Vibecode DocHub
track this build5 steps, step by step0%KINDA · weekend project
price $13.85/moyou'd save $166.2/yrbuild time multi-daycategory 📄 documents & pdfsreplaced by 0 people
The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For DocHub, fill, annotate, request low-stakes signatures, and track document versions. The hard boundary is google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery, plus document fidelity, identity, and compliance.
the project pack4 files · fastest path to a working personal build
You are building a lean indie version of DocHub. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # DocHub indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core DocHub workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem If those capabilities are essential, use Stirling PDF instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for DocHub in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of DocHub. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # DocHub indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core DocHub workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem If those capabilities are essential, use Stirling PDF instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for DocHub in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of DocHub. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # DocHub product brief ## Problem The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For DocHub, fill, annotate, request low-stakes signatures, and track document versions. The hard boundary is google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery, plus document fidelity, identity, and compliance. ## Product outcome Fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - Google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build a personal replacement for DocHub in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted DocHub capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
README.md
# DocHub indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core DocHub workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem If those capabilities are essential, use Stirling PDF instead of pretending the gap is solved.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
BUILD_PLAN.md
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for DocHub in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
.env.example
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
PRODUCT.md
# DocHub product brief ## Problem The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For DocHub, fill, annotate, request low-stakes signatures, and track document versions. The hard boundary is google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery, plus document fidelity, identity, and compliance. ## Product outcome Fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - Google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
ARCHITECTURE.md
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build a personal replacement for DocHub in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: fill and annotate documents, request low-stakes signatures, track versions, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
MILESTONES.md
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
OPERATIONS.md
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted DocHub capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
People still pay for DocHub because the visible editor is reproducible, but reliable rendering and legally defensible signature workflows are not a casual side project. The recurring cost buys format edge cases, fonts, rendering, encryption, signatures, evidence, retention, storage, backups, and legal requirements, not just the visible interface.
xGoogle integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery
xpixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine
xidentity verification
xqualified trust services
xlarge template and integration ecosystem
share on X ↗"I just replaced DocHub ($13.85/mo) with one prompt"
DocHub pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/user | $0/user | 3 shared uses/month across core features; 2 document collaborators; 3 folders |
| basic | $9.24/user | $6.93/user | Selected Pro features share 3 uses/month; unlimited downloads, self-signing, templates and folders; 2 organizations; 5 team members |
| pro | $13.85/user | $10.39/user | Unlimited PDF editing, sign requests and envelopes; bulk send; in-person signing; AI editing/search tools; secure storage |
| site license | custom | — | Custom quote; unlimited users; organizations and rooms; HIPAA BAA, SSO and priority support |
free tier3 shared uses/month across core editing/signing/template/envelope/link features; 2 collaborators; 3 folders
billingmonthly + annual (25% annual discount); 30-day Pro trial; prices shown in EUR and converted to USD
hidden costsEach teammate needs a paid license for Pro features even though an organization may contain unlimited members. Taxes and final local currency are determined at checkout. Nonprofits get 20% off, with an additional 30% discount for annual payment.
verified 2026-08-13 · source ↗
Vibecode DocHub
Kinda. The core of DocHub is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: Google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery, pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does DocHub cost?
DocHub costs about $13.85/month (Pro, checked 2026-08-13), which is $166.2 per year.
What do I lose by replacing DocHub?
Honestly: Google integrations, hosted collaboration, signature workflow, and document delivery; pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine; identity verification; qualified trust services; large template and integration ecosystem. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to DocHub?
Yes: Stirling PDF (Active open-source web application for a broad set of PDF operations.). Using prior art is also vibecoding; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.