook → subscribe to subscription.deleted\n\nHave you completed both?"

• "Yes, both done" — JWT template 'with-email' with email/name claims + webhook endpoint created
• "I need help" — Walk me through it step by step

Collect four credentials via Ask (user types actual values via Other):

Ask [Clerk PK]: "Paste your Clerk Publishable Key (starts with pk_test_ or pk_live_)"

• "Paste key" — From Clerk dashboard > API Keys. Validate prefix.

Repeat pattern for:

• [Clerk SK]: Secret Key — starts with sk_test_ or sk_live_
• [PEM Key]: JWKS PEM Public Key — from API Keys > Advanced > Public Key. Starts with -----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
• [Webhook Secret]: From Webhooks > endpoint > Signing Secret. Starts with whsec_

Save PEM to file:

cat > clerk-jwks-key.pem << 'PEMEOF'
{pemKey}
PEMEOF

Mark T2 completed.

1.4 Spawn Infra (T3) — after T2 completes

Skip if CONNECT_READY.

1. Read {pluginRoot}/skills/launch/prompts/infra.md
2. Substitute: {appName}, {pluginRoot}, {clerkPk}, {clerkSk}
3. Spawn: Task tool, team_name="launch-{appName}", name="infra", subagent_type="general-purpose"

1.5 Sell Config (T4) — while infra deploys

Sell config is collected here but applied later by invoking /vibes:sell (or its assembly script) as an atomic step. Do NOT hand-implement SaaS logic — the sell skill handles tenant routing, auth gating, billing, and admin setup.

Choose billing mode based on monetization intent:

• "off" (free) — all authenticated users get full access. Good for MVPs and internal tools.
• "required" (subscription) — users must subscribe. Requires Clerk Billing (Dev instances auto-connect to Stripe sandbox).

Always ask the user — do not assume a default.

Ask [Billing]: "What billing mode for your SaaS?" AND [Title]: "App display title?"

• Billing: "Free (no billing)" or "Subscription required"
• Title: "Derive from app name" or "Let me specify"

If billing is "Subscription required": Note that Clerk Billing must be configured in the Clerk Dashboard after deploy (plans, Stripe connection). Dev instances auto-connect to Stripe sandbox for testing.

Ask [Tagline]: "Describe your app's tagline (short punchy phrase)"

• "Generate one" — Create from app description
• "Let me write it" — I'll provide it

When billing is "required": These fields appear on a pricing section visible to potential customers before signup. Optimize for marketing copy quality — benefit-driven language, not technical descriptions. Tagline = sales headline. Subtitle = value proposition ("why should I pay?"). Features = compelling benefit statements (3-5 items).

Repeat pattern for subtitle and features list (3-5 bullet points).

Store: billingMode ("off"/"required"), appTitle, tagline, subtitle, features (JSON array). Mark T4 completed.

---

Phase 2: Assembly & Deploy

Blocked by T1 + T3 + T4. Check TaskList until all complete.

2.1 Verify Inputs

Confirm: app.jsx exists with valid JSX. .env has VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY, VITE_API_URL, VITE_CLOUD_URL. All sell config values collected.

Scan app.jsx for builder mistakes (see LAUNCH-REFERENCE.md "Common Builder Mistakes"). Fix any found before proceeding.

2.1.5 Preview Before Deploy

Ask [Preview]: "Want to preview the app before deploying?"

• "Yes — open live preview" — Start the preview server and iterate on the design
• "No — deploy now" — Skip preview, go straight to deploy

If yes: run node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/preview-server.js" and tell the user to open http://localhost:3333. They can chat to iterate on the design and switch themes. When satisfied, stop the server and continue to 2.2.

2.2 Deploy Cycle

This sequence runs twice: first here (with --admin-ids '[]'), then in Phase 3 (with real admin ID). Steps:

Step A — Assemble:

node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/assemble-sell.js" app.jsx index.html \
  --clerk-key "{clerkPk}" \
  --app-name "{appName}" \
  --app-title "{appTitle}" \
  --domain "{domain}" \
  --billing-mode "{billingMode}" \
  --tagline "{tagline}" \
  --subtitle "{subtitle}" \
  --features '{featuresJSON}' \
  --admin-ids '{adminIds}'

Step B — Validate: grep -c '__VITE_\|__CLERK_\|__APP_' index.html — must be 0.

Step C — Deploy:

node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/deploy-cloudflare.js" \
  --name "{appName}" \
  --file index.html \
  --clerk-key "{clerkPk}" \
  --billing-mode "{billingMode}" \
  --webhook-secret "{webhookSecret}" \
  {aiKeyFlag}

Where {aiKeyFlag} = --ai-key "{openRouterKey}" if set, omitted if null. The --billing-mode flag controls whether the client enforces JWT-based plan checks. The --webhook-secret flag sets the Clerk webhook signing secret as a Wrangler secret.

Run the cycle now with {adminIds} = '[]' (or '["{existingAdminId}"]' if found in pre-flight). Mark T5, T6 completed.

---

Phase 3: Admin Setup

Skip if CLERK_ADMIN_USER_ID was found in pre-flight.

3.1 Guide Signup

Tell the user:

Your app is live! Create your admin account:

1. Open: https://{domain}?subdomain=test
2. Sign up with your email
3. Complete email verification
4. Create a passkey when prompted

Ask [Signup]: "Have you completed signup on the app?"

• "Yes, signed up" — Completed verification + passkey
• "Skip admin setup" — I'll do this later

If skip: proceed to Phase 4.

3.2 Collect Admin ID

Tell user: Go to clerk.com/dashboard > your app > Users > click your user > copy User ID (starts with user_).

Ask [User ID]: "Paste your Clerk User ID (starts with user_)"

• "I need help finding it" — Clerk Dashboard > Users > click name > ID at top

Validate starts with user_. Save to .env:

echo "CLERK_ADMIN_USER_ID={userId}" >> .env

3.3 Re-run Deploy Cycle

Re-run Phase 2.2 steps A-D with {adminIds} = '["{userId}"]'.

Tell user: Admin dashboard now works at https://{domain}?subdomain=admin

---

Phase 4: Verify & Cleanup

4.1 Verify

Ask [Verify]: "Your app is live! Open each URL and verify:\n\n- Landing: https://{domain}\n- Tenant: https://{domain}?subdomain=test\n- Admin: https://{domain}?subdomain=admin\n\nDoes everything look right?"

• "All working" — Everything loads correctly
• "Something's broken" — Need to troubleshoot

If billingMode === "required": Also ask the user to verify billing:

"Check billing flow: Sign in at https://{domain}?subdomain=test — you should see a paywall with pricing. Use test card 4242 4242 4242 4242 (any future expiry, any CVC) to complete a test subscription. After subscribing, the tenant app should load."

Mark T7 completed. If broken, ask what's wrong and troubleshoot.

4.2 Shutdown

Send shutdown_request to "builder" and "infra" (if spawned). Wait for responses. Clean up team.

4.3 Summary

## Launch Complete

**App**: {appTitle}
**URL**: https://{domain}
**Clerk**: {clerkPk}
**Connect**: {studioUrl}
**Billing**: {billingMode}

### What's deployed:
- Cloudflare Worker with KV registry
- Fireproof Connect studio for real-time sync
- Clerk authentication with passkeys
- Subdomain-based multi-tenancy

### Next steps:
- Configure a custom domain (see CLAUDE.md DNS section)
- Set up Clerk billing plans if using subscription mode

---

Error Handling

Failure	Recovery
Builder generates invalid JSX	Read app.jsx, fix TS syntax / wrong hooks, re-save
Connect deploy fails	Infra reports via SendMessage. Present error + fix steps
Assembly has placeholders	Check .env for missing values, re-run assembly
Cloudflare deploy fails	Check npx wrangler whoami. Guide npx wrangler login if needed
Wrangler secret put fails	Retry. If persistent, have user run manually
Teammate silent 3+ min	SendMessage status check. If no response, take over task
Builder hardcodes DB name	Edit app.jsx: replace with useTenant() pattern before assembly