Recursive Intelligence Website - Upgrade Roadmap

Version: 1.0
Date: February 16, 2026
Goal: Transform from static consulting site to dynamic content platform + AWS app showcase

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Overview

This roadmap transforms the Recursive Intelligence website into a Substack-like content platform for AI thought leadership while adding infrastructure to showcase AWS applications. The approach is phased to deliver value incrementally.

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Architecture Vision

Current State

Static Next.js Site
├── Hard-coded content
├── No CMS
├── Email via mailto
└── 3 static pages (/, /about, /services)

Target State

Dynamic Content Platform
├── MDX-based blog with 20+ articles
├── Newsletter integration
├── Project showcase with live demos
├── Author platform with bio/media
├── RSS feed & social sharing
├── Comments & engagement
├── Analytics & SEO optimization
└── AWS application hosting

---

Phase 1: Foundation & Security (Week 1)

1.1 Security & Dependencies ⚠️ CRITICAL

Priority: P0 - Do immediately
Estimated Time: 2-4 hours

Tasks:

• Run npm audit to identify vulnerabilities
• Run npm audit fix to auto-fix where possible
• Manually review and fix remaining issues
• Update dependencies to latest stable versions
• Test build after updates

Validation:

npm audit
# Should show 0 vulnerabilities
npm run build
npm run lint

1.2 Codebase Cleanup

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

Tasks:

• Remove /src/notion-backup/ directory (archived code)
• Remove unused images:
  • ChatGPT Image Aug 10, 2025, 08_09_01 PM.png (if unused)
• Update .gitignore to exclude:
  • /tmp/ directory
  • .env.local
  • IDE files (.vscode/, .idea/)
• Create .env.example with template variables
• Update README.md with accurate project description

Example .env.example:

# Site Configuration
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL=https://recursiveintelligence.io
NEXT_PUBLIC_GARDEN_URL=https://recursiveintelligence.xyz

# Newsletter (Optional - add when implementing)
# CONVERTKIT_API_KEY=your_key
# CONVERTKIT_FORM_ID=your_form_id

# Analytics (Optional)
# NEXT_PUBLIC_ANALYTICS_ID=your_id

1.3 Analytics Setup

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 1 hour

Tasks:

• Set up CloudWatch RUM (AWS native) OR
• Set up Plausible Analytics (privacy-focused alternative)
• Add analytics script to layout.tsx
• Configure goals/events
• Test in production

CloudWatch RUM (Recommended for AWS Amplify):

// src/app/layout.tsx
// Add CloudWatch RUM script from AWS console
// Or use AWS SDK for server-side tracking

Alternative - Plausible Analytics:

// src/app/layout.tsx
<Script
  defer
  data-domain="recursiveintelligence.io"
  src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"
/>

1.4 Environment Setup

Priority: P2
Estimated Time: 1 hour

Tasks:

• Document local development setup
• Create development workflow guide
• Set up environment variables in AWS Amplify console
• Test deployment pipeline via git push

Deliverables:

• ✅ Zero security vulnerabilities
• ✅ Clean codebase
• ✅ Analytics tracking
• ✅ Environment documentation

---

Phase 2: Blog Infrastructure (Weeks 2-3)

2.1 Content Strategy & Planning

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

Tasks:

• Define content pillars (e.g., AI Strategy, Case Studies, Tutorials)
• Create content calendar (first 10 articles)
• Decide on MDX vs. Notion vs. other CMS
• Design blog post template/format
• Plan URL structure (/blog/[slug] vs /articles/[slug])

Recommended Decision: MDX with Contentlayer

• Git-based workflow
• Type-safe content
• Fast build times
• No external dependencies
• Markdown familiarity

2.2 MDX Setup & Configuration

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: 6-8 hours

Tasks:

• Install dependencies:

  npm install contentlayer next-contentlayer date-fns
  npm install -D @tailwindcss/typography
  

• Configure contentlayer.config.ts
• Create content schema for blog posts
• Set up MDX plugins (syntax highlighting, etc.)
• Create /content/blog/ directory
• Update next.config.ts to include Contentlayer

Example Schema:

// contentlayer.config.ts
import { defineDocumentType, makeSource } from 'contentlayer/source-files'

export const Post = defineDocumentType(() => ({
  name: 'Post',
  filePathPattern: `blog/**/*.mdx`,
  contentType: 'mdx',
  fields: {
    title: { type: 'string', required: true },
    description: { type: 'string', required: true },
    date: { type: 'date', required: true },
    author: { type: 'string', default: 'Seth Robins' },
    tags: { type: 'list', of: { type: 'string' } },
    featured: { type: 'boolean', default: false },
    coverImage: { type: 'string' },
  },
  computedFields: {
    slug: {
      type: 'string',
      resolve: (post) => post._raw.flattenedPath.replace('blog/', ''),
    },
    readingTime: {
      type: 'number',
      resolve: (post) => Math.ceil(post.body.raw.split(' ').length / 200),
    },
  },
}))

export default makeSource({
  contentDirPath: 'content',
  documentTypes: [Post],
})

2.3 Blog Listing Page

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

Tasks:

• Create /src/app/blog/page.tsx
• Design blog listing layout:
  • Article cards with title, description, date, tags
  • Featured article section
  • Pagination (client-side initially)
• Implement filtering by tag/category
• Add sorting options (newest, popular)
• Optimize for SEO (metadata, structured data)

Example Structure:

// src/app/blog/page.tsx
import { allPosts } from 'contentlayer/generated'
import { compareDesc } from 'date-fns'

export default function BlogPage() {
  const posts = allPosts.sort((a, b) => 
    compareDesc(new Date(a.date), new Date(b.date))
  )
  
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Articles</h1>
      <div className="grid gap-8">
        {posts.map((post) => (
          <ArticleCard key={post.slug} post={post} />
        ))}
      </div>
    </div>
  )
}

2.4 Blog Post Detail Page

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: 6-8 hours

Tasks:

• Create /src/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
• Design article layout:
  • Hero section with title, date, reading time
  • Author bio section
  • Table of contents (auto-generated)
  • Reading progress bar
  • Social sharing buttons
  • Related articles section
• Add MDX components for rich content:
  • Code blocks with syntax highlighting
  • Callouts/notes
  • Images with captions
  • Embedded videos
• Implement structured data (JSON-LD)
• Add Open Graph images

Example:

// src/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
import { allPosts } from 'contentlayer/generated'
import { getMDXComponent } from 'next-contentlayer/hooks'

export async function generateStaticParams() {
  return allPosts.map((post) => ({ slug: post.slug }))
}

export default function BlogPost({ params }) {
  const post = allPosts.find((p) => p.slug === params.slug)
  const MDXContent = getMDXComponent(post.body.code)
  
  return (
    <article>
      <header>
        <h1>{post.title}</h1>
        <time>{post.date}</time>
      </header>
      <MDXContent />
    </article>
  )
}

2.5 First Content Batch

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: 20-30 hours (content creation)

Tasks:

• Write 5 starter articles:
  1. "Why I Started Recursive Intelligence"
  2. "The Human-First AI Framework"
  3. "5 Questions Before Adopting AI"
  4. "Building Your First AI Agent Workflow"
  5. "The Recursive Intelligence Methodology"
• Create cover images for each
• Optimize for SEO (keywords, meta descriptions)
• Proofread and edit

Content Guidelines:

• 1,500-3,000 words per article
• Include code examples where relevant
• Add images/diagrams for clarity
• Use clear headings and structure
• Include actionable takeaways

Deliverables:

• ✅ Fully functional blog system
• ✅ 5 published articles
• ✅ SEO-optimized pages
• ✅ Rich content formatting

---

Phase 3: Reader Engagement (Week 4)

3.1 Newsletter Integration

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

Tasks:

• Choose newsletter platform:
  • ConvertKit (recommended for creators)
  • Buttondown (minimal, affordable)
  • Substack (has audience but less control)
• Create account and get API keys
• Install SDK/client library
• Create newsletter signup component
• Add signup form to:
  • Homepage
  • Blog listing page
  • End of each article
  • Footer
• Create /api/subscribe route
• Test subscription flow
• Create welcome email sequence

Example Component:

// src/components/NewsletterSignup.tsx
'use client'
import { useState } from 'react'

export default function NewsletterSignup() {
  const [email, setEmail] = useState('')
  const [status, setStatus] = useState<'idle' | 'loading' | 'success' | 'error'>('idle')
  
  async function handleSubmit(e: React.FormEvent) {
    e.preventDefault()
    setStatus('loading')
    
    try {
      const res = await fetch('/api/subscribe', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ email }),
      })
      
      if (res.ok) {
        setStatus('success')
        setEmail('')
      } else {
        setStatus('error')
      }
    } catch (error) {
      setStatus('error')
    }
  }
  
  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <input 
        type="email" 
        value={email}
        onChange={(e) => setEmail(e.target.value)}
        placeholder="your@email.com"
        required
      />
      <button type="submit" disabled={status === 'loading'}>
        Subscribe
      </button>
      {status === 'success' && <p>Thanks for subscribing!</p>}
      {status === 'error' && <p>Something went wrong. Try again?</p>}
    </form>
  )
}

3.2 Comments System

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

Tasks:

• Set up Giscus (GitHub Discussions-based):
  • Enable Discussions on GitHub repo
  • Configure Giscus on giscus.app
  • Get configuration snippet
• Create <Comments> component
• Add to blog post template
• Style to match site theme
• Test commenting flow

Giscus Setup:

// src/components/Comments.tsx
'use client'

export default function Comments() {
  return (
    <div className="giscus-container mt-16">
      <script
        src="https://giscus.app/client.js"
        data-repo="r3crsvint3llgnz/recursiveintelligence-website"
        data-repo-id="YOUR_REPO_ID"
        data-category="General"
        data-category-id="YOUR_CATEGORY_ID"
        data-mapping="pathname"
        data-strict="0"
        data-reactions-enabled="1"
        data-emit-metadata="0"
        data-input-position="bottom"
        data-theme="dark"
        data-lang="en"
        crossOrigin="anonymous"
        async
      />
    </div>
  )
}

3.3 Social Sharing

Priority: P2
Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

Tasks:

• Create <ShareButtons> component
• Add share functionality for:
  • Twitter/X
  • LinkedIn
  • Mastodon
  • Email
  • Copy link
• Style buttons
• Add to article pages
• Test sharing (preview cards)

3.4 RSS Feed

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

Tasks:

• Create /src/app/feed.xml/route.ts
• Generate RSS XML from blog posts
• Include full content or excerpts
• Add to <head> as alternate link
• Test feed in reader

Example:

// src/app/feed.xml/route.ts
import { allPosts } from 'contentlayer/generated'
import RSS from 'rss'

export async function GET() {
  const feed = new RSS({
    title: 'Recursive Intelligence',
    description: 'AI-first consulting and thought leadership',
    feed_url: 'https://recursiveintelligence.io/feed.xml',
    site_url: 'https://recursiveintelligence.io',
  })
  
  allPosts.forEach((post) => {
    feed.item({
      title: post.title,
      description: post.description,
      url: `https://recursiveintelligence.io/blog/${post.slug}`,
      date: post.date,
    })
  })
  
  return new Response(feed.xml(), {
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/xml' },
  })
}

3.5 Search Functionality

Priority: P2
Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

Tasks:

• Choose search solution:
  • Pagefind (static, free, recommended)
  • Algolia DocSearch (free for docs/blogs)
  • Fuse.js (client-side)
• Implement search index
• Create search UI component
• Add keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+K)
• Test search accuracy

Deliverables:

• ✅ Newsletter integration
• ✅ Comments on articles
• ✅ Social sharing
• ✅ RSS feed
• ✅ Search functionality

---

Phase 4: Project Showcase (Weeks 5-6)

4.1 Projects Infrastructure

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 6-8 hours

Tasks:

• Create content schema for projects
• Set up /content/projects/ directory
• Create /src/app/projects/page.tsx
• Create /src/app/projects/[slug]/page.tsx
• Design project card component
• Design project detail layout

Project Schema Example:

export const Project = defineDocumentType(() => ({
  name: 'Project',
  filePathPattern: `projects/**/*.mdx`,
  contentType: 'mdx',
  fields: {
    title: { type: 'string', required: true },
    description: { type: 'string', required: true },
    date: { type: 'date', required: true },
    tags: { type: 'list', of: { type: 'string' } },
    techStack: { type: 'list', of: { type: 'string' } },
    liveUrl: { type: 'string' },
    githubUrl: { type: 'string' },
    featured: { type: 'boolean', default: false },
    status: { 
      type: 'enum', 
      options: ['active', 'archived', 'in-progress'],
      default: 'active'
    },
  },
}))

4.2 First Project Entries

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 8-10 hours

Tasks:

• Document 3-5 existing or planned AWS projects:
  1. Example: "AI Agent Dashboard"
  2. Example: "Serverless API Gateway"
  3. Example: "Real-time Analytics Platform"
• Create screenshots/demos
• Write technical documentation
• Add architecture diagrams
• Include code samples

4.3 Demo Hosting Setup

Priority: P2
Estimated Time: 8-12 hours

Tasks:

• Set up subdomain strategy:
  • Option A: demo.recursiveintelligence.io/*
  • Option B: *.recursiveintelligence.io (wildcard)
• Configure DNS for subdomains
• Set up Next.js rewrites/redirects
• Implement authentication for protected demos:
  • Simple password protection initially
  • Or GitHub OAuth for logged-in demos
• Create demo landing pages
• Test demo routing

Subdomain Routing Example:

// next.config.ts
export default {
  async rewrites() {
    return [
      {
        source: '/demos/:path*',
        destination: 'https://demo.recursiveintelligence.io/:path*',
      },
    ]
  },
}

4.4 AWS Integration Documentation

Priority: P2
Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

Tasks:

• Create /docs/aws-setup.md
• Document deployment process
• Create infrastructure-as-code templates
• Add cost estimation guides
• Include monitoring setup

Deliverables:

• ✅ Project showcase pages
• ✅ 3-5 documented projects
• ✅ Demo hosting infrastructure
• ✅ AWS deployment guides

---

Phase 5: Author Platform & Polish (Week 7)

5.1 Enhanced Author Profile

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

Tasks:

• Update /about page with:
  • Professional bio (short & long versions)
  • Headshot/photo
  • Speaking topics
  • Publication history
  • Media appearances
  • Contact information
• Create /media or /press page
• Add downloadable media kit
• Include testimonials/quotes

5.2 SEO Optimization

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

Tasks:

• Audit all pages with Lighthouse
• Optimize images (WebP, lazy loading)
• Add structured data (JSON-LD) to:
  • Blog articles
  • Projects
  • Author profile
• Update sitemap.xml generation
• Configure robots.txt
• Add canonical URLs
• Optimize meta tags
• Submit to Google Search Console

5.3 Performance Audit

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

Tasks:

• Run Lighthouse CI
• Optimize bundle size
• Implement proper code splitting
• Add image optimization
• Configure caching headers
• Test Core Web Vitals
• Fix any performance issues

Target Metrics:

• Lighthouse Performance: 95+
• First Contentful Paint: < 1.5s
• Largest Contentful Paint: < 2.5s
• Cumulative Layout Shift: < 0.1

5.4 Accessibility Audit

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

Tasks:

• Run automated accessibility tests (axe, WAVE)
• Test keyboard navigation
• Verify screen reader compatibility
• Check color contrast ratios
• Add ARIA labels where needed
• Test with reduced motion preference
• Ensure form accessibility

5.5 Mobile Optimization

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

Tasks:

• Test on real devices (iOS, Android)
• Optimize touch targets
• Test navigation on mobile
• Ensure readable font sizes
• Optimize images for mobile
• Test forms on mobile

5.6 Final Content Push

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: 15-20 hours

Tasks:

• Write 5 more articles (total 10)
• Create 2-3 case studies
• Prepare launch announcement
• Schedule initial newsletter
• Prepare social media content

Deliverables:

• ✅ Enhanced author platform
• ✅ SEO-optimized site
• ✅ Performance score 95+
• ✅ Accessibility compliant
• ✅ 10+ published articles
• ✅ Ready for launch

---

Phase 6: Launch & Growth (Ongoing)

6.1 Soft Launch

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: Week 8

Tasks:

• Deploy to production
• Test all functionality
• Share with close network
• Gather initial feedback
• Fix any critical issues
• Monitor analytics

6.2 Public Launch

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: Week 9

Tasks:

• Announce on social media
• Send newsletter to list
• Post on relevant communities:
  • Hacker News
  • Reddit (r/webdev, r/nextjs, r/AIDevs)
  • Dev.to
  • Mastodon
• Reach out to AI/tech influencers
• Submit to directories

6.3 Content Calendar

Priority: P0
Estimated Time: Ongoing

Publishing Schedule:

• Blog posts: 1-2 per week
• Newsletter: Bi-weekly
• Projects: 1 per month
• Case studies: 1 per quarter

Content Mix:

• 40% - Technical tutorials/guides
• 30% - AI strategy and thought leadership
• 20% - Case studies and project showcases
• 10% - Industry commentary and news

6.4 Community Building

Priority: P1
Estimated Time: Ongoing

Tasks:

• Respond to all comments within 24h
• Engage on social media daily
• Join relevant communities
• Network with other creators
• Consider starting a podcast/video series
• Host virtual events or AMAs

6.5 Monetization (Future)

Priority: P3
Estimated Time: Months 6-12

Options to explore:

• Consulting funnel: Blog → Newsletter → Paid consulting
• Premium content: Gated in-depth guides or courses
• Sponsorships: Partner with relevant tools/services
• Products: Sell templates, boilerplates, or tools
• Speaking: Use platform to get speaking opportunities

---

Success Metrics

Traffic & Engagement (3 months post-launch)

• Goal: 1,000 monthly visitors
• Goal: 500 newsletter subscribers
• Goal: 20% newsletter open rate
• Goal: 50+ comments/discussions

Content Production (3 months)

• Goal: 20+ published articles
• Goal: 5+ project showcases
• Goal: 2+ case studies

Business Impact (6 months)

• Goal: 10+ consulting inquiries
• Goal: 3+ new clients from website
• Goal: 3+ speaking opportunities

Technical Performance (Ongoing)

• Goal: Lighthouse score 95+
• Goal: Core Web Vitals all "Good"
• Goal: 99.9% uptime

---

Resource Requirements

Time Investment

Setup Phase (Weeks 1-7): 120-160 hours

• Phase 1: 6-8 hours
• Phase 2: 36-48 hours
• Phase 3: 15-22 hours
• Phase 4: 26-36 hours
• Phase 5: 32-40 hours

Ongoing (Per Week): 8-12 hours

• Content creation: 5-8 hours
• Community engagement: 2-3 hours
• Maintenance: 1 hour

Budget

Year 1 Costs:

• Hosting (AWS Amplify): ~$15
• Newsletter (ConvertKit): $300
• Domain: Already owned
• Analytics (CloudWatch): $0-108
• AWS demos: $600-2,400
• Total: $915-2,723

Optional:

• Stock photos (Unsplash Pro): $0-120
• Design tools (Figma): $0-144
• Email (Google Workspace): $72

---

Risk Mitigation

Technical Risks

• Backup strategy: Weekly automated backups
• Version control: All content in Git
• Monitoring: Set up Sentry or similar for error tracking
• Testing: Add basic E2E tests before launch

Content Risks

• Editorial calendar: Plan 4 weeks ahead
• Content queue: Always have 2-3 articles ready
• Quality bar: Establish review process
• Plagiarism check: Use tools to verify originality

Business Risks

• Time management: Block dedicated content creation time
• Scope creep: Stick to roadmap, defer non-critical features
• Budget overruns: Monitor AWS costs weekly

---

Decision Log

Track key decisions here:

Date: [TBD]

• CMS Choice: _________
• Newsletter Platform: _________
• Analytics: CloudWatch RUM / Plausible / Other: _________
• Comments System: _________
• Hosting: AWS Amplify (current)

---

Next Actions

Immediate (This Week):

1. Review and approve this roadmap
2. Fix npm security vulnerabilities
3. Decide on CMS approach (MDX recommended)
4. Create content calendar
5. Start writing first article

Week 1:

1. Complete Phase 1 (Foundation)
2. Set up MDX and Contentlayer
3. Design blog layout
4. Write first 2 articles

Week 2:

1. Complete blog infrastructure
2. Publish first 3 articles
3. Set up newsletter
4. Add analytics

---

Questions for Discussion

Before proceeding, clarify:

1. Content Preference: MDX (technical) vs. Notion (user-friendly)?
2. Newsletter: Integrated vs. external platform like Substack?
3. Projects Priority: Blog first or simultaneous with projects?
4. Budget: Comfortable with $1,200-3,000/year?
5. Timeline: Full-time sprint (7 weeks) or part-time (3-6 months)?

---

Last Updated: February 16, 2026
Owner: Seth Robins
Status: Awaiting approval to proceed