Origin
The spark
Single-file HTML demo of human history with hand-curated causal links. Looked cool. Worked as thought experiment. Filed under 'fun side project' until one reframe.
POWFLOW prototype
Built in 5 weeks · solo founder
How Causari was built.
Causari maps causal chains. This page maps the build itself: each decision led to the next, and the product eventually described its own making.
Full story · in order
Every node, in words.
-
-
Decision
The moat reframe
What if AI agents could query this causal graph via MCP? Visualization tool → structured knowledge infrastructure. Suddenly it's defensible. Suddenly it's a product.
ADR-0004
-
Decision
Adapter discipline from day 1
Astro + Hono + D1 + Drizzle, but every vendor sits behind an interface. Cost: discipline. Payoff: when pivots came, vendor swaps were mechanical.
ADR-0002
-
Release
CKG + MCP shipped
35 events, 36 hand-authored causal links, 5 derived insight patterns. 5 MCP tools wrapping the graph. Smoke-tested 10/10.
Phase 1-3
-
Pivot
The brand naming epic
5 rounds + 30+ candidates in one session. Rejected Causora (Causara.ai conflict), Causio (legal AI), Causalia (.com 15yr-owner). Landed on Causari.
ADR-0005
-
Discovery
Three silent wiring bugs
End-to-end trace found 3 bugs every user would hit. All wiring, not architecture. Lesson: trace one full user journey before declaring done.
ADR-0008
-
Pivot
Stripe blocked Vietnam
Country dropdown didn't include VN. Adapter discipline saved us — PolarBillingService in 2 hours; composition root flipped Stripe → Polar.
ADR-0007
-
Decision
Demo-first funnel
Most SaaS lands you on copy + signup wall. Causari embeds the live Canvas in hero. Wow moment moves from minute 5 to second 2.
v0.4.0
-
Decision
Waitlist instead of checkout
Founder concern: 'what if users charge and I can't deliver yet?' Replaced Pro/Team checkout with waitlist. Real intent, zero risk.
Pre-GTM
-
Release
Viral readiness Tier 1
Founder shared a lesson from prior failure: operational silence kills MVPs at viral inflection. Race condition, webhook idempotency, /api/status, IObservability — all wired.
ADR-0009
-
Release
The story you're reading
CHANGELOG + journey.md + this page. The product maps causal chains; Causari's own build IS a causal chain. Self-referential proof.
ADR-0010
-
Release
Responsive + cosmic overview
Mobile-first UX overhaul (v0.5.1→v0.5.3): SiteHeader hamburger, collapsible panels, touch-move fixes, edge-arrow toggle. Big Bang → present in default view. Brand hierarchy: Causari (parent) + Powflow (product).
v0.5.3
-
Now
Currently shipping →
Tech ready. Founder ops queue: Polar 4 env vars · GitHub org push · USPTO trademark · custom domain · first beta invites.
Self-reference
You just read a causal chain, rendered as a timeline.
That is Causari: the same view for 70,000 years of history, a single life, or a team's decisions.