GROWTH PATTERN

Implementing Deployment Notifications with DigitalOcean App Platform

DigitalOcean App Platform creates user accounts, but there's no infrastructure to detect and celebrate when users first achieve value.

DigitalOcean App Platform

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What's Missing in Standard DigitalOcean App Platform Architecture

DigitalOcean App Platform creates user sessions, but lacks the infrastructure to detect when users first achieve value in your application without custom implementation.

Standard DigitalOcean App Platform Flow vs Optimized Skene Flow

Standard Flow
1

User signs up via authentication

2

User record created in your database

3

No automatic trigger - manual follow-up required

Skene Flow
1

Watch your database 'users' table for new signups using standard API

2

Detect when user completes first key action (e.g., inviting their first team member) using your database queries

3

Trigger activation email sequence via Resend with personalized onboarding

4

Track activation completion and send milestone emails

Visual comparison of the flows:

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How Skene Fixes This

We built a Skene configuration that monitors DigitalOcean App Platform's your database for activation events. It detects when users first achieve value (like inviting their first team member) and automatically sends milestone emails and onboarding guidance.

Implementation Comparison

Using Skene Infrastructure

Install via Prompt

cursor.mdc
@task: Initialize Skene.
@action: Analyze my local code, validating subscription via `npx skene login`, and generate `skene.config.ts` to implement the Post-Deploy Activation pattern for DigitalOcean App Platform.

Copy Skene Prompt for Cursor

Generated skene.config.ts

skene.config.ts
// skene.config.ts - The Automated Way
import { defineLoop } from '@skene/sdk';

export default defineLoop({
  type: 'activation',
  opinion: 'Detect when users complete their first key action and trigger personalized onboarding',
  steps: [
    {
      trigger: {
        type: 'database',
        table: 'users',
        event: 'insert'
      },
      condition: {
        type: 'query',
        query: `SELECT * FROM user_actions WHERE user_id = $1 AND action_type = 'first_project_created'`,
        timeout: '5m'
      },
      action: {
        type: 'email',
        provider: 'resend',
        template: 'activation_welcome',
        personalization: {
          name: '{{user.name}}',
          activationLink: '{{user.activation_link}}'
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  recovery: {
    retries: 3,
    backoff: 'exponential'
  }
});

Frequently asked questions