Questions: Ask the user through the environment's question tool — never as plain-text prose. One question at a time, 2–4 tappable options, wait for the answer. If the environment has no question tool, ask in prose with the same options, one at a time.

Site Launch Checklist

Pre-launch audit and setup workflow for shipping a new website. Opinionated for Cloudflare DNS + Vercel hosting + PostHog + Legal context.

Interaction style (READ FIRST)

This skill is intentionally interactive. Ask aggressively instead of assuming. The user will tap, not type.

Always ask these questions at the start of a run (one at a time, in this order):

1. Site type: doc-site | marketing/lead-gen | SaaS-app | training/paid-course | personal-portfolio
2. Migration: greenfield-new-domain | migration-need-301-redirects | replacing-existing-on-same-domain
3. Multilingual: single-locale | en | fr+en | other-multi
4. PostHog setup: hogpost.samber.dev | set-up-new-proxy | skip-PostHog
5. AI scraper policy: use-default-for-site-type | customize-per-bot | block-all
6. Browser tool available: claude-chrome-extension | playwright | neither-skip-browser-checks

Ask again at every decision point throughout the phases, including:

• Whether to install Sentry / BetterStack / Crisp (depends on site type, ask explicitly)
• www vs apex canonical preference (most sites: apex; ask anyway)
• Which AI bots to allow if user chose customize-per-bot
• CSP tightness level: strict-default-src-none | balanced-allow-self | permissive-for-marketing
• Whether to skip a phase entirely (e.g., skip Phase 3 if non-FR site)

Never proceed past a decision point without explicit user input. Verbose checklists without checkpoints are not the goal.

Never install any MCP server or skill without explicit user confirmation. Always ask via the question tool before running npx skills add, claude mcp add, or any equivalent install command — even when the skill selection workflow proposes a curated subset.

How to use this skill

1. Run the start-of-session questions above.
2. Walk the user through phases 1-14 in order. For each phase: a. List items, ask if any should be skipped. b. For each remaining item, run the verification command (see "Verification tools" below). c. Report pass/fail. On fail, ask the user if they want to fix now or queue for later.
3. End with a status report grouped by phase, with blockers, recommended fixes, and optional improvements clearly separated.

Detailed checklists for Phases 1-14 are in references/launch-phases-detail.md. Load it when executing a specific phase. This SKILL.md keeps the core workflow, Phase 0 gate, verification tools, and output format.

Companion skills

Six skill packs are useful for site launches. Never install full multi-skill packs. The actual subset to install is decided at invocation time based on the site type the user confirms.

Pack inventory

Skill selection workflow (run at session start)

After the user confirms site type, for each pack relevant to that site type:

1. List available sub-skills: npx skills add owner/repo --list
2. Propose a curated subset based on site type and the phases this skill will execute.
3. Confirm with the user. Use multi-select when the proposed list has more than 3 items, single-select (install-as-proposed | let-me-modify | skip-this-pack) otherwise.
4. Bulk install the agreed subset: npx skills add owner/repo --skill A B C

Rules:

• Sub-skill names live in the pack, not in this SKILL.md. Always query --list for the current state.
• Never run npx skills add owner/repo without --skill (that installs everything).
• Site type → packs mapping:
  • doc-site: claude-seo, web-quality-skills, trailofbits, seo-geo-claude-skills, devmarketing-skills
  • marketing/lead-gen: claude-seo, web-quality-skills, trailofbits, seo-geo-claude-skills, marketingskills
  • SaaS-app: all six
  • training/paid-course: claude-seo, web-quality-skills, trailofbits, marketingskills
  • personal-portfolio: claude-seo, web-quality-skills, trailofbits, seo-geo-claude-skills (lightweight subset)

Phase 0: Launch Readiness Gate

Run this BEFORE any other phase. Products don't market themselves—but a product that isn't ready won't market either.

Two failure modes kill launches from opposite ends:

• Stealth Mode — launching too late. "Procrastination in a fancy suit." You keep polishing in private, waiting for the product to be perfect. It never ships.
• "Just One More Feature" — never launching. Every proposed launch date gets pushed for one more thing. The scope creeps forever.

The middle path is SLC — Simple, Lovable, Complete (Jason Cohen). A launchable v1 is:

• Simple — it does one thing. Not many things poorly.
• Lovable — people want to use it, not just tolerate it.
• Complete — it's a whole experience for that one thing, not a stub with obvious holes.

Quick check before running the phases:

• Does it do one clearly-defined thing? (Simple)
• Would a target user choose to use it, not just endure it? (Lovable)
• Is that one thing a whole experience, with no glaring stubs? (Complete)
• Are you polishing past this bar? → Stop. You're in Stealth Mode. Ship.
• Are you still adding new things to the scope? → Stop. Cut back to SLC.

Directory submission readiness: Ask these 9 questions. If any 1-7 are "no", they're a hard block.

1. Is the product publicly accessible (no password wall)?
2. Is there a pricing page (even "free while in beta")?
3. Are privacy policy + terms live?
4. Logo assets in PNG + SVG + square + favicon?
5. 5–8 real screenshots + 60–90s demo video?
6. Landing pages GEO-ready (single H1, sequential hierarchy, FAQ schema)?
7. At least 3 alternative pages and 3 use-case pages live and indexed?
8. Template gallery or lead magnet asset (if applicable)?
9. At least 20 beta/early users who could leave a review on G2?

ORB Channel Strategy: Structure launch marketing across three channel types:

• Owned Channels (Email, Blog, Podcast, Community, Website) — start with 1-2 based on audience
• Rented Channels (Social media, App stores, YouTube, Reddit) — pick 1-2 where audience is active, drive to owned channels
• Borrowed Channels (Guest content, Collaborations, Speaking, Influencers) — be proactive, pitch win-win collaborations

Pass the gate, then run the phases below.

Copywriting voice and humanizer pass

Every site has visible marketing copy. Two layers of polish are mandatory before launch:

1. Define TONE.md once per site

Ask: "Does this site already have a TONE.md?" (yes-already-exists | no-create-from-template | skip-use-default).

If creating: write it to .agents/TONE.md or repo root TONE.md. See references/templates.md (section "TONE.md template").

2. Run a humanizer pass in the matching language

After every drafting step, run a humanizer to strip AI patterns.

• english-global → npx skills add https://github.com/blader/humanizer --skill humanizer
• french → use samber/cc-skills@humaniseur-fr or equivalent
• other → install matching humanizer if available; otherwise write a short language-specific anti-pattern checklist

Apply to: hero copy, feature descriptions, CTAs, meta descriptions, OG/Twitter card descriptions, blog posts, 404 page text. Skip legal pages.

3. Always reference TONE.md when invoking copywriting skills

When delegating to any copywriting sub-skill, include TONE.md in the prompt context.

Browser interaction preference

Many checks require a real browser (Lighthouse, securityheaders.com, opengraph.xyz, Twitter card validator, mobile viewport, screen reader, Network tab).

Always prefer the Claude Chrome extension. Fall back to Playwright only if unavailable. If neither, ask the user whether to skip browser checks.

Verification tools

Most checks are doable from the command line. Use these inline at every phase. Don't trust dashboards alone, verify with curl.

DNS (Phase 1):

dig +short A example.com                          # A record
dig +short AAAA example.com                       # AAAA (IPv6)
dig +short MX example.com                         # MX (mail)
dig +short TXT example.com                        # SPF + verification TXT
dig +short TXT _dmarc.example.com                 # DMARC
dig +short TXT default._domainkey.example.com     # DKIM
dig +short CAA example.com                        # CAA
dig +dnssec example.com | grep RRSIG              # DNSSEC active

TLS / HTTPS (Phase 1):

curl -sIL https://example.com | head             # follow redirects
curl -sI https://www.example.com                 # check www handling
openssl s_client -showcerts -connect example.com:443 < /dev/null 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -dates

Headers (Phase 4):

curl -sI https://example.com | grep -iE 'content-security-policy|strict-transport-security|x-frame-options|x-content-type-options|referrer-policy|permissions-policy'
curl -s "https://api.securityheaders.com/?q=https://example.com&followRedirects=on&hide=on" -I | grep -i 'x-grade'

SEO files (Phase 5):

curl -s https://example.com/robots.txt
curl -sI https://example.com/sitemap.xml
curl -s https://example.com/llms.txt
curl -s https://example.com/ | grep -A 50 'application/ld+json'   # Schema
curl -s https://example.com/ | grep -i hreflang                   # hreflang

Open Graph & social (Phase 6):

curl -s https://example.com/page | grep -iE 'og:|twitter:|<title|name="description"'

Favicons & manifest (Phase 7):

curl -sI https://example.com/favicon.ico
curl -sI https://example.com/favicon.svg
curl -sI https://example.com/apple-touch-icon.png
curl -s https://example.com/manifest.json | jq .

404 / 500 / redirects:

curl -sI https://example.com/this-does-not-exist
curl -sIL https://example.com/old-url     # verify 301 chain

Always run the relevant command, paste the output to the user when reporting, then ask whether to fix immediately or queue.

Phases 1-14 (Detailed checklists in references/launch-phases-detail.md)

Load references/launch-phases-detail.md when executing each phase. Summary:

KPIs & Tracking Dashboard

Track weekly. If a number isn't moving, investigate — don't just submit more directories.

What NOT to Do

1. Don't pay for directory submission services ($60–$200 packages). These are free.
2. Don't submit to spam directories (DR under 10, no traffic). They dilute your backlink profile.
3. Don't submit with the wrong positioning. Generic descriptions waste the listing.
4. Don't treat directories as your entire GTM. They're the foundation.
5. Don't skip reviews on G2/Capterra. Zero-review listings are dead.
6. Don't ask for upvotes on Product Hunt. The 2026 algorithm penalizes it. Ask for feedback.
7. Don't amend old directory listings every week. Submit once, check quarterly.
8. Don't submit before the destination page exists. Link equity needs a destination.
9. Don't duplicate descriptions across directories. AI engines penalize duplicate content.
10. Don't lie on comparison pages. AI engines cross-reference and de-rank lies.
11. Don't over-index on launch-day spike. The flywheel is templates + alternatives + reviews + ongoing content.
12. Don't forget Crunchbase, LinkedIn company page, and Wikidata. These feed AI training corpora.
13. Don't launch before SLC gate passes. Stealth Mode and "Just One More Feature" both kill launches.
14. Don't skip the humanizer pass on marketing copy. AI patterns tank credibility.
15. Don't assume analytics "just work." Verify every integration with curl before launch.
16. Don't ignore backup drills. A backup you haven't tested is not a backup.

Output format

At the end of a full run, output a status report grouped by phase:

Phase 1: Domain & Infrastructure  [9/10 pass]
  ✓ Cloudflare proxy on
  ✓ DNS records configured
  ...
  ✗ DMARC missing. Fix: add TXT record at _dmarc.example.com with policy v=DMARC1; p=quarantine;...

Phase 2: Analytics & Observability  [6/7 pass]
  ...

Followed by three lists, in order:

1. Blockers (must fix before launch)
2. Recommended fixes (should fix before announcing)
3. Optional improvements (post-launch)

End by asking: "Which list do you want to tackle next?" (blockers | recommended | optional | done-for-now).

References

• references/launch-phases-detail.md: Full detailed checklists for Phases 1-14 (domain, analytics, legal, security, SEO/GEO, social preview, favicons, quality gates, cross-linking, weekly SEO, directory submission, Product Hunt, reviews, post-launch)
• references/decisions.md: AI scraper policy matrix by site type, observability tier matrix
• references/templates.md: robots.txt, llms.txt, manifest.json, CSP templates per tightness level, security headers reference, TONE.md template
• references/weekly-seo-agent.md: Full definition of the weekly SEO maintenance sub-agent (MCPs, tasks, output format)
• assets/weekly-seo-*.md, assets/weekly-seo-vibe.toml: per-harness agent-definition files linked from references/weekly-seo-agent.md
• references/directory-list.md: 13-tier directory catalog with submission timing, examples, and counts
• references/positioning-variations.md: Positioning variant library per directory tier (tagline, short/long descriptions, category tags)
• references/submission-tracker-template.csv: Submission tracker spreadsheet template for logging directory submissions