Sammy Build Plan (Stakeholder)

Product: email intelligence subscription for luxury industry roles.

Strategy: Launch minimal MVP with real email delivery first. Add Stripe payments after core experience is validated.

Phase A: Minimal MVP

Current focus — Real auth, real DB, real emails. Free tier only.

What We're Building

Replace all mocked/demo components with production infrastructure. Users get real email briefings.

Current Demo State (What Gets Replaced)

Auth

→

localStorage

→

No email sends

→

Mock premium

All mocked — Clerk not connected, Postgres not connected, Loops not connected, Stripe not connected.

Target MVP State (Phase A Deliverable)

Visitor

→

Sammy Web
/auth

→

Clerk
Real email-code

→

PostgreSQL
User stored

Phase A Task List

Task	What	Status
Real Clerk Auth	Create Clerk app, swap MockClerkProvider for @clerk/nextjs	TODO
PostgreSQL Setup	Create sammy_users table with email, persona, frequency, clerk_id	TODO
Preference API	Build /api/user/preferences endpoint for CRUD	TODO
n8n Subscriber Fetch	Workflow queries Postgres for users by cadence (daily/weekly)	TODO
n8n → Loops.so	Personalized email composition and send via Loops API	TODO
Email Deep Links	Magic links in email footer for /tune?token=xxx auto-auth	TODO
Hide Premium UI	Remove /pro page and premium upsells until Phase B	TODO

Phase A Success = Working Product
User signs up with real email verification
Preferences persist in database
User receives actual email briefing daily or weekly
User can update settings via email link

Phase B: Stripe Payments

After MVP validated — Add premium tier with real billing.

What We're Adding

Re-enable premium UI and wire Stripe for real payments. Premium users get more content per email.

Stripe Checkout Flow

Clicks Upgrade

→

/pro page

→

Stripe Checkout

→

Webhook

→

tier=premium

Phase B Task List

Create Stripe account + Premium product ($49/mo)
Integrate Stripe Checkout on /pro page
Set up webhook endpoint (n8n or API route)
Handle checkout.session.completed → set premium
Handle invoice.payment_failed → notify user
Add Stripe Customer Portal link
Add DB fields: stripe_customer_id, subscription_status, premium_expires_at
Re-enable premium UI (upsell card, /pro page)

Why Stripe comes second: Validate that users want and engage with the free product before investing in billing infrastructure. If the email experience doesn't retain users, payments won't matter.

Phase C: Enhanced Features

Future — Based on user feedback and product-market fit.

Advanced personalization controls (topics, regions)
Cross-role context in Premium emails
Annual billing option (discount)
Team/enterprise plans
Email archive access for Premium
Custom briefing times

System Flow — How Sammy Works

User

Sammy Web

Database

Auth/Billing

Email Service

AI Processing

Stage 1: User Subscribes

Visitor

→

Sammy Web
/auth

→

Clerk
Email verification

→

PostgreSQL
User stored

Stage 2: Daily Content Generation (Automated)

n8n Scheduler
Daily 6am

→

Perplexity
Finds articles

→

Gemini
Scores & summarizes

→

PostgreSQL
Articles stored

Sources: Vogue Business, BoF, WWD, FT, McKinsey, Bain, etc. Tiered by credibility.

Stage 3: Email Delivery

n8n

→

Fetch users
by cadence

→

Filter by persona

→

Compose HTML

→

Loops.so API

→

Inbox

Loops.so Integration

Sent to Loops: recipient email, subject line, personalized article list (titles, summaries, links), unsubscribe link, manage preferences link. Loops handles deliverability and bounce management.

Stage 4: Self-Serve Updates

Email Footer
"Update" link

→

/tune?token=xxx

→

Clerk
Auto-auth

→

Update prefs

Users change persona, frequency, or unsubscribe — no support tickets.

Integration Summary

When	System	What Happens	Phase
User subscribes	Clerk → PostgreSQL	Email verification → user record created	A
User saves preferences	PostgreSQL	Persona + cadence stored	A
Daily scheduled run	n8n → Perplexity → Gemini	Articles discovered, scored, stored	A
Email send time	n8n → Loops.so	Personalized digest delivered	A
User clicks email link	Clerk → PostgreSQL	Auto-login → preference update	A
Premium purchase	Stripe → PostgreSQL → Loops	Payment processed, tier upgraded	B

MVP Data Model

Field	Example	Purpose	Phase
id	uuid	Primary key	A
email	partner@brand.com	User identity	A
clerk_id	user_2xxx	Auth linkage	A
persona	CMO	Role-based targeting	A
frequency	daily / weekly	Delivery cadence	A
subscription_tier	free	Entitlement (free only in Phase A)	A
stripe_customer_id	cus_xxx	Stripe linkage	B
subscription_status	active / cancelled	Billing state	B

Decisions Needed

Email platform: Confirm Loops.so vs alternative (needed for Phase A)
Email template: Design briefing layout (needed for Phase A)
Send time: Confirm 8:00 AM EST or allow user selection
Premium scope: Define exactly what Premium includes (for Phase B)
Pricing: Confirm $49/mo or alternative (for Phase B)

Page intent: Internal clarity for stakeholders. Updated 2026-02-22.