Lemon Squeezy Quick Start (Copy-Paste Guide)

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes

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✅ Checklist

Follow these steps in order:

• Step 1: Create Lemon Squeezy account
• Step 2: Create product with license keys
• Step 3: Get API credentials
• Step 4: Set up webhook
• Step 5: Configure environment variables
• Step 6: Test with test purchase
• Step 7: Verify email delivery
• Step 8: Go live!

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Step 1: Create Account (2 mins)

1. Go to: https://lemonsqueezy.com
2. Click "Get Started"
3. Sign up with email
4. Verify email
5. Complete onboarding

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Step 2: Create Product (5 mins)

In Lemon Squeezy Dashboard:

1. Click "Products" → "+ New Product"

2. Fill in:

   • Name: PhotoFlow SEO - Site License

   • Price: 99.00 USD

   • Billing: Annual subscription (recurring)

   • Description:

     AI-powered alt text, captions, and ImageObject schema for photo galleries.
     
     Includes:
     • Automatic SEO-optimized alt text
     • AI-generated captions  
     • ImageObject schema for search engines
     • Priority email support
     • All updates while active

3. CRITICAL: Scroll to "License Keys" section

   • Toggle ON
   • Format: Custom
   • Prefix: pswp_prod_
   • Length: 32
   • Activation limit: Unlimited

4. Click "Save Product"

5. Copy Product ID from URL:

   https://app.lemonsqueezy.com/products/[THIS_NUMBER]

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Step 3: Get API Credentials (3 mins)

API Key:

1. Click Settings (gear icon)
2. Click "API" tab
3. Click "+ Create API Key"
4. Name: PhotoSwipe Pro API
5. Permissions: Check all
6. Click "Create"
7. COPY AND SAVE THE KEY (starts with eyJ...)

Store ID:

1. Still in Settings → API
2. Look at top for "Store ID"
3. Copy the number (e.g., 12345)

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Step 4: Set Up Webhook (3 mins)

1. Settings → "Webhooks" tab
2. Click "+ Add endpoint"
3. Fill in:
   • URL: For now, use: https://webhook.site (get a temporary URL)
   • Later change to: https://photoflowseo.com/api/webhooks/lemonsqueezy
4. Click "Generate" for secret
5. COPY THE SECRET (starts with whsec_...)
6. Select events:
   • ✅ order_created
   • ✅ subscription_created
   • ✅ subscription_updated
   • ✅ subscription_cancelled
   • ✅ license_key_created
7. Click "Create webhook"

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Step 5: Configure Environment (5 mins)

Create .env file:

cd /Users/JJR/photo_swipe

# Generate download secret
openssl rand -hex 32
# Copy the output - you'll use it below

Create .env file with your values:

# PASTE YOUR ACTUAL VALUES HERE (from steps above)

LEMON_SQUEEZY_API_KEY=eyJ...  # From Step 3
LEMON_SQUEEZY_STORE_ID=12345  # From Step 3
LEMON_SQUEEZY_PRODUCT_ID=67890  # From Step 2
LEMON_SQUEEZY_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_...  # From Step 4

# Email (set to resend after you configure it)
EMAIL_PROVIDER=resend
RESEND_API_KEY=re_...  # Get from resend.com (see below)

# Download security (paste output from openssl command above)
DOWNLOAD_SECRET=[paste_64_char_hex_here]

# Site
SITE_URL=http://localhost:3001
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3001

# AI (already have this)
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=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
AI_MODEL=openai/gpt-4o-mini

# Server
PORT=4001
NODE_ENV=development

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Step 6: Set Up Email (Resend.com) (5 mins)

Why Resend?

• Simple API
• $20/month for 100k emails
• Great deliverability
• Easy domain verification

Quick Setup:

1. Go to: https://resend.com
2. Sign up with email
3. Click "Domains" → "+ Add Domain"
4. Enter: photoflowseo.com
5. Add the DNS records shown to your domain (in your DNS provider)
6. Wait for verification (usually instant)
7. Click "API Keys" → "Create API Key"
8. Copy the key (starts with re_...)
9. Add to .env as RESEND_API_KEY

For Development (No Email Yet):

Leave EMAIL_PROVIDER empty or set to mock:

# EMAIL_PROVIDER=mock  # Will log emails to console instead

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Step 7: Test Everything (5 mins)

Start the API server:

cd /Users/JJR/photo_swipe
PORT=4001 npm run api

You should see:

PhotoSwipe Pro API listening on port 4001
Health check: http://localhost:4001/health
Webhook: http://localhost:4001/api/webhooks/lemonsqueezy

Make a Test Purchase:

1. In Lemon Squeezy, toggle "Test Mode" (top right - orange banner)
2. Go to your product
3. Click "Get checkout link"
4. Copy the link
5. Open in incognito/private window
6. Purchase with test card:
   • Card: 4242 4242 4242 4242
   • Expiry: 12/25
   • CVC: 123
   • Email: test@example.com

Check Webhook:

1. Check your API server console
2. Should see:

   📨 Webhook received: order_created
   📧 [MOCK] License email would be sent to: test@example.com
   License Key: pswp_prod_test123...

If Using Resend:

Check test@example.com inbox for license email!

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Step 8: Update Webhook URL (Production)

For Local Development with ngrok:

# Install ngrok
brew install ngrok

# Expose local server
ngrok http 4001

# Copy HTTPS URL (e.g., https://abc123.ngrok.io)
# Update webhook in Lemon Squeezy to:
# https://abc123.ngrok.io/api/webhooks/lemonsqueezy

For Production:

1. Deploy your API server (Vercel, Railway, etc.)
2. Update webhook URL to:

   https://photoflowseo.com/api/webhooks/lemonsqueezy

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✅ You're Done!

Test the full flow:

1. Make test purchase
2. Receive email with license key
3. Click download link
4. Install package
5. Use Pro features

Switch off Test Mode to accept real payments!

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🆘 Having Issues?

Webhook not firing?

• Check webhook logs in LS dashboard
• Verify URL is accessible
• Test with curl:

  curl https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/lemonsqueezy

Email not sending?

• Check Resend dashboard for delivery status
• Verify domain is verified
• Look in spam folder
• Check server logs

Can't download package?

• Run: npm run build-pro
• Check: ls releases/
• Should see: photoswipe-pro-5.4.4.tgz

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📞 Next Steps

1. Review full setup guide: docs/LEMON-SQUEEZY-SETUP.md
2. Test customer portal: http://localhost:3001/customer-portal
3. Deploy to production
4. Configure real domain email
5. Go live! 🚀