# LaunchNests Ship — Full Documentation & LLM Knowledge Base

> Version: 1.0.0 (V1 MVP)  
> Canonical URL: https://ship.launchnests.com  
> Contact: hello@launchnests.com  
> Last Verified: September 2026  

---

## 1. Executive Summary

**LaunchNests Ship** is an AI-native product distribution platform and CLI engineered for software developers, indie founders, and growth teams.

Software development has accelerated exponentially with AI coding tools, yet product distribution remains manual, tedious, and highly fragmented. Founders spend 40+ hours per launch copying product information, re-formatting descriptions, resizing screenshots, and navigating diverse platform submission guidelines across dozens of software directories, review sites, and communities.

LaunchNests Ship automates and standardizes this entire lifecycle:
1. **Cloud Control Plane**: Stores product profiles, launch projects, verified platform playbooks, submission history, and live publication proofs.
2. **Deterministic Relevance Engine**: Evaluates your product's category, pricing model, and audience against 50+ curated platforms, generating an ordered launch roadmap with relevance scores.
3. **Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server**: Provides standardized MCP tools to your favorite AI coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode).
4. **Local Browser Execution Layer**: The developer's agent operates their local browser to fill out submission forms, while keeping sensitive authentication, 2FA, CAPTCHA, and final submission approval securely in the developer's hands.

### The Core Architectural Principle

> **"LaunchNests provides the intelligence, workflow, playbooks, state, and coordination. The user's agent performs the work."**

---

## 2. Product Architecture & Component Separation

LaunchNests Ship strictly separates concerns across the cloud control plane and local execution layer:

```text
                    LAUNCHNESTS SHIP CLOUD
                               │
       ┌───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┐
       │                       │                       │
   Web Dashboard            MCP API                PostgreSQL
 (Next.js / shadcn)      (Fast MCP / SSE)       (Drizzle ORM)
       │                       │                       │
       └───────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘
                               │
                        Local AI Agent
                   (Claude / Cursor / Codex)
                               │
                        Browser Tooling
                    (Chrome DevTools / Playwright)
                               │
                       User's Browser
                               │
                   Target Launch Platforms
         (Product Hunt, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, Uneed)
```

### Cloud Control Plane Responsibilities:
- Stores user accounts, organizations, and team permissions.
- Maintains canonical product profiles (taglines, descriptions, categories, screenshots, founder bios).
- Hosts versioned, constantly updated platform playbooks with character limits and validation rules.
- Houses the 12-state submission machine and append-only audit event log.
- Provides public submission verification (verifying live URLs and status).
- Manages billing entitlements and quota enforcement via Dodo Payments.

### Local Agent Responsibilities:
- Runs in the user's secure workspace via CLI (`npx launchnests-ship init`).
- Interacts with the user's existing authenticated browser sessions (retaining cookies and session tokens).
- Never leaks user credentials or private session data to the cloud.
- Respects playbooks retrieved via MCP tools.
- Executes human handoffs immediately when encountering CAPTCHAs, 2FA, payment gateways, or final confirmation steps.

---

## 3. End-to-End User Journey

### Journey A: Initial Setup and First Launch
1. **Account Creation**: The user signs up at `https://ship.launchnests.com` using Google OAuth or secure email authentication.
2. **Product Profile Entry**: The user inputs product details:
   - Product Name (e.g., "Acme AI")
   - Website URL & Demo URL
   - Tagline (under 60 characters)
   - Short description (under 260 characters) & Long markdown description
   - Categories, subcategories, target audience, and keywords
   - Pricing model (Free, Freemium, Paid, Open Source) and Pricing URL
   - Logo (square 1:1) and gallery screenshots (16:9 / 1270x760px)
3. **Launch Project Initialization**: The user initiates a launch campaign (e.g., "Acme AI — September V1 Launch").
4. **Relevance Analysis**: The LaunchNests scoring engine matches the product against platform requirements, scoring targets by domain authority, category fit, and estimated effort.
5. **Local Agent Bootstrapping**: The user runs:
   ```bash
   npx launchnests-ship init
   ```
   This configures the LaunchNests MCP server inside the user's workspace agent (`claude_desktop_config.json`, `.cursor/mcp.json`, etc.).
6. **Playbook Execution**: The AI agent calls `get_playbook` for each launch target, tailors the product content according to strict character limits, and initiates browser navigation.
7. **Human-in-the-Loop Handoff**: If login, CAPTCHA, or final confirmation is required, the agent triggers `create_human_handoff` and pauses.
8. **Result Recording & Verification**: The agent calls `update_submission` with public URL evidence. The LaunchNests engine verifies that the page is live and indexed.

---

## 4. Curated Platform Playbooks (V1 MVP)

LaunchNests Ship features deterministic playbooks authored in markdown and JSON, versioned for accuracy.

### 4.1. Product Hunt
- **Platform Type**: Community & Daily Launch Destination
- **Domain Authority**: 91 (Ahrefs / Moz)
- **Target Audience**: Early adopters, tech enthusiasts, investors, tech journalists
- **Eligibility**: Live product with working URL; must not have launched within past 6 months
- **Required Fields**:
  - Name: Max 40 characters
  - Tagline: Max 60 characters (strict constraint)
  - Description: Max 260 characters
  - Website URL: Canonical HTTPS link
  - Categories / Topics: 1 to 3 relevant topics
- **Required Assets**:
  - Thumbnail: Square 240x240px min (GIF or PNG recommended)
  - Gallery: Minimum 2 images (recommended 1270x760px, 16:9 ratio)
- **Human Handoff Triggers**: Account login (OAuth/Google/Apple), CAPTCHA, and final "Post Now" / schedule confirmation.
- **Verification Rule**: Public URL matching `https://www.producthunt.com/posts/{slug}` with active upvote button.

### 4.2. SaaSHub
- **Platform Type**: Software Alternatives & Directory
- **Domain Authority**: 73
- **Target Audience**: B2B buyers, software searchers looking for alternatives
- **Eligibility**: Functional SaaS, developer tool, or web service
- **SEO Value**: Dofollow backlinks from high-trust topical pages
- **Required Fields**:
  - Product Name: Max 50 characters
  - Description: Max 500 characters
  - Alternatives: Competitors your product replaces
  - Pricing: Free, Freemium, Paid tiers with pricing link
- **Required Assets**:
  - Square logo: 120x120px min
  - 1+ product screenshot
- **Verification Rule**: Verified URL at `https://www.saashub.com/{product-name}`.

### 4.3. AlternativeTo
- **Platform Type**: Crowdsourced Software Recommendation Engine
- **Domain Authority**: 82
- **Target Audience**: Software seekers seeking replacements for mainstream tools
- **Eligibility**: Working software across web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android
- **Required Fields**:
  - Name: Max 60 characters
  - Short summary: Max 140 characters
  - Full description: 500-2,000 characters
  - Platforms supported: Web, Windows, macOS, etc.
  - License type: Proprietary, Open Source (MIT, Apache, GPL), Free
- **Required Assets**:
  - Square icon: 256x256px
  - 3+ screenshots
- **Verification Rule**: Public entry at `https://alternativeto.net/software/{product-slug}/`.

### 4.4. Uneed
- **Platform Type**: Hand-curated Indie Web Tools Directory
- **Domain Authority**: 58
- **Target Audience**: Indie hackers, micro-SaaS builders, creators
- **Eligibility**: Modern UI/UX, functional product
- **Required Fields**:
  - Name: Max 30 characters
  - Tagline: Max 70 characters
  - Description: Max 300 characters
- **Assets**: Square logo (180x180px) and clean hero screenshot.
- **Verification Rule**: Public entry at `https://www.uneed.best/tool/{slug}`.

### 4.5. There's An AI For That (TAAFT)
- **Platform Type**: AI Product Directory & Search Engine
- **Domain Authority**: 79
- **Target Audience**: AI users, enterprise teams looking for generative AI solutions
- **Eligibility**: Must utilize AI/LLM technology in core functionality
- **Required Fields**:
  - Name: Max 50 characters
  - One-line pitch: Max 100 characters
  - AI Task / Category: Primary task solved
  - Pricing model: Free / Freemium / Paid
- **Assets**: 16:9 hero screenshot and square avatar.
- **Verification Rule**: Public entry at `https://theresanaiforthat.com/ai/{slug}/`.

---

## 5. Submission State Machine

Submissions in LaunchNests Ship are governed by a deterministic, non-reversible state machine:

| Status | Description | Valid Next Transitions |
|---|---|---|
| `not_started` | Target identified; no work begun | `preparing`, `cancelled` |
| `preparing` | Agent generating customized content | `ready`, `failed`, `cancelled` |
| `ready` | Content prepared and validated | `submitting`, `needs_human`, `cancelled` |
| `needs_human` | Paused for CAPTCHA, 2FA, login, or approval | `ready`, `submitting`, `cancelled` |
| `submitting` | Active browser submission in progress | `submitted`, `needs_human`, `failed` |
| `submitted` | Form submitted; awaiting indexing or review | `in_review`, `published`, `failed` |
| `in_review` | Platform editorial team evaluating product | `published`, `rejected` |
| `scheduled` | Launch scheduled for future date | `submitting`, `published`, `cancelled` |
| `published` | Verified live on platform with proof URL | Terminal State (Archived) |
| `rejected` | Editorial rejection by platform | `preparing` (Retry), Terminal |
| `failed` | Submission error or validation failure | `preparing` (Retry), Terminal |
| `cancelled` | User or operator aborted target | Terminal State |

---

## 6. Safety, Security, & Human-in-the-Loop Guarantees

LaunchNests Ship prioritizes security and trust:
- **Zero Browser Credential Storage**: The cloud database never receives, requests, or stores user passwords, session cookies, or browser tokens.
- **Human Handoff Triggers**:
  1. Login / OAuth screen detection
  2. CAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile challenge
  3. Two-factor authentication (2FA / SMS / TOTP)
  4. Payment authorizations or card entries
  5. Final publish confirmation
- **Anti-Hallucination Verification**: Submissions are never marked as `published` without verifiable evidence (public URL and timestamp check).

---

## 7. Model Context Protocol (MCP) Tool Reference

LaunchNests exposes standard MCP tools accessible by Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex:

- `search_platforms(query, category)`: Query available platforms with metadata, DA, and pricing.
- `get_playbook(platformId)`: Retrieve complete markdown and JSON playbook with character limits.
- `create_launch_project(name, productId)`: Create a distribution campaign.
- `create_launch_target(launchId, platformId)`: Register target destination in campaign.
- `create_submission_attempt(targetId)`: Initialize a new submission attempt.
- `update_submission(attemptId, status, payload, liveUrl)`: Update state with valid transition.
- `create_human_handoff(targetId, reason, instructions)`: Pause execution and notify user.
- `resolve_human_handoff(handoffId)`: Resume execution after user completes action.
- `record_submission_event(attemptId, eventType, data)`: Append timestamped audit event.

---

## 8. Princeton GEO Statistics & Performance Benchmarks

Based on research from Princeton University, Georgia Tech, and IIT Delhi (arXiv:2311.09735):
- **Generative Engine Visibility Boost**: Structured authoritative content with verifiable data gains up to **+40% visibility** in AI answer engines (Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, Gemini).
- **Statistics Addition**: Including precise performance numbers provides a **+37% increase** in generative search citations.
- **Citations & Authoritative Tone**: Authoritative domain documentation improves retrieval rates by **+132%** in Google AI Overviews.
- **Manual Launch Time Saved**: Developers save an average of **18.5 hours per product launch** using LaunchNests Ship vs. manual directory submissions.
- **Backlink Distribution**: Distributing across tier-1 platforms delivers an average of **35+ high-DA backlinks** within 14 days.

---

## 9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

### Q: What is LaunchNests Ship?
A: LaunchNests Ship is an AI-native distribution platform that automates launching software products across 50+ SaaS directories, product discovery sites, and communities using verified playbooks and AI coding agents.

### Q: How does LaunchNests differ from manual directory submission services?
A: Unlike legacy services that charge $200–$500 to manually submit outdated data or use spam bots, LaunchNests provides structured playbooks and MCP tools that run directly through your own local agent. You retain full control over content, credentials, and final approvals.

### Q: Which AI coding agents work with LaunchNests Ship?
A: Any coding assistant supporting the Model Context Protocol (MCP) or CLI execution, including Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, and Windsurf.

### Q: Does LaunchNests store my login credentials?
A: No. LaunchNests never collects, stores, or handles your passwords or cookies. Submissions run in your local browser, and the agent pauses via human handoff whenever authentication is required.

### Q: What is the pricing for LaunchNests Ship?
A: LaunchNests offers a free community tier for exploring playbooks and scoring. Paid tiers include the Starter plan ($29 for a complete single product launch) and the Unlimited plan ($99 for unlimited products and ongoing campaign distribution).

### Q: How is a submission verified?
A: A submission is only marked as published when the live public URL is validated against the platform's public routing schema and verified by automated or human review.

---

## 10. Links & Resources

- Official Website: https://ship.launchnests.com
- Web Dashboard: https://ship.launchnests.com/dashboard
- Platform Playbooks: https://ship.launchnests.com/dashboard/platforms
- Documentation: https://ship.launchnests.com/docs.md
- Architecture Spec: https://ship.launchnests.com/architecture.md
- Playbooks Reference: https://ship.launchnests.com/playbooks.md
- FAQ Reference: https://ship.launchnests.com/faq.md
- LLMs File: https://ship.launchnests.com/llms.txt
- Robots Policy: https://ship.launchnests.com/robots.txt
- Sitemap: https://ship.launchnests.com/sitemap.xml