Hacker News Launch Checklist

📅 Timeline Overview

• 7 days before: Complete all "1 Week Before" tasks
• 3 days before: Complete all "3 Days Before" tasks
• 1 day before: Complete all "Day Before" tasks
• Launch day: Follow "Launch Day" timeline
• Post-launch: Monitor for 48 hours

✅ 1 WEEK BEFORE LAUNCH

Repository & Code

• [ ] All submodules updated to latest commits
• [ ] All tests passing in CI (261/261 core tests)
• [ ] No critical or high-severity npm audit issues
• [ ] Latest versions published to npm:

• [ ] GitHub Actions workflows all green
• [ ] All TODO/FIXME comments resolved or documented

Documentation

• [ ] README.md up to date with latest features
• [ ] All docs/ files reviewed and current
• [ ] API documentation complete
• [ ] CONTRIBUTING.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, SECURITY.md in place
• [ ] CHANGELOG.md updated with latest release
• [ ] All links in documentation verified working
• [ ] TypeScript documentation complete

Examples & Demos

• [ ] Playground working and up-to-date (https://larcjs.com/playground/)
• [ ] Hybrid dashboard demo working
• [ ] All examples/ demos tested and working
• [ ] Mobile responsiveness verified
• [ ] Examples work in incognito mode (no cache dependencies)

✅ 3 DAYS BEFORE LAUNCH

Content Creation

• [ ] Demo video recorded (2-3 minutes)

• [ ] HN post drafted:

• [ ] FAQ prepared for common questions:

Website & Infrastructure

• [ ] GitHub Pages deployed and current
• [ ] All CDN links working (test unpkg.com URLs)
• [ ] Site works on mobile devices
• [ ] Playground loads in <3 seconds
• [ ] SSL/HTTPS working correctly
• [ ] No broken images or assets
• [ ] Analytics set up (optional: Plausible, Simple Analytics)
• [ ] Error monitoring ready (optional: Sentry, LogRocket)

Social Media Prep

• [ ] Twitter/X account ready (if applicable)
• [ ] LinkedIn post drafted (if applicable)
• [ ] Screenshots prepared for social sharing
• [ ] Hashtags prepared: #webcomponents #javascript #opensource

✅ DAY BEFORE LAUNCH

Final Testing (Critical!)

• [ ] Chrome (desktop) - Latest version
• [ ] Firefox (desktop) - Latest version
• [ ] Safari (desktop) - Latest version
• [ ] Edge (desktop) - Latest version
• [ ] Chrome (mobile) - iOS
• [ ] Safari (mobile) - iOS
• [ ] Chrome (mobile) - Android

• [ ] Main README renders correctly on GitHub
• [ ] Playground loads and works
• [ ] Examples work
• [ ] Documentation site loads
• [ ] All links work (click every link!)
• [ ] Demo video plays

• [ ] Clone fresh repo and follow Quick Start
• [ ] Install from npm and verify it works
• [ ] TypeScript imports work correctly
• [ ] CDN imports work
• [ ] Examples work without local server (if applicable)

Performance Check

• [ ] Playground loads in <3 seconds on 3G
• [ ] Core bundle size: 40KB minified (128KB unminified) (verify on unpkg.com)
• [ ] No console errors on any page
• [ ] No 404s in network tab
• [ ] Lighthouse score >90 (optional but nice)

Team Coordination

• [ ] Team members available on launch day?
• [ ] Backup person assigned if primary unavailable
• [ ] Communication channel set up (Slack, Discord, etc.)
• [ ] Response strategy discussed
• [ ] Roles assigned:

HN Post Review

• [ ] Title finalized (test on friends for clarity)
• [ ] First comment refined and ready to paste
• [ ] FAQ answers ready to copy/paste
• [ ] Screenshots ready for threads that ask
• [ ] Comparison tables ready (LARC vs React, etc.)

✅ LAUNCH DAY

Pre-Launch (6:00 AM PT)

• [ ] Double-check all services are up:

• [ ] Demo video still accessible
• [ ] Team members online and ready
• [ ] Notifications enabled for GitHub issues/discussions
• [ ] Close all unrelated tabs, prepare to focus

Launch (7:00-9:00 AM PT)

• [ ] Post to Hacker News:

• [ ] Immediately post first comment (within 2 minutes):

Hi HN! I built LARC to solve the "Web Component coordination problem."

  Quick demo: Load one script tag, use <pan-card> in HTML, done. No build step.

  The killer feature is PAN (Page Area Network) - a message bus that lets
  components coordinate without knowing about each other. Mix React, Vue,
  and LARC components on the same page.

  Try it: https://larcjs.com/playground/

  Tech: 261 passing tests, TypeScript support, 5KB core, zero dependencies.

  Happy to answer questions!

• [ ] Save HN post URL
• [ ] Share HN post URL with team

First 2 Hours (Critical Window)

• [ ] Set timer: Check HN every 5 minutes
• [ ] Respond thoughtfully to every comment
• [ ] Be humble, grateful, and educational
• [ ] Don't be defensive if criticized
• [ ] Fix any obvious bugs immediately
• [ ] Update README if confusion is widespread
• [ ] Thank people for compliments and feedback

Great question! The main difference is [specific technical difference]. LARC is designed to complement React/Vue, not replace them. You keep your framework for complex UIs and use LARC for [specific use case].

That's a valid concern. Here's how we handle it: [technical explanation]. We also document this in [link to docs].

Thanks for catching this! Can you share more details? [specific questions]. I'll look into this right away.

Thank you! That means a lot. If you try it out, I'd love to hear your feedback.

Hours 2-6

• [ ] Continue monitoring, but can reduce to every 15-30 minutes
• [ ] Address any critical bugs or issues
• [ ] Update FAQ if common questions emerge
• [ ] Track metrics:

Evening (After 6 hours)

• [ ] Final check-in before EOD
• [ ] Respond to any unanswered comments
• [ ] Document any issues to address tomorrow
• [ ] Thank the team
• [ ] Get rest!

✅ POST-LAUNCH (Days 1-2)

Day 1 Evening / Day 2

• [ ] Respond to all HN comments within 24 hours
• [ ] Address any critical bugs reported
• [ ] Monitor GitHub issues/discussions
• [ ] Thank contributors and early adopters
• [ ] Track metrics and record for future reference
• [ ] Write brief post-mortem (what went well, what to improve)

Days 2-7

• [ ] Continue responding to comments daily
• [ ] Triage and prioritize reported issues
• [ ] Update documentation based on feedback
• [ ] Plan next steps based on community response
• [ ] Send thank-you notes to significant contributors

📊 Success Metrics

Track these metrics before/after launch:

• GitHub stars: ______
• npm downloads (weekly): ______
• Twitter followers: ______

• HN points: ______
• HN comments: ______
• GitHub stars: ______
• npm downloads: ______
• Website visitors: ______

• Total GitHub stars: ______
• Total npm downloads: ______
• Issues opened: ______
• PRs submitted: ______
• Community discussions: ______

🚨 Emergency Contacts

• [ ] GitHub down: Check https://www.githubstatus.com/
• [ ] npm down: Check https://status.npmjs.org/
• [ ] CDN down: Check unpkg.com status
• [ ] Website down: Check GitHub Pages status

• [ ] If critical bug found: Can we hotfix? Or acknowledge and promise fix?
• [ ] If infrastructure down: Link to backup locations
• [ ] If overwhelmed: Tag in backup team member

📝 Post-Launch Retrospective

What Went Well

• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________

What Could Improve

• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________

Action Items

• [ ] _______________________________
• [ ] _______________________________
• [ ] _______________________________

Community Feedback Themes

• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________

🎉 Celebration!

• [ ] Team celebration (virtual or in-person)
• [ ] Document the journey (blog post, Twitter thread)
• [ ] Thank everyone who helped
• [ ] Plan the next milestone

📚 Resources

• HN Guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
• Show HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
• HN FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html
• Launch timing research: Tuesday-Thursday, 7-9 AM PT is optimal