What's Missing in Standard T3 Stack + Clerk Architecture
Without an infrastructure layer listening to PostgreSQL events, you rely on manual cron jobs or messy webhooks to track when users reach their first value milestone. Most setups require custom code to detect activation.
Standard T3 Stack + Clerk Flow vs Optimized Skene Flow
User signs up via Clerk
User record created in PostgreSQL
No automatic trigger - manual follow-up required
Watch PostgreSQL 'users' table for new signups using standard API
Detect when user completes first key action (e.g., creates first project) using PostgreSQL queries
Trigger activation email sequence via Resend with personalized onboarding
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 T3 Stack + Clerk's PostgreSQL for activation events. It detects when users first achieve value and automatically sends milestone emails and onboarding guidance.
Implementation Comparison
Using Skene Infrastructure
Install via Prompt
@task: Initialize Skene.
@action: Analyze my local code, validating subscription via `npx skene login`, and generate `skene.config.ts` to implement the Activation Loop pattern for T3 Stack + Clerk.Copy Skene Prompt for Cursor
Generated 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'
}
});