Vibecode Close
track this build5 steps, step by step0%NOT REALLY · don't bother
price $19/moyou'd save $228/yrbuild time closest consolation build: one sittingcategory 🤝 crmreplaced by 0 people
A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Close, track deals and manually log communication in a focused sales workspace. The hard boundary is built-in email, calling, sms, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability, plus integrations, data quality, and workflow lock-in.
the project pack4 files · fastest path to a working personal build
You are building a lean indie version of Close. 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 ===== # Close indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Close workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. ## 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: - built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability - automatic email and calendar capture - data enrichment - large integration ecosystem - enterprise reporting If those capabilities are essential, use Twenty 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 closest honest personal substitute for Close in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. 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. Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages. Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export. Provide a chronological interaction timeline with manual email and meeting logging. Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. Seed a realistic demo workspace and document field mapping for imports. 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. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out automatic mailbox ingestion. Deliberately leave out commercial enrichment databases. Deliberately leave out enterprise forecasting, integrations, and compliance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - self-hosted server - optional email API credentials ## 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 Close. 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 ===== # Close indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Close workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. ## 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: - built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability - automatic email and calendar capture - data enrichment - large integration ecosystem - enterprise reporting If those capabilities are essential, use Twenty 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 closest honest personal substitute for Close in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. 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. Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages. Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export. Provide a chronological interaction timeline with manual email and meeting logging. Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. Seed a realistic demo workspace and document field mapping for imports. 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. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out automatic mailbox ingestion. Deliberately leave out commercial enrichment databases. Deliberately leave out enterprise forecasting, integrations, and compliance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - self-hosted server - optional email API credentials ## 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 Close. 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 ===== # Close product brief ## Problem A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Close, track deals and manually log communication in a focused sales workspace. The hard boundary is built-in email, calling, sms, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability, plus integrations, data quality, and workflow lock-in. ## Product outcome Manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - self-hosted server - optional email API credentials ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability - automatic email and calendar capture - data enrichment - large integration ecosystem - enterprise reporting ## 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 closest honest personal substitute for Close in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. 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. Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages. Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export. Provide a chronological interaction timeline with manual email and meeting logging. Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. Seed a realistic demo workspace and document field mapping for imports. 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. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out automatic mailbox ingestion. Deliberately leave out commercial enrichment databases. Deliberately leave out enterprise forecasting, integrations, and compliance. 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 Close capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
README.md
# Close indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Close workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. ## 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: - built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability - automatic email and calendar capture - data enrichment - large integration ecosystem - enterprise reporting If those capabilities are essential, use Twenty 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 closest honest personal substitute for Close in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. 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. Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages. Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export. Provide a chronological interaction timeline with manual email and meeting logging. Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. Seed a realistic demo workspace and document field mapping for imports. 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. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out automatic mailbox ingestion. Deliberately leave out commercial enrichment databases. Deliberately leave out enterprise forecasting, integrations, and compliance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - self-hosted server - optional email API credentials ## 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
# Close product brief ## Problem A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Close, track deals and manually log communication in a focused sales workspace. The hard boundary is built-in email, calling, sms, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability, plus integrations, data quality, and workflow lock-in. ## Product outcome Manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - self-hosted server - optional email API credentials ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability - automatic email and calendar capture - data enrichment - large integration ecosystem - enterprise reporting ## 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 closest honest personal substitute for Close in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. 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. Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages. Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export. Provide a chronological interaction timeline with manual email and meeting logging. Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. Seed a realistic demo workspace and document field mapping for imports. 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. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out automatic mailbox ingestion. Deliberately leave out commercial enrichment databases. Deliberately leave out enterprise forecasting, integrations, and compliance. 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 Close 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 Close because CRM value compounds as the system becomes the shared memory of every customer interaction and embeds itself in the rest of the stack. The recurring cost buys deduplication, permissions, imports, sync, enrichment, email capture, automations, backups, and audit history, not just the visible interface.
xbuilt-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability
xautomatic email and calendar capture
xdata enrichment
xlarge integration ecosystem
xenterprise reporting
share on X ↗"I just replaced Close ($19/mo) with one prompt"
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
TwentyA modern pipeline CRM with custom objects, views and mailbox sync; the subscription becomes a Compose file.open source↗
EspoCRMA traditional CRM that actually lets you change the data model; polished enough, but still your server.open source↗
Frappe CRMA clean leads-and-deals board with notes, tasks and email; Frappe underneath means a real server, not a toy.open source↗all 8 free alternatives to Close →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Close pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| solo | $19/user | $9/user | Exactly 1 user, up to 10,000 leads, 250 custom fields, 500 AI credits/month; no workflows |
| essentials | $49/user | $35/user | Unlimited leads/contacts, 250 custom fields; pooled 1,000 AI credits/user/month capped at 10,000/month; no workflows |
| growth | $109/user | $99/user | Unlimited leads/contacts, 250 custom fields, 250 custom activities and 50,000 custom-activity instances/month; pooled 1,500 AI credits/user capped at 15,000/month |
| scale | $149/user | $139/user | Unlimited leads/contacts and call-recording retention; 250 custom fields, 250 custom activities, 50,000 custom-activity instances/month; pooled 2,000 AI credits/user capped at 20,000/month |
| custom | custom | — | Custom pricing and limits for larger or more complex sales teams |
free tierno free tier (14-day trial; no credit card required)
billingmonthly + annual (discount varies by tier, up to 50%)
hidden costsIncluded AI credits refresh monthly and do not roll over; extra AI credits are sold separately. Calling, SMS and email usage can generate separate usage charges, and lower tiers omit workflows.
verified 2026-08-12 · source ↗
Vibecode Close
Not really. Close's value is not the code: Recheck price before merge. See the honest breakdown above.
How much does Close cost?
Close costs about $19/month (Solo, checked 2026-08-12), which is $228 per year.
What do I lose by replacing Close?
Honestly: built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability; automatic email and calendar capture; data enrichment; large integration ecosystem; enterprise reporting. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Close?
Yes: Twenty (A modern pipeline CRM with custom objects, views and mailbox sync; the subscription becomes a Compose file.) EspoCRM (A traditional CRM that actually lets you change the data model; polished enough, but still your server.) Frappe CRM (A clean leads-and-deals board with notes, tasks and email; Frappe underneath means a real server, not a toy.) All 8 curated free alternatives are at vibecodeit.com/close-crm/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.