Trackmint Operations Guide — Running, Testing, and Where Everything Lives

Date: July 18, 2026 · One page to rule the project.

1. What exists, and where

2. Testing ladder — do these in order

Level 1 — Prototype (0 setup, do it now)

Open the “caseboard-prototype” artifact. Use the Pack and Tier switches (top right). Follow workbook Parts A and B. Data resets on reload — that’s fine for learning.

Level 2 — App on your Mac + phone (2 minutes)

cd ~/apex/projects/trackmint-app
npm install          # first time only, ~2-3 min
npx expo start

• Press i → iOS Simulator (if Xcode installed), or
• Scan the QR with the Expo Go app on your iPhone (App Store, free).
• Tap “Continue in demo mode” — no accounts needed; data persists on the device.
• Repeat workbook exercises on the phone (especially timers, C3).

Level 3 — Real accounts + cloud data (10 minutes, optional)

cp .env.example .env   # then paste values from Firebase Console →
                       # Project settings → General → Your apps → Web app

In Firebase Console: enable Authentication → Email/Password and Firestore. Paste the security rule from TESTFLIGHT.md. Restart npx expo start. Now sign-up/login is real and data syncs across devices.

Level 4 — TestFlight on your iPhone (~1 hour, mostly waiting)

Prereqs you already have: Apple Developer account (Team 36M5AD7X5C), ASC API key at ~/apex/AuthKey_K3DJLR35C6.p8, Expo account.

npm install -g eas-cli   # if needed
cd ~/apex/projects/trackmint-app
eas login
eas init                                            # accept defaults
eas build --platform ios --profile production       # ~15-25 min in Expo's cloud
eas submit --platform ios --latest                  # auto-creates the ASC app record

Then: App Store Connect → TestFlight → add yourself as internal tester → install from the TestFlight email on your phone. - First eas build asks about credentials → choose “Let EAS manage credentials.” - If the name “Trackmint” is taken in App Store Connect, pick any placeholder — it’s a working title.

Level 5 — Web app + website (optional)

npx expo export --platform web --output-dir dist-web   # the app as a website

Host dist-web/ and/or website/index.html on Firebase Hosting (firebase init hosting, firebase deploy) or Netlify/Vercel.

3. What to test (acceptance pass)

Use the workbook’s completion checklist (doc 16, last page). Beyond it, the five things that MUST feel right, in priority order: 1. Timer honesty — start, switch screens, kill the app, reopen: is the time right? 2. No double-billing — invoice a client twice in a row; the second draft must be empty. 3. Budget math — log hours, check the bar percentage against a calculator once. 4. Tier gates — Basic must never show billing data anywhere. 5. Pack integrity — switching packs must never mix legal and dev data. File anything broken as a note; those become the v1 bug list.

4. Troubleshooting

5. Rhythm suggestion

Week 1: Levels 1–2 + workbook → note every annoyance (that’s free product research on yourself). Week 2: Level 4 (TestFlight) → daily-drive it for your real work in demo mode. Then: decide from the executive summary’s 5 next steps (customer interviews before more code).