dewemoji/redirection-dewemoji-plan.md

Redirection Plan — Dewemoji Pivot (2026)

Source of truth: dewemoji-direction-2026.md (Feb 8, 2026)

This document maps the 2026 pivot (“personal emoji library + sync”) against what we have already built in the rebuild app, then defines a concrete redirection plan.

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1) Pivot Summary (as confirmed)

New product north star:

• Dewemoji is a personal emoji library.
• Users create private keywords in any language (including slang and non‑Latin scripts), sync across devices, and own their vocabulary.
• Public discovery remains free (EN/ID + semantic) as a growth engine.
• No public/community submissions → no moderation burden.

Monetization shift:

• Free: public search only.
• Paid: private keyword library + sync + API keys + dashboard.
• Rename Pro → Personal.

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2) What We’ve Already Built (Current State)

✅ Built & aligned

• Public emoji discovery (JSON dataset, EN + ID keywords).
• API endpoints: /v1/emojis, /v1/categories, /v1/emoji, /v1/health.
• Frontend search + browse + emoji detail pages.
• Basic SEO + sitemap + robots.
• License verification/activation endpoints (legacy‑style) and supporting services.
• The rebuild is already cache‑first (app/data/emojis.json).

⚠️ Built but misaligned with pivot

• License‑based Pro system (Gumroad/Mayar validation).
• Device activation + license tables intended for legacy Pro (not Personal plan).
• “Pro” pricing page and marketing copy (old pricing, old narrative).
• API docs + support pages referencing license key flow.

❌ Not built yet (required by pivot)

• User accounts (register/login/session).
• Personal tier subscription model (Stripe + subscriptions table).
• API key management tied to user (generate/revoke).
• Private keyword CRUD (user keywords table).
• Personal dashboard (keywords, API keys, billing).
• Extension account linking + private keyword sync.
• Public endpoint whitelisting (origin + extension UA) + soft throttling.

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3) Directional Conflicts to Resolve

Area	Current	Pivot Requirement	Decision
Monetization	Pro license keys	Personal subscription	Replace license key system with account + API key model
Identity	None	User accounts	Add auth system + dashboard
Keywords	Public only	Private per user	Add user_keywords + blended search
API Access	License key	User API keys	Replace authorization method
Community	Planned public contributions	Private‑only	Remove community feature scope
Pricing	$3/mo + $27/yr + $69 lifetime	$4.99/mo + $49/yr + $99 lifetime	Update pricing + copy

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4) Redirection Plan (Phased)

Phase A — Foundation (Backend) ✅ Start here

Goal: replace license model with account + API key architecture.

Backend tasks

• Add tables: users, user_api_keys, user_keywords, subscriptions.
• Add auth endpoints:
  • POST /v1/user/register
  • POST /v1/user/login
  • POST /v1/user/logout
• Add API key endpoints:
  • GET /v1/user/apikeys
  • POST /v1/user/apikeys
  • DELETE /v1/user/apikeys/:key
• Add private keyword endpoints:
  • GET /v1/keywords
  • POST /v1/keywords
  • DELETE /v1/keywords/:id
• Add GET /v1/search?private=true to blend private + public results.
• Implement origin/UA whitelist for public endpoints and soft throttling.

What to freeze

• Legacy license endpoints stay online temporarily but deprecated.
• No new features on Gumroad/Mayar flow.

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Phase B — Dashboard UI (Web)

Goal: provide a personal workspace for private keywords and API keys.

Frontend tasks

• Add /register, /login, /dashboard.
• Dashboard tabs:
  • My Keywords (CRUD, bulk import/export)
  • API Keys (generate/revoke)
  • Billing (plan status, upgrade links)
• Update emoji detail page:
  • “Add to My Keywords” for Personal users.
  • Show personal keywords for this emoji (if any).

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Phase C — Extension Integration

Goal: enable personal keywords in extension + sync.

Extension tasks

• “Link Account” flow in extension.
• Store API key in chrome.storage.sync.
• Include Authorization: Bearer dew_… header when logged in.
• Blend private + public results.
• Upgrade prompt on missing keyword: “Create this in Personal?”

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Phase D — Payments + Plan Rename

Goal: Personal tier + billing system.

Billing tasks

• PayPal subscription plan (Monthly/Annual) + webhook handler.
• Keep pricing admin‑controlled (see Admin Dashboard plan).
• Webhooks → populate subscriptions.
• Plan rename everywhere: Pro → Personal.
• Pricing page update.

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Phase E — Deprecate Legacy Licenses

Goal: cut off old Gumroad model cleanly.

Migration tasks

• “Paste license → auto‑create account → grant Personal (lifetime)” tool.
• Email existing license users.
• Sunset date for legacy validation.

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5) Immediate File Updates (Recommended Next)

• Update API docs to mention account/API keys (not licenses).
• Update Pricing page to Personal tier and new price points.
• Update Support/Terms/Privacy copy with Personal tier language.
• Update community-plan.md (already aligned with private‑only direction).

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6) Risk Notes

• The pivot removes public contribution features and their associated moderation burden. This is consistent with the new revenue model but changes the original story. Make sure homepage and extension copy reflect personal library first.
• Referrer whitelist + soft throttle is required to keep free endpoints open without abuse.
• Public unlimited usage should only be granted to real extension installs. Plan: use Chrome Verified Access / chrome.identity.getCertificationToken() to prove the request is from a legitimate Web Store install before allowing unlimited public access.
• Private keywords + sync always require user authentication (magic‑link/OTP) — no exceptions.

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7) Quick Comparison Snapshot

What we should keep:

• Public emoji search + dataset caching.
• Site UI/SEO baseline.
• API response contract (minus license semantics).

What we should replace:

• Gumroad/Mayar license verification.
• Pro/lifetime license activation.
• Community submissions/voting.

What we should add:

• User accounts + API keys.
• Private keyword library + sync.
• Dashboard + billing.

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8) Decision Checkpoints

Before coding Phase A, confirm:

1. Plan name is officially “Personal” (not Pro).
2. API key format (dew_…) accepted.
3. Public endpoints remain unlimited for dewemoji.com + extension.
4. Stripe is the primary payment provider.

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If you want, I can immediately convert this into a task checklist by repo folder (backend, web, extension) and start Phase A scaffolding.