How I Prepared My Show HN Launch — A Solo Dev Checklist

I'm launching on Hacker News tomorrow. Here's everything I did to prepare.

After building DonFlow, a browser-only budget tool, I spent two weeks preparing for Show HN. Not building features — preparing for people.

Here's my checklist. Steal it.

1. Make the Demo Instant

HN users won't sign up. They won't download. They click, look for 10 seconds, and leave.

// ?demo parameter loads sample data instantly
if (url.searchParams.has('demo')) {
  await loadDemoData();
}

Result: One URL, zero friction. Try it →

2. Write the Docs Nobody Reads (But Everyone Checks)

HN commenters will ask about:

• Privacy policy — "what data do you collect?"
• Data portability — "can I export my data?"
• Architecture — "why not just use a spreadsheet?"

I wrote pages for all of them. Not because people read docs. Because one commenter will check, and their response shapes the entire thread.

Docs I wrote:

• Privacy — zero network requests, verified with DevTools
• Data Portability — JSON, CSV, XLSX export
• FAQ — comparison tables vs YNAB, Mint, spreadsheets
• Architecture — why IndexedDB + Dexie.js

3. Prepare Your Maker Comment

The first comment on a Show HN is almost always from the maker. Don't improvise it.

Mine covers:

• Why I built it (personal pain point, tried spreadsheets for 2 years)
• Technical decisions (IndexedDB over cloud, no AI, SheetJS for imports)
• What I want feedback on (specific questions, not "what do you think?")

4. Pre-Write FAQ Answers

I listed every question HN might ask and wrote answers in advance:

Question	Prepared Answer
"Why not just use a spreadsheet?"	Spreadsheets don't auto-detect budget drift
"How do you handle recurring expenses?"	Built-in recurrence engine
"What about mobile?"	PWA, works on any browser
"Is this open source?"	Yes, MIT licensed
"What's the business model?"	None. It's a side project.

Having answers ready means I can respond in under 5 minutes during the golden hour (first 2 hours after posting).

5. Optimize for the HN Click

• Title: Under 80 chars, no exclamation marks, no "Amazing" or "Revolutionary"
• URL: Direct to the app, not a landing page
• OG tags: Clean preview image and description
• GitHub link: In the README, prominently

6. Cross-Link Everything

When HN traffic comes, it should find you everywhere:

• GitHub README → links to live demo + docs
• Dev.to articles → link to app with ?demo
• App → links to GitHub ("View Source" builds trust)

7. The Night Before

My checklist for tonight:

• [ ] Load ?demo URL — does it work?
• [ ] Click every doc link
• [ ] Open on mobile
• [ ] Read the Show HN text one more time
• [ ] Sleep

The preparation is done. Tomorrow is execution.

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The Tool

DonFlow — a budget drift detector that runs entirely in your browser. No account, no backend, no tracking. Plan your budget structure, import bank statements, and see where reality diverges from your plan.

Stack: React + TypeScript + IndexedDB (Dexie.js) + SheetJS. MIT licensed.

If you're preparing your own Show HN, I hope this helps. The preparation matters more than the product.

What did I miss? Drop it in the comments.

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