# DashCaddy Product-Spec Decisions — Locked 2026-07-20

> All decisions captured from clarifying questions with the operator. This
> file is the source of truth for what gets built next. The narrative
> PRODUCT-SPEC.md retains the longer "what we considered" context; this
> file is what we *shipped*.

## 1. Pricing

| Tier | Duration | Price | Per-month equiv |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | unlimited | $0 | $0 |
| 1 month | 30 days | $20 | $20.00 |
| 3 months | 90 days | $50 | $16.67 (17% off) |
| 6 months | 180 days | $70 | $11.67 (42% off) |
| 12 months | 365 days | $99 | $8.25 (59% off) |

- Stripe Checkout only (no Paddle for v1.0)
- USD only (defer multi-currency to v1.1)
- Stripe-standard 30-day refund
- No launch pricing — list prices as-is
- **Free is completely free. No Pro trial. Pro is a deliberate paid choice.**
- **Lifetime keys are creator-only.** Only Sami (the creator) can issue a LIFETIME key via `license-keygen.js --lifetime` on his dev machine. The production API rejects any LIFETIME code at `verifyCode` time. No one else ever gets a permanent key — every other paid customer gets a 30/90/180/365-day key.

## 2. Tier features

**Free:**
- All self-hosted features, unlimited services
- Up to 3 users (host owner + 2 invitees)
- NO share links (no Tailscale-mediated share, no public share URLs)
- Host owner may use TOTP-only login (no email required)

**Pro (any paid duration):**
- Unlimited users (no cap on invitees)
- Tailscale-mediated share — invitees click a link, get scoped access via tailnet without configuring anything
- Public share links — signed URLs for read-only previews (no Tailscale needed)
- Cloud config backup (deferred to v1.1, but already on roadmap)

The host's invitees MUST use email magic link as their identity — the email IS the username for non-host users. The host themselves can stay TOTP-only.

## 3. Account / license model

- **Use existing `license-keygen.js`** (HMAC-signed 16-byte codes; VALID_DURATIONS = [30, 90, 180, 365]).
- License keys are per-host. One license = one host. Multi-host deferred to post-v1.0.
- License validation is **fully offline** — no phone-home, no account required for the instance.
- Purchase flow:
  1. User picks tier on dashcaddy.net/pricing
  2. Stripe Checkout → success page shows license key
  3. Receipt email includes the license key as backup
  4. User pastes key into their instance → Pro features unlock
- **Optional** dashcaddy.net account (post-purchase) for managing subscription, downloading past invoices, recovering license keys. Deferred to v1.1.

## 4. Invitee auth flow

When host enables email auth via `siteConfig.authProviders.email.enabled = true`:
- First email to log in becomes the bootstrap admin (existing DC-048 behavior)
- Host generates invite via `/api/v1/auth/admin/invites` (existing DC-048)
- Invitee receives magic-link email → clicks → POSTs token to `/api/v1/auth/invites/:token/accept` → user record created + session cookie set
- Magic-link TTL = 24 hours; single-use

## 5. What we deferred to post-v1.0

- Multi-host support (one license = one host for v1.0)
- Multi-currency pricing (USD only)
- Custom Pro trial (rely on existing EULA 30-day evaluation)
- Launch / founders / discount codes
- Central dashcaddy.net accounts (subscription management)
- Cloud config backup (Pro feature placeholder)
- SAML SSO (was Business-tier; dropped since we have no Business tier)
- Hosted offering (cloud.dashcaddy.net — separate ops burden, deferred entirely)

## 6. Build order — what this enables

This decision set unblocks the following build items, in priority order:

1. **License-tier enforcement in the API.** Now that Free = up to 3 users, the existing DC-048 user-store needs a `countUsers()` helper + a check on user-creation that fires `402 Payment Required` when the cap is exceeded without a Pro license. (DC-052)
2. **Pro-gated share-link routes.** Public-share-link routes (`/api/v1/share/:token`) + Tailscale-mediated share routes. Both gated on `licenseManager.isPro()`. (DC-053)
3. **License-keygen CLI improvements.** The existing tool already supports the 4 durations. Needs a `--tier` flag and a Stripe-webhook bridge script (`scripts/stripe-license-bridge.js`) that converts a Stripe Checkout success → license key + email. (DC-054)
4. **dashcaddy.net pricing page.** Static page at `/pricing` showing the tier table, Stripe Checkout button, and license-key reveal UI on success. (DC-055)
5. **Compliance minimums.** ToS + Privacy Policy at `/legal/tos` and `/legal/privacy`. GDPR-aware, no SOC2/HIPAA. (DC-056)

The DC-048 multi-user foundation is the gating prerequisite for items 1-2. That foundation already shipped.