GetWaitlist

Email capture with a referral counter

YES · focused build
price $15/mosubscription / year $180estimated build time one sittingreplaced by 0 people

Email capture with a referral counter. This site's waitlist was built exactly this way; it took one prompt.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • their referral-widget templates
  • built-in email blasts to the list
  • spam filtering you didn't tune yourself

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Node, SQLite on persistent disk, a configured email provider, a public HTTPS origin and one authenticated owner account. Public signup routes are separate from the private administration area.
  • Implementation components: Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules. SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker.
  • Scope boundary: Fraud-proof referrals, guaranteed email delivery and growth claims are excluded.
01
Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules.
02
SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker.
03
Domain model: signup records, normalized emails, verification tokens, referral relationships, queue rank and invitation receipts
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1

Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Collect a waitlist signup, send a verification link through a configured provider and show queue position only after verification. Give the operator an invitation preview and export approved launch contacts. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Fraud-proof referrals, guaranteed email delivery and growth claims are excluded.

2

Phase 2

Durable model. Model signup records, normalized emails, verification tokens, referral relationships, queue rank and invitation receipts Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Email verification is required before referral credit; rank cannot be purchased or changed by an unverified self-referral.

3

Phase 3

Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.

4

Phase 4

Permissions and integration failure. Public routes accept only their documented inputs with rate/size limits. Protect every owner/customer action with authenticated authorization and CSRF checks; keep secrets outside exports and redact personal data from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.

5

Phase 5

Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.

6

Phase 6

Acceptance scenarios. Repeat signup for an existing email without creating a second position; an expired token cannot verify a different signup and self-referral earns no credit. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.

the pro prompt
download AGENTS.md
WORKING SLICE
Collect a waitlist signup, send a verification link through a configured provider and show queue position only after verification. Give the operator an invitation preview and export approved launch contacts.

Build this scoped GetWaitlist / LaunchList-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states.

Architecture
- Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules.
- SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker.

Prerequisites and limits
Node, SQLite on persistent disk, a configured email provider, a public HTTPS origin and one authenticated owner account. Public signup routes are separate from the private administration area.
Outside this release: Fraud-proof referrals, guaranteed email delivery and growth claims are excluded.

Data model and correctness
signup records, normalized emails, verification tokens, referral relationships, queue rank and invitation receipts
Invariant: Email verification is required before referral credit; rank cannot be purchased or changed by an unverified self-referral.
Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.

Security and privacy
Public routes accept only their documented inputs with rate/size limits. Protect every owner/customer action with authenticated authorization and CSRF checks; keep secrets outside exports and redact personal data from logs.

Recovery and export
Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data.

Implementation order
1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Collect a waitlist signup, send a verification link through a configured provider and show queue position only after verification. Give the operator an invitation preview and export approved launch contacts. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Fraud-proof referrals, guaranteed email delivery and growth claims are excluded.
2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model signup records, normalized emails, verification tokens, referral relationships, queue rank and invitation receipts Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Email verification is required before referral credit; rank cannot be purchased or changed by an unverified self-referral.
3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.
4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Public routes accept only their documented inputs with rate/size limits. Protect every owner/customer action with authenticated authorization and CSRF checks; keep secrets outside exports and redact personal data from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Repeat signup for an existing email without creating a second position; an expired token cannot verify a different signup and self-referral earns no credit. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.

Acceptance
Repeat signup for an existing email without creating a second position; an expired token cannot verify a different signup and self-referral earns no credit.
Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees.

Optional agent guidance
Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: signup records, normalized emails, verification tokens, referral relationships, queue rank and invitation receipts
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Email verification is required before referral credit; rank cannot be purchased or changed by an unverified self-referral.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Repeat signup for an existing email without creating a second position; an expired token cannot verify a different signup and self-referral earns no credit.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd rather

No prior-art project is listed yet. Compare the scoped build with the paid product before choosing.

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GetWaitlist pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
legacy free$0/workspace$0/workspaceUnlimited signups; available only to accounts created before 2025-06-12.Not available to new accounts.
basic$15/workspace—Unlimited signups; 7-day trial.
advanced$50/workspace—Unlimited signups; removes GetWaitlist branding.
pro$250/workspace—Unlimited signups; custom email/domain; advanced analytics; multi-user access; unlimited custom email blasts.

free tierNo free tier for new accounts. Legacy accounts created before 2025-06-12 retain a free plan with unlimited signups.

billingMonthly + annual; the page advertises 33% savings annually but did not expose the exact annual charges in the checked public output.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗

Questions about GetWaitlist

Can you build your own GetWaitlist with AI?

The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. Email capture with a referral counter. This site's waitlist was built exactly this way; it took one prompt.

What does the GetWaitlist build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Collect a waitlist signup, send a verification link through a configured provider and show queue position only after verification. Give the operator an invitation preview and export approved launch contacts. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: their referral-widget templates; built-in email blasts to the list; spam filtering you didn't tune yourself. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the GetWaitlist prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this GetWaitlist project take?

The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing GetWaitlist?

their referral-widget templates; built-in email blasts to the list; spam filtering you didn't tune yourself. Compare these limits with the workflow you actually need.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded paid plan is $15/mo (monthly), checked 2026-07-29. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building GetWaitlist?

No alternative is listed in this entry yet. That is a gap in this catalogue, not proof that no suitable product exists. Compare the paid product and the proposed scope before committing to a build.

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