The Pre-Launch AI SaaS MVP Checklist
Launching an AI SaaS product without a checklist is like deploying code without tests — you'll catch the mistakes, just not before they cost you users and reputation. This checklist covers every dimension of a production-ready AI SaaS MVP.
Technical Checklist
Infrastructure & Deployment
- ☐ Application deployed to production domain with SSL
- ☐ Environment variables secured (never committed to Git)
- ☐ Database with automated daily backups
- ☐ Error monitoring configured (Sentry)
- ☐ Uptime monitoring active (Better Uptime or Checkly)
- ☐ CDN configured for static assets
- ☐ Database connection pooling enabled
AI & LLM Integration
- ☐ OpenAI API key stored securely in environment variables
- ☐ Rate limiting per user enforced (Upstash Redis)
- ☐ Token usage tracking per request
- ☐ Monthly cost alerts configured in OpenAI dashboard
- ☐ Fallback model configured for outages
- ☐ Prompt injection protection in system prompts
- ☐ AI output moderation enabled for user-facing content
Authentication & Security
- ☐ Email + OAuth (Google/GitHub) sign-in working
- ☐ Session management secure (HTTPOnly cookies)
- ☐ CSRF protection enabled
- ☐ SQL injection protection (use ORM parameterized queries)
- ☐ User data encrypted at rest
- ☐ Admin routes protected
Product Checklist
Core Features
- ☐ Core AI feature works end-to-end for primary use case
- ☐ User dashboard showing usage/history
- ☐ Onboarding flow (3 steps or fewer)
- ☐ Empty state UI for new users
- ☐ Error states with helpful messages
- ☐ Loading states for AI processing
- ☐ Mobile responsive layout
Billing & Monetization
- ☐ Stripe integration tested in production mode
- ☐ Subscription or usage-based plans configured
- ☐ Free trial or freemium tier active
- ☐ Customer portal for self-serve plan management
- ☐ Webhook handlers for payment events
- ☐ Invoice emails configured
SEO & Marketing Checklist
- ☐ Unique title tags on all pages (50–60 characters)
- ☐ Meta descriptions on all pages (120–155 characters)
- ☐ Open Graph image (1200×630px)
- ☐ sitemap.xml submitted to Google Search Console
- ☐ robots.txt configured correctly
- ☐ Google Analytics 4 or PostHog active
- ☐ Google Tag Manager installed
- ☐ Landing page with clear value proposition
- ☐ Pricing page live
- ☐ Blog with at least 5 posts targeting key search terms
Legal Checklist
- ☐ Privacy Policy published (required for any user data)
- ☐ Terms of Service published
- ☐ Cookie consent banner for EU users
- ☐ Data Processing Agreement if handling B2B data
- ☐ AI disclosure if required by jurisdiction
Go-To-Market Checklist
- ☐ Product Hunt launch prepared (assets, tagline, description)
- ☐ LinkedIn company page with recent posts
- ☐ Email list of 100+ beta signups to notify
- ☐ 3 customer case studies or testimonials ready
- ☐ Explainer video or product demo (2–3 minutes)
Working through this checklist before launch dramatically increases your chances of retaining early users and avoiding costly surprises. At Devs & Logics, we use this exact checklist for every SaaS MVP we ship. Talk to our team if you need help getting to launch-ready.