go-live

Go-Live Checklist

You've built it. You've tested it. Before you put it in front of real users paying real money, run through this checklist. Every item takes minutes to check — and catching a problem here saves you from catching it in front of customers.

Core Principles

• This is a gate, not a process. If you pass, launch. If you don't, fix the gaps and come back.
• "It works for me" is not the same as "it works." Test as if you're a stranger visiting for the first time.
• Skipping items here is borrowing from your future self. You'll fix them eventually — it's cheaper to fix them now.
• Perfect is the enemy of launched. But "payments don't work" is not a perfectionism issue — it's a showstopper.

---

The Checklist

Showstoppers (Must Pass)

These will directly lose you customers or money if broken. Do not launch without them.

Showstoppers:
- [ ] Core flow works end-to-end: signup → key action → value delivered
- [ ] Payments work: can complete a real purchase (use Stripe test mode, then one real transaction)
- [ ] Auth works: can sign up, log in, log out, reset password
- [ ] HTTPS is on: no "Not Secure" warning in browser
- [ ] No secrets in code: API keys are in environment variables, not committed to git

User Experience (Should Pass)

These won't break your app, but they'll make users bounce or lose trust.

User Experience:
- [ ] Mobile works: tested on an actual phone, not just browser resize
- [ ] 404 page exists: broken links show a helpful page, not a blank screen or error
- [ ] 500 page exists: server errors show "Something went wrong," not a stack trace
- [ ] Loading speed: pages load in under 3 seconds (test at pagespeed.web.dev)
- [ ] Error messages make sense: users see "Email already taken," not "Error 422"

Operations (Should Have)

These keep you informed and protected once real users show up.

Operations:
- [ ] Error tracking live: Sentry or similar installed, catching real errors
      → See **monitor** skill for setup
- [ ] Analytics tracking: you know where visitors come from and what they do
      → See **analytics** skill for setup
- [ ] Uptime monitoring: you get alerted if the site goes down
      → See **monitor** skill for setup
- [ ] Backups enabled: database is backed up automatically (daily minimum)
      → See **deploy** skill for database backup setup