Episode 1 of 24Prepare30 min
Plan your store before you build
Turn your idea into a short written plan, a feature list and a free-tier budget that the agent will follow in every later episode.
You will have: A PROJECT_PLAN.md file that defines what the store does, what it will not do yet, and which free services it uses.
Before you start
- Decide what you sell and who buys it (one sentence is enough)
- Pick a working store name. You can change it later
- Open any AI chat (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini). No agent is installed yet, so this episode happens in a normal chat
Make it yours
Change the example (a fashion store) to your own. Your answers are saved in this browser and used in every episode.
Other series keywords (3)
Your prompt
Paste into: A normal AI chat (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini). Save the answer as PROJECT_PLAN.md; you will give it to your agent in Episode 3.You are a senior e-commerce product manager and software architect. Help me plan a fashion e-commerce store called "Thread & Needle" that sells women's and men's clothing, shoes and accessories mainly to customers in United States, charging in USD.
The store will be built entirely by an AI coding agent (Claude Code), so the plan must be clear enough for an agent to follow without guessing.
Constraints:
- Total running cost must be zero until the store has real orders. Use free tiers only.
- Required services: PostgreSQL database (local for development, an online free database for production), Cloudinary for images, Resend for transactional email, Stripe for payments, GitHub for version control, and Vercel for hosting.
- Technology: Next.js with TypeScript. Keep it simple and common so the agent makes few mistakes.
- Security comes first: no secrets in code, validated inputs, safe admin access.
Write the plan as a Markdown document with these sections:
1. One-paragraph summary of the store and its customer.
2. Version 1 features (must have): catalogue, product pages, cart, customer accounts, checkout, payments, order emails, admin panel, simple sales reports.
3. Later features (not in version 1): reviews, discount codes, multi-currency, subscriptions. Keep this list short.
4. Pages and routes: list every public page and every admin page.
5. Data to store: list the main database tables and what each holds, in plain language.
6. Free-tier budget: for each service, name the free plan, its main limits, and what would make me pay later. Mark anything you are not sure about as "verify on the provider's pricing page".
7. Risks and decisions I must make myself, such as tax, shipping rates, return policy, and whether Stripe works in United States.
8. A build order: 24 short steps from "set up the computer" to "launch", matching a series of episodes.
Rules:
- Write for a non-programmer. Explain any technical word in a few words.
- Do not invent prices or limits. If unsure, say so.
- Keep the whole plan under 1,200 words.
- At the end, ask me up to five questions that would change the plan, and wait for my answers.Review the prompt, then copy it. Never paste real passwords or API keys into a chat.
How to check it worked
- The plan lists version 1 features and a separate short list for later
- Every free service has its limits written next to it
- The risks section names tax, shipping and payment availability in your country
- You answered the five questions and asked for an updated plan
- You saved the final text as PROJECT_PLAN.md
Sample result
Fashion store exampleExample result for the fashion store. Your plan will use your own store name, products and country.
If something goes wrong
- The plan is too long or too technical.
- Reply: "Shorten to one page and rewrite every technical term in plain words."
- The chat gives prices that look wrong.
- Free plans change often. Open each provider's pricing page and correct the plan before you continue.
- You are not sure your payment gateway works in your country.
- Ask: "List payment gateways that accept businesses in my country and compare their fees." Then change the payment gateway keyword above.
Free. A normal AI chat is all you need for this episode.
More in Prepare
- Episode 2Prepare your computer and accounts for the build
- Episode 3Install your AI agent and give it safe permissions
- Episode 4Create the store project and see it running
This is part of the series Build a secure, no-cost e-commerce website with AI agents. See all 24 episodes, the tools used and answers to common questions on the series page.