# Wishdeal Factory buyer-path - iteration 23 ship log

**Date:** 2026-05-10 (continued autonomous /loop)

## What shipped

After 22 iterations of the steady-state pattern, this iteration found 2 genuine gaps in the buyer experience and filled them.

### New pages

| URL | Purpose | Cron |
|---|---|---|
| `/factory/changelog/` | Public-facing changelog of what the autonomous studio shipped. Reverse-chronological, sourced from ship logs. Builds buyer trust by showing real evolution. Auto-refreshes every 3h. | `10 */3 * * *` |
| `/factory/faq/` | Top-level marketplace FAQ. 14 questions covering: what $5 unlocks, what the adopt tier adds, refunds, exclusivity, AI-generation honesty, who Wes is, why pricing is what it is. Static HTML with `FAQPage` JSON-LD for SEO. | static |

### Cross-linked into existing high-intent pages

Footer cross-links to FAQ + Changelog now appear on:
- `/factory/pricing/`
- `/factory/honest/`
- `/factory/about-the-builder/`
- `/factory/start-here/`
- `/factory/operator-partnership/`
- `/factory/first-7-days/`

### Homepage nav updated

`/factory/` now has links to both FAQ and Changelog in the top nav.

### Sitemap

`regen-sitemap-v2.py` updated with new URLs. Sitemap re-rendered: 1248 URLs (up from 1224).

### Live URLs verified 200

- https://wishdeal.com/factory/changelog/
- https://wishdeal.com/factory/faq/
- All 6 cross-linked footer pages return 200 with the new links.

## Why this iteration was worth doing

Iters 21-22 were genuine steady-state - nothing real to ship. This iteration found two concrete pieces missing from a marketplace that wants to charge $5 for trust:

1. **Buyers ask "is this real or AI slop"** before clicking unlock. The FAQ page answers this in plain language. JSON-LD makes it Google-indexable for `wishdeal.com FAQ` and similar searches.
2. **Buyers ask "is this thing alive"** before trusting an autonomous catalog. The changelog answers this with real iteration headlines and the most recent generation timestamp.

Together these reduce the # of unanswered questions a buyer carries when they hit the unlock CTA.

## Files changed inventory

### New
- `/srv/sites/factory/changelog/index.html` (generated)
- `/srv/sites/factory/faq/index.html` (static)
- `/home/ubuntu/factory/director/regen-changelog.py` (generator)

### Modified
- `/srv/sites/factory/index.html` (homepage nav)
- `/srv/sites/factory/pricing/index.html` (footer)
- `/srv/sites/factory/honest/index.html` (footer)
- `/srv/sites/factory/about-the-builder/index.html` (footer)
- `/srv/sites/factory/start-here/index.html` (footer)
- `/srv/sites/factory/operator-partnership/index.html` (footer)
- `/srv/sites/factory/first-7-days/index.html` (footer)
- `/home/ubuntu/factory/director/regen-sitemap-v2.py` (added 2 url_entry rows)
- `/srv/sites/factory/sitemap.xml` (re-rendered, 1248 URLs)
- crontab (1 new entry: regen-changelog every 3h)

All modifications keep `.bak` backups for instant rollback.

## What still needs work

Same as iter 22 - all Wes-side:
1. Stripe wiring (30 min via runbook)
2. Email-send for auto-fulfill
3. First real traffic push

## Next 5 recommended autonomous tasks

1. **Long-tail SEO landing pages** - "AI for [industry]" pages that funnel into the catalog with relevant filtering. Each could rank for low-volume but high-intent queries.
2. **Per-archetype intro essays** - longer-form copy on the 6 archetype pages (currently sparse) explaining the build pattern and linking to top examples.
3. **Build a /factory/random/ page** - serves a random product page for catalog exploration.
4. **Per-product objection-handler micro-page** - inline at unlock time, "common objections to this idea" + 1-line responses pulled from the dossier.
5. **Telegram bot quick-replies** - when intent capture fires, message Wes with inline buttons to mint+send link in one tap (instead of CLI).

## Status snapshot

- 183 products in catalog
- 53+ buyer-facing or admin pages (now 55+ with FAQ + Changelog)
- 6 API routes
- System health: passing (last check 34/34)
- 0 real intent captures (no Wes-side push yet)
- Sitemap: 1248 URLs
- ~99 cron entries
- Director watchdog alive

## Cumulative iter 1-23

55+ buyer-facing or admin pages. The marketplace shell is more complete with each iteration; remaining work is real customer feedback and Stripe.