Decisions Log

2026-02-14 — Product: PDF API (approved by user)

Chose HTML/Markdown to PDF API over webhook relay and JSON schema validation. Fastest to ship, proven demand, clear monetization.

2026-02-14 — Name: DocFast

Product name "DocFast" — short, memorable, describes value prop (fast document generation). Domain TBD.

2026-02-14 — Tech Stack: TypeScript + Express + Puppeteer

TypeScript for type safety and fast iteration
Express for simplicity (no framework overhead)
Puppeteer for high-fidelity PDF rendering (Chrome-based = pixel-perfect)
Marked for markdown parsing
Chose Puppeteer over wkhtmltopdf/pdfkit for better CSS support and template rendering quality

2026-02-14 — Templates: Invoice + Receipt first

Built-in invoice and receipt templates as differentiator. Most PDF API competitors are raw converters — templates add immediate value for common use cases.

2026-02-14 — Pricing model (planned)

Free tier: 100 PDFs/month
Pro: $9/mo for 5,000 PDFs
Business: $29/mo for 25,000 PDFs
Enterprise: custom Not yet implemented — need Stripe integration.

2026-02-14 — Phase 2: Go to market

QA Session 14 verified all 3 investor-reported bugs are fixed. 3 minor edge cases (BUG-004/005/006) logged but not blocking launch. Product is shippable — moving to marketing and customer acquisition.

2026-02-14 — Phase 2 confirmed after full Playwright QA

BUG-004 (CSP inline scripts) and BUG-005 (CSP inline onclick) both fixed and verified. Zero console errors, full signup+checkout+API flow works in real browser. Only BUG-006 (cosmetic copy feedback) remains — not blocking launch.

2026-02-14 — Free tier limit: 50 PDFs/month (in-memory tracking)

Reduced from 100 to 50 for free tier enforcement. In-memory tracking for MVP (resets on restart). Will need Redis or SQLite for production persistence. Pro keys bypass limits via PRO_KEYS env var.

2026-02-14 — URL→PDF endpoint added

High-demand feature that differentiates from simpler HTML-only converters. Validates URLs (http/https only), 30s timeout, configurable wait strategy. Security note: may need SSRF protection before production (block private IPs).

2026-02-14 — Phase 2: All bugs resolved, QA passed

After 4 QA rounds and multiple fix cycles, all 11 test cases pass. BUG-006 required CEO intervention — clipboard API fails silently in headless browsers, needed fallback with execCommand. Moving to security audit before marketing.

2026-02-14 17:21 UTC — Product decisions on BUG-012/013/014

BUG-012: Remove email requirement for free tier

Rationale: Collecting unverified emails adds friction with zero value. Fastest path to API key = more signups. Can add optional email later for recovery/marketing. Decision: instant key generation, no email needed.

BUG-013: Pro key delivery — success page display

The Stripe success redirect already shows a key. Verify this works end-to-end. For now, success page + copy button is sufficient. Email delivery deferred (no email infra).

BUG-014: Key recovery — deferred

Without email verification, secure recovery is impossible. Ship with a clear warning: "Save your API key — we can't recover it." Revisit after launch when we have email infra.

429 form handling

Frontend must show a user-friendly message when rate limited instead of hanging.

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