NewslettersCAN I VIBECODE
Mailcoach Cloud?
BUILD FIRST
- One specific customer type and one primary use case
- A vertical slice that completes the main job without manual workarounds
- Visible limits, review steps, and a fallback when an external dependency fails
LEAVE FOR LATER
- Broad third-party integrations
- High-scale collaboration, syncing, and permissions
- Automation that can cause harm without human review
RESEARCH NOTES
What this tool actually does.
Mailcoach Cloud is the hosted SaaS version of Mailcoach, the Laravel-based email marketing platform from Spatie (mailcoach.app). Users manage subscriber lists with tags, custom fields, and condition-based segmentation, and embed subscription forms on their own sites. Campaigns are built in Markdown, HTML, or a visual editor on top of reusable templates; split (A/B) testing sends variants to small groups before a full send, and open/click tracking is optional. Multi-step automations and drip campaigns are built visually without code and can be triggered by webhooks or conditions; webhooks also keep remote platforms synchronized. A searchable newsletter archive and RSS feed are built in. A distinguishing feature is bring-your-own-provider: email is delivered over the user's own SMTP, Amazon SES, Sendgrid, Mailgun, Resend, or Postmark account. It is GDPR compliant with EU data storage and e
RESEARCHED BUILD PROMPT
Give this to your coding agent.
Build "OpenRelay", a focused replacement for the core newsletter/automation workflow of Mailcoach Cloud (Spatie). Do not copy the Mailcoach brand, logo, marketing copy, or pixel-identical UI — create an original, clean interface with your own name and styling.
Workflow to replicate: an admin creates subscriber lists with custom fields; embeds a subscription form (double opt-in) on a website; tags and segments contacts with conditions; writes newsletters in Markdown with a reusable layout template; optionally defines an A/B variant sent to a sample with winner selection; schedules or sends now; builds no-code automations; and reviews open/click analytics plus a suppression list.
User-facing requirements: (1) list/contact management with custom fields, tags, and saved segments; (2) embeddable subscription form snippet with double opt-in; (3) campaign composer with Markdown source, rendered preview, and template/layout reuse; (4) A/B split testing with winner selection; (5) visual automation builder whose nodes are triggers (subscribed, tag applied, webhook, date-based), actions (send email, delay, add/remove tag, outbound webhook), and condition branches; (6) suppression list; (7) per-campaign analytics showing opens/clicks and rates; (8) public searchable newsletter archive; (9) an optional-tracking toggle per campaign; (10) provider settings so users plug in their own sending credentials (SMTP plus API adapters such as Sendgrid/Postmark/Mailgun-style).
Technical requirements: React front end with a node-graph editor (React Flow or similar) storing automation graphs as JSON; backend API (Node/Express or Laravel-style) with Postgres/MySQL; a queue-based background worker that executes automation steps and dispatches sends asynchronously; provider adapter interface with a simulated in-dev email logger; inject a tracking pixel and rewrite links for opens/clicks and expose inbound webhook endpoints for provider events (bounces/complaints); outbound JSON webhooks to user endpoints; REST API for lists, subscribers, and campaigns; sanitize rendered Markdown HTML.
Deliberately out of scope: multi-tenant billing, deliverability tooling (SPF/DKIM management), transactional email gateway, mobile apps, and any production hard guarantees — this is an educational clone, not a real sending infrastructure.
Include a README covering setup (env vars, database, queue, seed data), architecture overview, and important limitations (tracking accuracy, single-node queue, no deliverability guarantees).