`BRIEF.md`

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# microsite-engine — brief

**Built via the Claude Web-Dev Accelerator (Phase 0 → scaffold → local viewer). Picked from the accelerator idea slate 2026-07-16.**

## Client / for whom
Steve — site #201 in minutes instead of hand-building. Productizable later as a SaaS ("spin up your own branded catalog site").

## Outcome / high value
Highest compounding leverage on the slate: turns the 200+-site DW sister-microsite fleet from **hand-built** into **generated**. Today a new microsite means hand-editing a `sites/<slug>.json`, guessing the niche keywords, and hoping the product count is right. This makes it: point → preview live against all 15k real products → emit a validated, deploy-ready config.

## Shape
A local dashboard (Express + single-page UI) that **drives the existing `dw-domain-fleet` platform — it does not reinvent it.**

- Loads the fleet's real `data/catalog.json` (≈15k products) + reuses its `shared/catalog.js` (`nicheSlice`) and `shared/sort.js` (`sortProducts`) so preview logic is **byte-identical to production**.
- Form to define a new microsite: slug, domain, siteName, tagline, hero headline/sub, niche (`pos`/`neg` keywords + product `types`), theme (accent, palette, fonts), hero mode.
- **Live niche preview**: match count + a product grid (with the house **sort + density slider**) that updates as you edit the niche — real products, real logic.
- **Facets helper**: real product-types + top tags pulled from the catalog so you pick from real data, not guesses.
- **Generate**: emits `sites/<slug>.json` in the fleet's **exact schema** + next free port + collision guard (warns if slug/domain/port already used in the live fleet).
- **Saved drafts dashboard**: admin cards, each showing **created date + time** (house rule), niche summary, live match count, status.

## Data
Read-only against `~/Projects/dw-domain-fleet/data/catalog.json` + `shared/`. $0-local, no AI, no scrape, no DB.

## Constraints / gates (hard)
- House rules: sort + density on the grid; admin cards show created date+time; `.gitignore` + gitify on scaffold; preview behind basic auth `admin / DW2024!` via `/viewer`.
- **Never writes into the live fleet `sites/` dir; never deploys; never touches DNS.** Generated configs land in this project's own `output/` dir + a copy-command is surfaced for Steve to run. All gated.

## First clickable target (this session)
Dashboard → define niche → live match count + grid preview → generate a validated `sites/<slug>.json` → saved-drafts card. Served locally, previewable via `/viewer`.