Build log - not a backlog

What's
shipping.

A weekly record of what we're building on madentrepreneurs.com. One entry per week- what shipped, what's in motion, what's queued next. No tickets, no noise, just receipts.

Filter

Week 25 - 2026

Portal proof path unblocked.

Jun 19v0.14.0 - Portal auth and dogfood audit fixes

Shipped

Admin workflow sidebar restored

  • Payload admin now surfaces MAD workflow shortcuts for Portal Access, Portal Readiness, Client Roadmap, and Opportunity Requests
  • The Portal Readiness document-storage action now sends admins to Portal Access, where test uploads can be performed
  • The repo-side fix is ready for deploy; live production sidebar visibility still needs the next Vercel redeploy
engineeringreview

Shipped

Private document storage smoke passed

  • The portal document audit/versioning migration was applied to the configured Supabase database
  • `pnpm storage:smoke` passed upload, canonical metadata verification, anonymous-access denial, signed download, checksum verification, and cleanup against `mad-portal-documents`
  • The handoff tracker now separates this configured-project proof from the remaining deployed-app proof after redeploy
engineeringreview

Shipped

Dual-role Auth users supported

  • Portal authorization now accepts app metadata `portalRoles` arrays while preserving the existing scalar `portalRole` field
  • The Portal Access Manager maintains dual-role metadata when the same Supabase Auth user is connected to both investor and client records
  • Role checks still trust Supabase app metadata only, not user-editable metadata or stale browser cookies
engineeringreview

Week 24 - 2026

Portal auth and audit gaps closed.

Jun 14v0.14.0 - Portal auth and dogfood audit fixes

Shipped

Investor opportunity access scoped to invited listings

  • The investor opportunities page now resolves the signed-in investor record before rendering listings
  • Only venture listings published to that investor profile appear, with the same production-empty posture used on the dashboard when no invites exist
  • Portal access pending and getting-started states now match the rest of the investor workspace
engineeringreview

Shipped

Admin and readiness surfaces fail safely on schema drift

  • Portal access and client roadmap admin pages now catch Payload load failures and render a friendly reload panel instead of crashing
  • Portal readiness checks sanitize raw SQL errors into operator guidance to run `pnpm payload:migrate`
  • A postgres schema sync script was added for DATABASE_URL handoff and wired to the new `payload:migrate` package script
engineeringreview

Shipped

Public and portal polish for accessibility and dismissal

  • Homepage hero headline now exposes a screen-reader-friendly MAKE A DIFFERENCE label instead of collapsing A and DIFFERENCE together
  • Portal getting-started modal Close now uses the dialog close primitive so dismissal stays in sync with the built-in dismiss controls
designengineeringreview

Week 23 - 2026

Production crawl path hardened.

Jun 01 - Jun 03v0.14.0 - Portal auth and dogfood audit fixes

Shipped

Canonical site host locked for production routes

  • Sitemap and robots helpers now resolve the live MAD production host instead of falling back to localhost during production builds
  • Metadata routes can still honor explicit site URL env values, but production no longer emits crawl links tied to a dev machine
  • This closes the live SEO regression where /sitemap.xml was publishing http://localhost:3000 URLs on the public deployment
engineeringreview

Shipped

SEO and social metadata tightened

  • Public page metadata and crawl helpers were refreshed so homepage, changelog, and share surfaces carry stronger canonical context
  • The changelog now reflects the current shipped build instead of staying pinned to the May 26 handoff note
  • Homepage description, Open Graph, Twitter metadata, and favicon signals remain aligned with the public brand surface
engineeringcontentreview

Shipped

Public polish and operator workflows advanced

  • Homepage, footer, portal login, brand mark, and changelog contrast were retuned for cleaner readability while the homepage closer media was split out and deferred for lighter loading
  • Portal history and ops list actions now expose context-aware ARIA labels, and the guests page now uses a Map-backed episode lookup instead of repeated nested scans
  • Join-request submission closed a broken access control issue so unauthenticated requests cannot bypass the intended server-side guard path
designengineeringreview

Shipped

Roadmap admin and handoff controls hardened

  • Client roadmap admin workflow shipped for operator-managed planning updates
  • The roadmap admin redirect flow was corrected so saves and follow-up actions return operators to the intended admin path instead of bouncing them through a broken control flow
  • Portal document storage validation was hardened so uploads and downloads fail more safely when production wiring is incomplete
  • The Payload login intro now exposes a public smoke-check marker on /admin/login so weekly production checks can prove the auth screen loads without using secrets
  • Baseline TypeScript compatibility regressions and weekly handoff notes were cleaned up to keep the release path moving
engineeringcontentreview

In motion

Production proof is still active

  • The live production alias still serves the May 29 Ready deployment while June 3 deploy proof remains unsettled
  • Current handoff notes say Vercel production still needs real PAYLOAD_SECRET, DATABASE_URL, and SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY values before the latest main branch build can be treated as launch proof
  • The next validation gate is a fresh production deploy from the current pushed main plus a rerun of the documented smoke test against that Ready build
engineeringreview

Queued

Client-owned handoff remains queued behind testing proof

  • Post-payment ownership transfer is still deferred: production should move to the client's Supabase project, admin ownership, and final secrets only after the active testing pass is proved
  • Demo-auth shutdown, credential rotation, and final client-admin creation remain queued until the testing database and production deploy path are verified
  • Backup/export capture plus real email, storage, and invited-user proof are still listed as handoff gates rather than shipped launch facts
contentreview

Week 22 - 2026

Handoff operations shipped.

May 26v0.14.0 - Portal auth and dogfood audit fixes

Shipped

Portal readiness gate added

  • Payload admin now includes a Portal Readiness screen for production handoff checks
  • The screen flags Payload, Supabase, service role, email, demo auth, portal access, admin-user, and Site Settings gaps
  • The dashboard now links directly to Portal Readiness so the client can see what remains before final ownership transfer
engineeringreview

Shipped

Opportunity request review queue

  • Investor opportunity requests now have an admin review queue in Payload
  • Admins can move requests through Submitted, Under Review, Approved, and Declined
  • The queue preserves the legal posture that statuses are internal follow-up states, not investment offers or commitment approvals
engineeringreview

Shipped

Private portal document storage path

  • Investor and client uploads now use a private Supabase Storage bucket instead of demo reference files
  • Document metadata saves with the portal record, including bucket, object path, owner, file size, and MIME type
  • Downloads now go through a guarded portal route that checks the signed-in user before issuing a short-lived Supabase signed URL
  • Docs now call out the SUPABASE_DOCUMENTS_BUCKET handoff setting and private bucket requirement
engineering

Week 22 - 2026

Portals made handoff-ready.

May 26v0.14.0 - Portal auth and dogfood audit fixes

Shipped

Portal access manager shipped

  • Payload admin now has a Portal Access Manager for investor and client login access
  • Admins can create or connect Supabase Auth users from Payload records and set the required portal role metadata
  • Investor and client records now store the Supabase User ID so future email changes can sync back to Auth instead of creating duplicates
  • When Payload content moves to a new Supabase project, matching Auth users by email are flagged for link sync so old project IDs do not silently remain attached
engineeringreview

Shipped

Linear handoff tracking updated

  • The master handoff tracker now links to the MAD Linear handoff document and live follow-up tickets
  • New follow-up tickets cover portal readiness, portal user linking, opportunity review statuses, and roadmap/session-note entry
  • Existing handoff tickets for auth, demo account rotation, backups, and document uploads remain tied to the final client ownership path
contentreview

Shipped

Master handoff tracker added

  • A master handoff tracker now consolidates shipped changes, route readiness, verification, and remaining launch gates
  • A new Client Admin Quickstart gives the post-handoff operator a plain-language click path for site copy, portal access, admin users, and smoke tests
  • The docs index and product handoff guide now point future operators to the tracker first
  • Remaining production work is separated from preview-ready product surfaces so client review stays clear
contentreview

Shipped

Preview password access without demo buttons

  • Investor and client login pages now use the normal password sign-in button with prefilled preview credentials
  • Payload admin login now pre-fills the temporary preview admin account so reviewers can click Login without copying credentials
  • The visible one-click demo buttons were removed so the login experience looks like the production path
  • The preview credential shortcut stays controlled by the ALLOW_DEMO_AUTH feature flag and can be turned off for final handoff
engineeringreview

Shipped

Production-empty portal dashboards

  • Preview investor and client accounts now open into empty, onboarding-first dashboards instead of seeded fake performance numbers
  • Capital, payout, return, financial statement, and roadmap stats stay blank until verified records are connected
  • Portal copy now reads as customer-facing workspace status instead of internal setup instructions
engineering

Shipped

Settings pages built for handoff

  • Client settings now show profile, auth mode, record readiness, financial snapshot, and action-item status
  • Investor settings now show profile, auth mode, portfolio readiness, capital, return, and venture status
  • Investor notification preferences now save through the server path when a real investor profile is connected
engineeringreview

Shipped

Roadmap and document tabs completed

  • Client roadmap now shows a full production-empty shell with goals, snapshots, and review status
  • Client and investor document centers now keep the no-record warning while still showing empty libraries
  • Document uploads stay disabled until the signed-in account is connected to an approved portal record
engineeringreview

Shipped

Real auth kept intact

  • Supabase password and magic-link sign-in remain available for invited production users
  • Preview sessions use signed portal cookies in production so the shortcut is intentional and reversible
  • The public footer and changelog now display the current site iteration number
contentreview

Week 22 - 2026

Client preview tightened.

May 25 - May 26v0.7 - Handoff readiness

Shipped

CMS save-to-public refresh verified

  • Site Settings saves now refresh the public pages that read CMS copy
  • Podcast episode saves now refresh the homepage, episode index, and affected episode detail page
  • Admin edit/save flow was smoke-tested so normal copy changes can publish without a new code deploy
engineeringreview

Shipped

Public light-mode readability pass

  • Founder card text now stays readable over the image in light mode
  • Featured episode overlay text was tuned for stronger contrast on the thumbnail
  • Homepage header treatment was cleaned up so the light-mode nav no longer creates extra visual artifacts
designengineeringreview

Shipped

Admin dashboard responsive pass

  • Admin dashboard content now centers within the workspace on large screens
  • Mobile admin navigation uses a cleaner touch-sized hamburger while keeping the full sidebar available on desktop
  • Dashboard quick actions were checked across desktop, tablet, and mobile browser sizes
designengineeringreview

Shipped

Production handoff runbook clarified

  • Admin, database, and deployment ownership steps are now grouped for final handoff
  • Access and environment requirements are documented so ownership can move cleanly when approved
  • Final smoke-test checklist covers admin login, public copy saves, portal login, and data persistence
engineeringcontent

Week 21 - 2026

Demo path hardened.

May 18 - May 22v0.6 - Demo readiness

Shipped

CMS admin polished for live demo

  • Branded MAD login treatment added for the admin entry point
  • Dashboard now opens with operator-focused quick actions for site settings, podcast episodes, contact submissions, investors, and finance clients
  • Admin navigation grouped into Content, Portal Operations, and System so non-technical operators can find the right area faster
  • Admin styling fallback added so the CMS remains demo-presentable across browser states
designengineering

Shipped

CMS editability validated

  • Demo content seeded for admin and podcast testing
  • Admin login, Site Settings edit/save, podcast list, and public homepage smoke-tested in browser
  • Demo access notes documented separately from production credentials
engineeringreview

Shipped

Public demo interactions refined

  • Homepage story flow tightened for demo scanning, with less visual clutter around the public hero experience
  • Starfield controls now keep the hero lighter on initial load and only mount the ambient layer when it is visible and enabled
  • Audio-reactive treatment tuned so the hero controls read clearly while still keeping the cinematic atmosphere
designinteractionreview

Shipped

Themed header and hero polish

  • Transparent public header spacing fixed so nav links, theme controls, and calls to action stay separated on desktop
  • Theme-aware nav glow corrected across light and dark hero states
  • Dark hero logo mask softened for a cleaner transition over the skyline footage
designengineering

Shipped

Release checks passed

  • Validation wiring added so release checks can run consistently
  • TypeScript, production build, route smoke checks, and browser demo checks passed during the demo-readiness pass
  • Custom admin components included in the release wiring
engineeringreview

Week 20 - 2026

Deep red direction landed.

May 11 - May 15v0.5 - Red direction

Shipped

Cinematic Deep Red direction selected

  • New hero treatment built around BUILD or GET BURIED at full-bleed display weight
  • Deep Red prototype selected over the metallic direction for the public site palette
  • Header brand typography moved to Archivo Black to match the supplied design reference
  • Red accent system propagated through nav, footer, homepage, changelog, and public page surfaces
  • Layered visual depth kept: vignette, film grain, ambient red beams, and parallax-style hero treatment
designcontent

Shipped

Copy voice elevated to brand spec

  • Section heads rewritten from descriptive labels to declarative statements
  • Founder origin block reframed cinematically: rock bottom to portfolio
  • Manifesto language added around adversity into assets, systems over scripts, and build or get buried
  • Five MAD investor paths sketched as a parallel structure to the seven pillars
contentreview

Shipped

Hero mode toggle added

  • New control added beside the audio toggle on the homepage hero
  • Visitors can switch between the video hero and the static Deep Red hero treatment
  • Choice is stored locally so the selected hero mode persists between visits
designinteraction

Queued

Logo motion treatment

  • Transformers-style intro animation flagged as motion-design scope
  • Decision pending on whether to source a motion designer or hold it for a later phase
designengineering

Queued

Architecture decision - Pillars vs. Paths

  • Current site leads with seven Financial Pillars
  • Preview leads with five Investor Paths
  • Either both coexist or one becomes the spine - awaiting founder call
contentdecision pending

Week 19 - 2026

Direction received.

May 04 - May 10v0.3 - Brief rework

Shipped

Creative direction locked from founder feedback

  • MVP preview review received - structure approved, visual identity flagged for elevation
  • Brief established: cinematic, dark-luxury, oversized type, layered depth, raw and authentic
  • Three palette directions requested - metallic, deep red, deep blue - to be prototyped before commit
  • Investor path, media flow, and audio concept confirmed as kept; visual skin to be rebuilt
reviewcontent

Shipped

Reference audit

  • MAD Warriors visual reference site reviewed for shared design language
  • Founder LinkedIn, podcast presence, and About page audited for brand voice signals
  • Existing copy mapped against the new voice direction
research

Shipped

Palette comparison rig built

  • Single prototype, palette switched by URL parameter - same design system across three directions
  • Side-by-side comparison view built to make the palette decision a one-click call instead of a guessing loop
engineeringdesign

Week 18 - 2026

MVP preview delivered.

Apr 27 - May 03v0.2 - Structural preview

Shipped

First MVP preview live

  • Investor login, client login, and core navigation wired
  • Financial Pillars page, Investors page, About page, and Episodes index structured
  • Hero video, ambient audio, and footer media all in place
  • Preview deployed for founder review
engineeringdesign

Shipped

Episode index + YouTube wire-up

  • Episode preview cards pulled from the existing YouTube channel
  • Linked through to full episode pages with notes and references
contentengineering

Shipped

Privacy, terms, and changelog scaffolds

  • Legal page templates seeded for privacy and terms of service
  • Changelog route created as the public build record
engineering

Week 17 - 2026

Kickoff set.

Apr 20 - Apr 26v0.1 - Foundations

Shipped

Project scope set

  • Core public site scope aligned around home, about, investors, financial pillars, episodes, contact, and login flows
  • Investor and finance-client paths identified as the first private portal experiences
  • Ongoing iteration plan established around weekly review and visible product progress
review

Shipped

Repo + deploy pipeline

  • Next.js app initialized with Tailwind, brand asset folder, and Vercel deploy pipeline
  • Domain, branch protection, and preview environment configured
  • Repository and deployment foundation prepared for ongoing build cycles
engineering

Shipped

Brand discovery

  • Founder interview captured - mission, target audience, investor profile, and mentorship model
  • Existing assets reviewed - MAD Warriors, LinkedIn presence, podcast catalog, and social channels
  • Initial content map drafted - pillars, investor path, episodes, contact
researchcontent