# AGENTS.md — Build guide for Brevo

## Project scope
Operate one permission-based newsletter and a separate transactional-message API. Preview templates and recipient segments, dispatch bounded batches and report delivery/bounce events independently from unreliable opens.

Catalogue verdict: kinda. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Brevo, send a low-volume newsletter and transactional messages with clear consent records. The hard boundary is deliverability infrastructure, multichannel messaging, crm, automation, and support, plus deliverability, growth network, and integrations.
Use the implementation prompt below to define the deliverable. Complete each phase's acceptance checks before extending the scope.

## Working agreement
- Inspect the repository and its existing instructions before choosing paths, dependencies or commands. Keep one coherent stack and explain changes to the proposed architecture.
- Plan a vertical slice that accepts a real input and produces the useful output described below. Persist only the state the prompt calls for; respect memory-only and upstream-managed workflows. Use fixtures only when they are clearly labelled.
- After scaffolding, document the actual install, development, check and build commands in README and keep them synchronized with the package or project manifest. Do not report commands as successful unless they ran.
- Work in small steps. At handoff, list implemented flows, checks actually performed, remaining blockers, and any credentials or provider setup the owner must supply.
- Do not publish, spend money, contact customers, delete source data or run irreversible migrations without the project owner's authorization.

## Prerequisites
- A verified sending domain, SES account with suitable sending access, DNS ownership and permission-based subscriber records. Provider charges and deliverability work remain.
- Implementation components: Next.js App Router and TypeScript for server-rendered pages and validated mutations. PostgreSQL with Drizzle migrations; Better Auth sessions for a small private workspace. React Email templates, an Amazon SES adapter and a bounded outbox worker with provider event ingestion.
- Scope boundary: deliverability infrastructure, multichannel messaging, CRM, automation, and support; inbox-placement expertise

## Stack and architecture
- Next.js App Router and TypeScript for server-rendered pages and validated mutations.
- PostgreSQL with Drizzle migrations; Better Auth sessions for a small private workspace.
- React Email templates, an Amazon SES adapter and a bounded outbox worker with provider event ingestion.
- Domain model: contacts, consent channels, transactional templates, marketing campaigns, suppressions and delivery callbacks

## Security and data integrity
- Keep consent evidence and suppression records, validate signed delivery callbacks, and recheck unsubscribes and complaints immediately before every send.
- Correctness boundary: Marketing consent is not inferred from a transactional email; suppression policy is checked at dispatch and unsubscribe links remain functional.
- Snapshot the campaign revision and recipient segment. Persist one delivery record per recipient, use provider-supported reconciliation after unknown outcomes, and pause on high failure rates.
- Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching.

## Agent implementation rules
- Project rule — data model: contacts, consent channels, transactional templates, marketing campaigns, suppressions and delivery callbacks
- Project rule — preserve this invariant: Marketing consent is not inferred from a transactional email; suppression policy is checked at dispatch and unsubscribe links remain functional.
- Project rule — acceptance evidence: A complaint callback removes a recipient from a queued campaign; retrying an inbound callback does not increment the failure count twice.

## Optional agent skills and references
- Optional external skill: [supabase-postgres-best-practices](https://github.com/supabase/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/supabase-postgres-best-practices/SKILL.md) — Review PostgreSQL schemas, queries, indexes, pooling, concurrency and row-level security. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
- Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
- Optional external skill: [copywriting](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/copywriting/SKILL.md) — Write landing pages and product copy grounded in the intended audience, product value and a clear next action. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.

Read the linked SKILL.md and its dependencies before adding a skill. Select only the skills matching this project's runtime and task; their documentation does not supply API access, credentials or approval to perform external actions. Pin the reviewed revision where the tool supports it. Follow the chosen agent's documented project-level installation mechanism.

## Distribution ideas
These are optional planning notes. Obtain the owner's approval before publishing or contacting anyone.
- Demonstrate the actual Brevo-inspired workflow with owned or clearly labeled sample data: Operate one permission-based newsletter and a separate transactional-message API. Preview templates and recipient segments, dispatch bounded batches and report delivery/bounce events independently from unreliable opens.
- Publish a reproducible walkthrough with this observable result: A complaint callback removes a recipient from a queued campaign; retrying an inbound callback does not increment the failure count twice.
- Explain who can operate this scoped tool, its setup and ongoing costs, and these remaining product gaps: deliverability infrastructure, multichannel messaging, CRM, automation, and support; inbox-placement expertise Avoid guaranteed savings, performance scores or implied endorsement.

## Engineering roadmap
1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Operate one permission-based newsletter and a separate transactional-message API. Preview templates and recipient segments, dispatch bounded batches and report delivery/bounce events independently from unreliable opens. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: deliverability infrastructure, multichannel messaging, CRM, automation, and support; inbox-placement expertise
2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model contacts, consent channels, transactional templates, marketing campaigns, suppressions and delivery callbacks Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Marketing consent is not inferred from a transactional email; suppression policy is checked at dispatch and unsubscribe links remain functional.
3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Snapshot the campaign revision and recipient segment. Persist one delivery record per recipient, use provider-supported reconciliation after unknown outcomes, and pause on high failure rates.
4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Keep consent evidence and suppression records, validate signed delivery callbacks, and recheck unsubscribes and complaints immediately before every send. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. A complaint callback removes a recipient from a queued campaign; retrying an inbound callback does not increment the failure count twice. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.

## Paid-product capabilities outside this build
- deliverability infrastructure, multichannel messaging, CRM, automation, and support
- inbox-placement expertise
- advanced automations
- commerce integrations
- recommendation and ad networks

## Implementation prompt
WORKING SLICE
Operate one permission-based newsletter and a separate transactional-message API. Preview templates and recipient segments, dispatch bounded batches and report delivery/bounce events independently from unreliable opens.

Build this scoped Brevo-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states.

Architecture
- Next.js App Router and TypeScript for server-rendered pages and validated mutations.
- PostgreSQL with Drizzle migrations; Better Auth sessions for a small private workspace.
- React Email templates, an Amazon SES adapter and a bounded outbox worker with provider event ingestion.

Prerequisites and limits
A verified sending domain, SES account with suitable sending access, DNS ownership and permission-based subscriber records. Provider charges and deliverability work remain.
Outside this release: deliverability infrastructure, multichannel messaging, CRM, automation, and support; inbox-placement expertise

Data model and correctness
contacts, consent channels, transactional templates, marketing campaigns, suppressions and delivery callbacks
Invariant: Marketing consent is not inferred from a transactional email; suppression policy is checked at dispatch and unsubscribe links remain functional.
Snapshot the campaign revision and recipient segment. Persist one delivery record per recipient, use provider-supported reconciliation after unknown outcomes, and pause on high failure rates.

Security and privacy
Keep consent evidence and suppression records, validate signed delivery callbacks, and recheck unsubscribes and complaints immediately before every send.

Recovery and export
Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching.

Implementation order
1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Operate one permission-based newsletter and a separate transactional-message API. Preview templates and recipient segments, dispatch bounded batches and report delivery/bounce events independently from unreliable opens. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: deliverability infrastructure, multichannel messaging, CRM, automation, and support; inbox-placement expertise
2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model contacts, consent channels, transactional templates, marketing campaigns, suppressions and delivery callbacks Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Marketing consent is not inferred from a transactional email; suppression policy is checked at dispatch and unsubscribe links remain functional.
3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Snapshot the campaign revision and recipient segment. Persist one delivery record per recipient, use provider-supported reconciliation after unknown outcomes, and pause on high failure rates.
4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Keep consent evidence and suppression records, validate signed delivery callbacks, and recheck unsubscribes and complaints immediately before every send. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. A complaint callback removes a recipient from a queued campaign; retrying an inbound callback does not increment the failure count twice. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.

Acceptance
A complaint callback removes a recipient from a queued campaign; retrying an inbound callback does not increment the failure count twice.
Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees.

Optional agent guidance
Optional external skill: [supabase-postgres-best-practices](https://github.com/supabase/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/supabase-postgres-best-practices/SKILL.md) — Review PostgreSQL schemas, queries, indexes, pooling, concurrency and row-level security. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: [copywriting](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/skills/copywriting/SKILL.md) — Write landing pages and product copy grounded in the intended audience, product value and a clear next action. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: contacts, consent channels, transactional templates, marketing campaigns, suppressions and delivery callbacks
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Marketing consent is not inferred from a transactional email; suppression policy is checked at dispatch and unsubscribe links remain functional.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: A complaint callback removes a recipient from a queued campaign; retrying an inbound callback does not increment the failure count twice.

## Completion evidence
Demonstrate the prompt's acceptance scenarios against the scoped workflow. Include setup from a clean checkout and failure recovery. Check persistence across restart and export/restore only for the state the prompt says to store; for memory-only tools, confirm that temporary content is discarded as specified. Record actual results and remaining limitations. A detailed plan alone does not establish a working replacement.