# ESCALATION: scripter.app Outage - Launch at Risk

**Date:** April 27, 2026 - 9:00 AM PT  
**Severity:** CRITICAL  
**Duration:** 24+ hours (since April 25 evening)  
**Owner:** CTO  
**Impact:** Product Hunt submission blocked (4 days overdue)

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## Executive Summary

**scripter.app** has been returning 522 (Connection Timeout) errors for 24+ hours. This blocks:

1. **Product Hunt submission** - Cannot submit without live site (4 days overdue)
2. **Screenshot capture** - Required for PH page
3. **Press demonstrations** - Cannot demo to journalists
4. **Beta user onboarding** - Waitlist page inaccessible

**Launch Risk:** HIGH - PH submission critical for May 7 launch success

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## Business Impact

### Immediate Impact (Today)
- ❌ Cannot submit to Product Hunt (was due April 23)
- ❌ Cannot capture marketing screenshots
- ❌ Cannot demo to press contacts
- ❌ Waitlist signup page down (8,742+ potential users affected)

### Launch Week Impact (May 7)
- ⚠️ Reduced supporter outreach time
- ⚠️ Lower PH ranking probability
- ⚠️ Press outreach delayed
- ⚠️ Launch may need to slip to May 8-10

### Revenue Impact
- **Conservative:** 1-week delay = ~$2-5K lost MRR
- **Aggressive:** Failed PH launch = ~$10-20K lost MRR

---

## Technical Details

**Error:** HTTP 522 (Connection Timeout)  
**Service:** Cloudflare (origin server unreachable)  
**Duration:** 24+ hours  
**Affected Routes:**
- scripter.app/ (all routes)
- scripter.app/pricing
- scripter.app/waitlist
- scripter.app/features

**Likely Cause:** Origin server down, hosting infrastructure issue, or DNS misconfiguration

---

## Recommended Actions

### IMMEDIATE (Next 30 Minutes)

**CTO:**
1. Diagnose hosting infrastructure issue
2. Restart/redeploy origin server if needed
3. Verify Cloudflare configuration
4. Confirm site accessibility

**If Not Fixed by 9:30 AM:**
1. Escalate to hosting provider
2. Consider emergency redeployment
3. Prepare rollback plan

### SHORT-TERM (Next 2 Hours)

**Option A: Fix Site (Preferred)**
- Time to fix: 30 min - 2 hours (depending on issue)
- Then: CMO executes PH submission in 15 min

**Option B: Submit PH with Placeholders (If site not fixed)**
- Use existing thumbnail (ready)
- Use dev environment screenshots
- PH allows updating assets post-submission
- Submit today, update throughout week

**Recommendation:** Option A preferred, but Option B viable if site not fixed within 2 hours

---

## Timeline

| Time | Action | Owner |
|------|--------|-------|
| 9:00 AM | Escalation sent | CMO |
| 9:30 AM | **CTO: Site fix deadline** | CTO |
| 9:30 AM | If down: Emergency hosting support | CTO |
| 10:00 AM | If down: Decision on placeholder submission | CMO+CEO |
| 10:30 AM | PH submission (with or without site) | CMO |

**Critical:** PH submission must happen TODAY (April 27) to allow full week for supporter outreach

---

## PH Submission Readiness

**CMO Ready to Execute (15 min when site live):**
- ✅ Thumbnail (3 variants ready)
- ✅ Maker comment (drafted)
- ✅ First comment (drafted)
- ✅ Screenshot script (ready to run)
- ✅ Submission guide (created)
- ⏳ Screenshots (need 10 min when site live)

**Total time from site fix to submission:** 15 minutes

---

## Communication Plan

**Internal (Immediate):**
- [ ] CEO/Board notified (this document)
- [ ] CTO engaged (Slack/SMS/Call)
- [ ] Team standup on status

**External (If delay >2 hours):**
- [ ] PH submission with placeholders
- [ ] Press outreach adjusted (focus on embargo, not immediate demos)
- [ ] Beta recruitment continues (email-based, no site demo)

---

## Success Criteria

**Today (April 27):**
- ✅ Site fixed and stable by 10:00 AM
- ✅ PH submission complete by 10:30 AM
- ✅ Screenshot capture complete
- ✅ VIP supporter outreach begins

**If Site Not Fixed:**
- ✅ Decision made by 10:00 AM (placeholder submission)
- ✅ PH submitted by 10:30 AM (with available assets)
- ✅ Team aligned on adjusted timeline

---

## Next Steps

**CTO (IMMEDIATE):**
1. Acknowledge escalation
2. Provide ETA on fix
3. Execute diagnosis/repair

**CMO (Standing By):**
1. Monitor site status (check every 15 min)
2. Ready to execute PH submission in 15 min
3. Prepare placeholder submission if needed

**CEO/Board:**
1. Review escalation
2. Support CTO prioritization
3. Approve placeholder submission if needed

---

**Status:** 🟡 BLOCKED - Root cause confirmed, awaiting Cloudflare/router access  
**Next Update:** CEO taking action (Cloudflare dashboard)  
**Owner:** CEO (unblock), CTO (verification)  

---

## CEO Action Required (Current)

**Root Cause Confirmed:** Port 443 not forwarded from router to origin (192.168.50.190)

**Unblock Options:**
1. **Cloudflare Dashboard** (dash.cloudflare.com) - CEO has founder access
   - Change SSL/TLS from "Full (strict)" to "Full"
   - OR create Cloudflare Origin Certificate
2. **Router Admin** (192.168.50.1) - Requires admin login
   - Forward port 443 TCP → 192.168.50.190:443

**Recommended:** Cloudflare path (faster, no hardware dependency)
