ADR: Scout Private-Beta Launch Surface

Date: 2026-06-29 Status: Accepted

Context

Scout now has a broad implementation and documentation surface: local package, CLI, FastAPI service, Docker service, hosted private-beta API, Claude/Codex skill backend, product export tools, launch website, private-beta onboarding, pricing/status/legal pages, and launch-readiness checks.

The risk is over-claiming. Scout reads well, but public launch still has hard gates: license, final legal files, public pricing, registry policy, dependency-risk posture, real Stripe smoke, and final terms/privacy.

Decision

Scout's current product status is controlled private beta with explicit limits, not public launch.

Rationale

• Local install, Docker from source, hosted beta quickstart, website route rendering, product exports, skill usage, beta onboarding, and launch-readiness checks are documented and verified in the Scout repo.
• The launch evidence index is the truth source for claims.
• The legacy /app UI is not a launch surface.
• Hosted Scout must be finite-credit and metered; do not sell unlimited hosted crawling.
• Scout remains infrastructure: acquire, structure, cite, export. Consumers such as PRISM and CI interpret.

Consequences

• The public-facing website can be reviewed and used for private beta education.
• Public launch remains blocked until founder/legal/risk/payment decisions are closed.
• PRISM, Competitive Intelligence, Algolia Search Audit, product/catalog, and job workflows should link to Scout as an acquisition layer, not as their interpretation layer.