directory-engine/decisions.md

Decisions Log

2026-08-22 — Repo creation

• Created Tony_tech/directory-engine as the home for Leonard-powered niche directory work.
• Structure and playbook seeded from Startup Ideas Podcast directory thesis.

2026-08-23 — Reset

• Operator requested deletion of the LM Studio page and full reset of niche lock.
• Previous niche decision (local AI tools and stacks for real hardware) and Cycle 1 entry removed.
• Awaiting new vertical selection from operator.

2026-08-23 — Afterthedemo proposal (Operator) + Leonard assessment

Proposed name: Afterthedemo
Core focus: Real shipped products built by people using AI tools (especially Hermes and similar agent stacks).

Filters proposed by operator:

• Only products with a public, verifiable artifact (live site, installable package, open repo, running bot, downloadable tool, etc.)
• Must be past the demo stage
• Not tools themselves as the main content, not tutorials as the main content, not Veripath/client service work
• No scoring system

Content pillars proposed:

1. Product Directory (evergreen, evidence-backed entries)
2. Weekly Builder Spotlight (one project + interview with the person who shipped it)
3. Creation Walkthroughs (how a real product was actually made)
4. Tool Tutorials & Setup Guides (grounded in real shipped work)
5. Process Notes (messy reality: what broke, what changed)

Leonard assessment:

• Coherent & workable? Yes. Strong vertical. Aligns with operator taste, existing Hermes/Leonard work, and the Grokbot directory thesis (curated, evidence-based, useful to both humans and AI overviews).
• Strengths: Clear “past demo” filter creates differentiation; interview + process notes give authentic signal that pure directories lack; natural newsletter/Shopify/SaaS expansion path later.
• Risks: Sourcing enough real shipped artifacts that meet the bar; interview dependency could slow weekly cadence; temptation to drift into tool reviews or tutorials.
• Recommendation: Lock Afterthedemo as the niche. Start with Product Directory pillar only (Research + Engineer). Defer Spotlight / Walkthroughs until 8–12 solid directory entries exist and traffic is measurable. Treat tutorials and process notes as secondary content that can be generated from the same research.
• First concrete steps:
  1. Lock niche in this file (done pending operator confirm).
  2. Seed 3–5 real shipped products that already meet the “public verifiable artifact + past demo” test.
  3. Run one full research → publish cycle.
  4. Stand up minimal Astro site on the Cloudflare + GitHub stack.

2026-08-23 — Full podcast incorporation

• Added best-practices.md with 4-week cadence, Chief of Staff pattern, routines, anti-patterns, and the three business shapes (newsletter, Shopify, directory/site-builder).
• Added agents/chief-of-staff-prompt.md.
• Directory remains the chosen entry point; newsletter and site-builder stack are explicit future expansions once traffic exists.