21 KiB
21 KiB
Kalei — Architecture & User Journey Diagrams
All diagrams below are valid Mermaid syntax. Paste into any Mermaid renderer (mermaid.live, GitHub markdown, VS Code preview) to visualize.
1. Complete User Journey
Shows the full lifecycle from app discovery through onboarding, daily habit loops, conversion, and long-term retention.
flowchart LR
subgraph Acquisition["Acquisition"]
A1["App Store Discovery"] --> A2["Download App"]
A2 --> A3["Open for First Time"]
end
subgraph Onboarding["Onboarding Flow"]
A3 --> O1["Welcome Screen"]
O1 --> O2["3 Swipeable Intro Cards"]
O2 --> O3["Choose Reframe Style\n(Brutal / Gentle / Logical / Philosophical / Humor)"]
O3 --> O4["Set Daily Check-in Time"]
O4 --> O5["Create Account\n(Email / Google / Apple)"]
O5 --> O6["First Reframe — WOW Moment"]
O6 --> O7["Land on Home Screen"]
end
subgraph DailyLoop["Daily Habit Loop"]
O7 --> D1["Push Notification\n'What's weighing on you?'"]
D1 --> D2{"User Intent"}
D2 -->|"Quick reframe"| T1["The Turn\n(Kaleidoscope)"]
D2 -->|"Need to process"| M1["The Mirror\n(Freeform Writing)"]
D2 -->|"Goal focus"| L1["The Lens\n(Manifestation)"]
D2 -->|"Review history"| G1["The Gallery"]
T1 --> D3["Save Reframe / Keepsake"]
M1 --> D3
L1 --> D3
D3 --> D4["Streak Updated"]
D4 --> D5["Return Tomorrow"]
D5 --> D1
end
subgraph Deepening["Engagement Deepening"]
G1 --> E1["See Thought Patterns Over Time"]
E1 --> E2["Weekly Summary\n(Sunday Push)"]
E2 --> E3["Discover Recurring Fragments"]
E3 --> E4["Motivation to Continue"]
E4 --> D1
end
subgraph Conversion["Free → Premium"]
D4 --> C1{"Hit Free Tier Limit?"}
C1 -->|"Yes"| C2["Soft Paywall\n'Unlock unlimited Turns'"]
C2 --> C3{"Convert?"}
C3 -->|"Yes"| C4["Subscribe to Prism\n($4.99/mo)"]
C3 -->|"Not yet"| D5
C4 --> C5["Full Access Unlocked"]
C5 --> D1
end
subgraph Retention["Long-Term Retention"]
C5 --> R1["Spectrum Dashboard\n(Prism+)"]
R1 --> R2["Monthly AI Insights"]
R2 --> R3["Growth Trajectory"]
R3 --> R4["Deep Self-Knowledge"]
R4 --> D1
end
2. Backend System Architecture
The full backend from client through edge, API services, AI layer, data stores, and external integrations.
flowchart TB
subgraph Client["Client Layer"]
APP["React Native + Expo App"]
TURN_UI["Turn Screen"]
MIRROR_UI["Mirror Screen"]
LENS_UI["Lens Screen"]
GALLERY_UI["Gallery Screen"]
SPECTRUM_UI["Spectrum Dashboard"]
PROFILE_UI["Profile & Settings"]
end
subgraph Edge["Edge Layer"]
CF["Cloudflare\nDNS / CDN / DDoS"]
NGINX["Nginx\nReverse Proxy / SSL / Rate Limit"]
end
subgraph API["API Layer — Modular Monolith (Fastify)"]
GW["API Gateway & Auth\n(JWT + Refresh Rotation)"]
TURN_SVC["Turn Service"]
MIRROR_SVC["Mirror Service"]
LENS_SVC["Lens Service"]
SPECTRUM_SVC["Spectrum Service"]
SAFETY_SVC["Safety Service\n(Crisis Detection)"]
ENT_SVC["Entitlement Service\n(Plan Gating)"]
COST_SVC["Usage Meter &\nCost Guard"]
JOBS["Job Scheduler\n& Workers"]
NOTIF["Notification Service"]
end
subgraph AI["AI Layer (via OpenRouter Gateway)"]
AI_GW["AI Gateway\n(OpenRouter Provider Routing)"]
DEEPSEEK["DeepSeek V3.2\nvia DeepInfra/Fireworks\n(US/EU — Primary)"]
CLAUDE_FALLBACK["Claude Haiku 4.5\n(Automatic Fallback)"]
end
subgraph Data["Data Layer"]
PG["PostgreSQL 16\n(Source of Truth)"]
REDIS["Redis\n(Cache / Rate Limits / Counters)"]
OBJ["Object Storage\n(Spectrum Exports)"]
end
subgraph External["External Services"]
APPLE["Apple App Store\nBilling API"]
GOOGLE["Google Play\nBilling API"]
APNS["APNs"]
FCM["FCM"]
POSTHOG["PostHog\n(Self-Hosted Analytics)"]
GLITCHTIP["GlitchTip\n(Error Tracking)"]
end
APP --> CF --> NGINX --> GW
GW --> TURN_SVC
GW --> MIRROR_SVC
GW --> LENS_SVC
GW --> SPECTRUM_SVC
GW --> ENT_SVC
TURN_SVC --> SAFETY_SVC
MIRROR_SVC --> SAFETY_SVC
LENS_SVC --> SAFETY_SVC
TURN_SVC --> AI_GW
MIRROR_SVC --> AI_GW
LENS_SVC --> AI_GW
SPECTRUM_SVC --> AI_GW
AI_GW --> DEEPSEEK
AI_GW --> CLAUDE_FALLBACK
TURN_SVC --> COST_SVC
MIRROR_SVC --> COST_SVC
LENS_SVC --> COST_SVC
COST_SVC --> REDIS
TURN_SVC --> PG
MIRROR_SVC --> PG
LENS_SVC --> PG
SPECTRUM_SVC --> PG
ENT_SVC --> PG
JOBS --> PG
ENT_SVC --> APPLE
ENT_SVC --> GOOGLE
NOTIF --> APNS
NOTIF --> FCM
GW --> POSTHOG
GW --> GLITCHTIP
3. The Mirror (Awareness) — Sequence Diagram
Complete sequence from session start through writing, fragment detection, inline reframing, and session reflection.
sequenceDiagram
participant U as User
participant App as Mobile App
participant API as Kalei API
participant Safety as Safety Service
participant Ent as Entitlement Service
participant AI as AI Gateway
participant Model as DeepSeek V3.2 via OpenRouter
participant DB as PostgreSQL
participant R as Redis
Note over U,R: Session Start
U->>App: Opens Mirror tab
App->>API: POST /mirror/sessions
API->>Ent: Check plan (free: 2/week, prism: unlimited)
Ent->>R: Read session counter
R-->>Ent: Counter value
Ent-->>API: Allowed / Denied
API->>DB: Create mirror_session row
API-->>App: Session ID + empty state prompt
Note over U,R: Writing & Fragment Detection Loop
U->>App: Writes message freely
App->>API: POST /mirror/messages
API->>Safety: Crisis precheck on text
alt Crisis Detected
Safety->>DB: Log safety_event
API-->>App: Crisis resources (hotlines, warm message)
else Safe Content
API->>AI: Fragment detection prompt + user text
AI->>Model: Inference request (cached system prompt)
Model-->>AI: JSON with fragments + confidence scores
AI-->>API: Validated structured result
API->>DB: Save message + fragments (confidence > 0.75)
API->>R: Increment usage counters
API-->>App: Message with highlighted fragments (amber glow + ◇ icons)
end
Note over U,R: User Taps a Fragment
U->>App: Taps highlighted fragment ◇
App->>API: POST /mirror/fragments/{id}/reframe
API->>AI: Reframe prompt + fragment + surrounding context
AI->>Model: Inference request
Model-->>AI: Reframe + distortion explanation
AI-->>API: Validated reframe response
API->>DB: Update fragment (was_tapped, was_reframed, reframe_text)
API-->>App: Mini-card slides up with reframe
App-->>U: Shows pattern name + alternative angle + Full Turn option
Note over U,R: Session Close & Reflection
U->>App: Presses Done / closes Mirror
App->>API: POST /mirror/sessions/{id}/close
API->>AI: Generate Reflection from all messages + fragments
AI->>Model: Batch summary request
Model-->>AI: Mosaic themes + fragment count + insight
AI-->>API: Reflection payload
API->>DB: Update session with reflection + pattern_seed
API-->>App: Reflection card (Mosaic + fragments found + patterns + one-line insight)
App-->>U: Reflection saved to Gallery
4. The Turn (Kaleidoscope) — Sequence Diagram
The structured reframing flow with entitlement gating, safety checks, and multi-perspective AI generation.
sequenceDiagram
participant U as User
participant App as Mobile App
participant API as Kalei API
participant Ent as Entitlement Service
participant Safety as Safety Service
participant AI as AI Gateway
participant Model as DeepSeek V3.2 via OpenRouter
participant DB as PostgreSQL
participant Cost as Cost Guard
participant R as Redis
Note over U,R: User Submits a Fragment for Turning
U->>App: Types negative thought + selects style
App->>API: POST /turns {text, style, context}
Note over API,R: Validation & Gating
API->>Ent: Validate tier + daily Turn cap
Ent->>R: Check daily counter (free: 3/day)
R-->>Ent: Current count
Ent-->>API: Allowed / Limit reached
alt Limit Reached
API-->>App: Soft paywall prompt
App-->>U: "Unlock unlimited Turns with Prism"
else Allowed
Note over API,R: Safety Gate
API->>Safety: Crisis precheck on text
alt Crisis Detected
Safety->>DB: Log safety_event
API-->>App: Crisis resources response
App-->>U: Hotline numbers + warm message
else Safe Content
Note over API,R: AI Reframe Generation
API->>AI: Build prompt (cached system + user style + fragment + history context)
AI->>Model: Streaming inference request
Model-->>AI: 3 reframe perspectives + micro-action (if-then)
AI-->>API: Validated structured response + token count
Note over API,R: Record & Respond
API->>Cost: Record token usage + budget check
Cost->>R: Update per-user + global counters
API->>DB: Save turn + reframes + metadata
API-->>App: Stream final Turn result
Note over U,App: User Sees the Turn Card
App-->>U: Original fragment quoted
App-->>U: 3 perspective reframes in chosen style
App-->>U: Micro-action (Gollwitzer if-then)
App-->>U: "Why This Works" expandable science drawer
Note over U,App: Post-Turn Actions
U->>App: Save as Keepsake / Try Different Style / Share
App->>API: POST /turns/{id}/save
API->>DB: Mark as saved keepsake
API-->>App: Streak counter updated
end
end
5. The Lens (Manifestation Engine) — 6-Step Flow
The complete goal creation and daily action system mapped to the 6 research-backed steps.
flowchart TB
subgraph Step1["Step 1: DECIDE — Clarity"]
S1A["User taps 'Create a Manifestation'"] --> S1B["AI Conversation (3-5 exchanges)\n'What do you want to achieve?'"]
S1B --> S1C["SMART Goal Refinement"]
S1C --> S1D["Output: Clarity Statement Card"]
end
subgraph Step2["Step 2: SEE IT — Mental Rehearsal"]
S1D --> S2A["AI generates personalized\nvisualization script"]
S2A --> S2B["First-person, sensory-rich,\nprocess-focused imagery"]
S2B --> S2C["User reads/listens\nMarks as complete"]
S2C --> S2D["Output: Vision Summary\n(revisitable daily)"]
end
subgraph Step3["Step 3: BELIEVE — Self-Efficacy"]
S2D --> S3A["AI asks:\n'What makes you doubt\nthis is possible?'"]
S3A --> S3B["User lists doubts"]
S3B --> S3C["AI addresses each with:\npast successes + transferable skills\n+ role models + small wins"]
S3C --> S3D["Output: Belief Statement Card\n'You CAN — here's the evidence'"]
end
subgraph Step4["Step 4: NOTICE — Attention Training"]
S3D --> S4A["AI sets up daily\nattention prompts"]
S4A --> S4B["Daily push:\n'Notice one thing aligned\nwith your goal today'"]
S4B --> S4C["User logs observations\nBuilds Evidence Journal"]
S4C --> S4D["AI surfaces patterns:\n'23 alignment instances\nthis month'"]
end
subgraph Step5["Step 5: ACT — Implementation Intentions"]
S4D --> S5A["AI generates weekly\nmicro-actions"]
S5A --> S5B["Gollwitzer if-then format:\n'If [time/situation],\nthen I will [15-min action]'"]
S5B --> S5C["User checks off\ncompleted actions"]
S5C --> S5D["AI adapts difficulty:\n2-min actions → scales up\nas habit solidifies"]
end
subgraph Step6["Step 6: REPEAT — Compound"]
S5D --> S6A["Habit Tracking Dashboard"]
S6A --> S6B["Visual growth charts\nMilestone celebrations"]
S6B --> S6C["Weekly AI Summary:\nreframes + patterns +\nprogress + adjustments"]
S6C --> S6D["Celebrates PROCESS\nnot just outcomes"]
S6D --> S4B
end
6. AI Processing Pipeline & Cost Routing
How every AI request flows through the gateway with prompt caching, safety guards, and cost-aware provider routing.
flowchart LR
subgraph Input["Request Sources"]
MIRROR["Mirror\n(Fragment Detection)"]
TURN["Turn\n(3 Reframes)"]
LENS["Lens\n(Affirmations)"]
SPECTRUM["Spectrum\n(Weekly Insights)"]
end
subgraph Pipeline["AI Gateway Pipeline"]
PROMPT["Prompt Builder\n(System + User Context + Research Grounding)"]
CACHE["Prompt Cache Check\n(~20% savings on cached system prompts)"]
SAFETY_CHECK["Anti-Toxicity Guard\n(No toxic positivity / magical thinking)"]
ROUTER{"Cost Router\nBudget Check"}
end
subgraph PrimaryLane["Primary Lane (via OpenRouter)"]
DEEPSEEK_RT["DeepSeek V3.2\nvia DeepInfra/Fireworks\n($0.26/$0.38 per MTok)"]
end
subgraph FallbackLane["Fallback Lane (Auto-Failover)"]
CLAUDE_FB["Claude Haiku 4.5\n(Automatic on provider outage)"]
end
subgraph TemplateLane["Template Fallback (Budget Pressure)"]
TEMPLATE["Local Template System\n(Pre-written, no AI cost)"]
end
subgraph Output["Response Handling"]
VALIDATE["Structured Output\nValidation (JSON)"]
TOKEN_LOG["Token Usage Logger"]
BUDGET["Budget Tracker\n(Per-user daily + Global monthly)"]
RESPONSE["Stream Response\nto Client"]
end
subgraph Alerts["Cost Controls"]
ALERT50["50% Budget Alert"]
ALERT80["80% Budget Alert\nDegrade Lens to templates"]
ALERT95["95% Budget Alert\nPause Spectrum generation"]
HARDCAP["100% Hard Cap\nGraceful service message"]
end
MIRROR --> PROMPT
TURN --> PROMPT
LENS --> PROMPT
SPECTRUM --> PROMPT
PROMPT --> CACHE
CACHE --> SAFETY_CHECK
SAFETY_CHECK --> ROUTER
ROUTER -->|"All features\n(primary)"| DEEPSEEK_RT
ROUTER -->|"Provider outage\n(auto-failover)"| CLAUDE_FB
ROUTER -->|"Lens / basic content\n(budget pressure)"| TEMPLATE
DEEPSEEK_RT --> VALIDATE
CLAUDE_FB --> VALIDATE
TEMPLATE --> VALIDATE
VALIDATE --> TOKEN_LOG
TOKEN_LOG --> BUDGET
BUDGET --> RESPONSE
BUDGET --> ALERT50
BUDGET --> ALERT80
BUDGET --> ALERT95
BUDGET --> HARDCAP
7. Safety & Crisis Detection Flow
The multi-stage safety pipeline that ensures crisis content is never reframed.
flowchart TB
subgraph Input["User Input Arrives"]
MSG["User text from\nMirror / Turn / Lens"]
end
subgraph Stage1["Stage 1: Deterministic Keyword Scan"]
KW["Keyword & Pattern Matcher\n(Regex-based, zero latency)"]
KW_YES{"Crisis keywords\ndetected?"}
end
subgraph Stage2["Stage 2: AI Confirmation"]
AI_CHECK["Low-latency AI model\nconfirms severity"]
AI_YES{"Confirmed\ncrisis?"}
end
subgraph CrisisResponse["Crisis Response — NEVER Reframed"]
CR1["Hardcoded crisis template\n(Not AI-generated)"]
CR2["Display local hotline numbers\n(988 Lifeline, Crisis Text Line)"]
CR3["Warm handoff message:\n'You matter. Help is available\nright now.'"]
CR4["Log safety_event to DB\nfor monitoring"]
end
subgraph NormalFlow["Normal Processing"]
PROCEED["Continue to AI Gateway\nfor reframing / detection"]
end
subgraph Monitoring["Safety Monitoring"]
FP["Track false positives\nfor filter tuning"]
FN["Track false negatives\nvia user reports"]
REVIEW["Weekly safety review loop"]
end
MSG --> KW
KW --> KW_YES
KW_YES -->|"Yes — high confidence\n(explicit phrases)"| CR1
KW_YES -->|"Maybe — ambiguous"| AI_CHECK
KW_YES -->|"No"| PROCEED
AI_CHECK --> AI_YES
AI_YES -->|"Yes"| CR1
AI_YES -->|"No — false alarm"| PROCEED
CR1 --> CR2
CR2 --> CR3
CR3 --> CR4
PROCEED --> FP
CR4 --> FN
FP --> REVIEW
FN --> REVIEW
8. Subscription & Billing State Machine
All user states from anonymous through free, Prism, and Prism+ with renewal, grace period, and downgrade flows.
stateDiagram-v2
[*] --> Anonymous: App Downloaded
Anonymous --> FreeUser: Account Created
state FreeUser {
[*] --> ActiveFree
ActiveFree --> LimitHit: Daily/weekly cap reached
LimitHit --> ActiveFree: Next day/week resets
LimitHit --> PaywallShown: Soft upgrade prompt
}
state PrismSubscriber {
[*] --> ActivePrism
ActivePrism --> PrismRenewal: Monthly renewal
PrismRenewal --> ActivePrism: Payment success
PrismRenewal --> GracePeriod: Payment failed
GracePeriod --> ActivePrism: Retry success
GracePeriod --> Expired: Grace period ends
}
state PrismPlusSubscriber {
[*] --> ActivePrismPlus
ActivePrismPlus --> PlusMRenewal: Monthly renewal
PlusMRenewal --> ActivePrismPlus: Payment success
PlusMRenewal --> PlusGrace: Payment failed
PlusGrace --> ActivePrismPlus: Retry success
PlusGrace --> PlusExpired: Grace period ends
}
FreeUser --> PrismSubscriber: Subscribe $4.99/mo
FreeUser --> PrismPlusSubscriber: Subscribe $9.99/mo
PrismSubscriber --> PrismPlusSubscriber: Upgrade
PrismPlusSubscriber --> PrismSubscriber: Downgrade
PrismSubscriber --> FreeUser: Cancel / Expired
PrismPlusSubscriber --> FreeUser: Cancel / PlusExpired
state EntitlementCheck {
[*] --> CheckPlan
CheckPlan --> FreeTier: No active subscription
CheckPlan --> PrismTier: Active Prism
CheckPlan --> PrismPlusTier: Active Prism+
FreeTier --> ApplyLimits: 3 Turns/day, 2 Mirror/week
PrismTier --> FullAccess: Unlimited Turns + Mirror
PrismPlusTier --> FullPlusAccess: Full + Spectrum + Insights
}
9. Data Entity Relationship Model
All database domains showing how Users connect to every feature, commerce, and ops table.
flowchart LR
subgraph Identity["Identity Domain"]
USERS["USERS\nid, email, password_hash"]
PROFILES["PROFILES\nuser_id, display_name\nreframe_style, checkin_time"]
AUTH["AUTH_SESSIONS\nid, user_id, device_info"]
REFRESH["REFRESH_TOKENS\nid, user_id, token_hash"]
end
subgraph Mirror["Mirror Domain"]
M_SESS["MIRROR_SESSIONS\nid, user_id, started_at\nreflection_summary"]
M_MSG["MIRROR_MESSAGES\nid, session_id\ncontent (encrypted)"]
M_FRAG["MIRROR_FRAGMENTS\nid, message_id\ndistortion_type, confidence\nwas_tapped, reframe_text"]
end
subgraph Turn["Turn Domain"]
TURNS["TURNS\nid, user_id, input_text\nreframe_style, reframes\nmicro_action, is_saved"]
end
subgraph Lens["Lens Domain"]
GOALS["LENS_GOALS\nid, user_id, goal_text\nclarity_statement\nbelief_statement"]
ACTIONS["LENS_ACTIONS\nid, goal_id, action_text\nif_then_format, completed"]
end
subgraph Spectrum["Spectrum"]
S_WEEK["SPECTRUM_WEEKLY\nuser_id, week_start\naggregates, insight"]
S_MONTH["SPECTRUM_MONTHLY\nuser_id, month\ngrowth_trajectory"]
end
subgraph Commerce["Commerce"]
SUBS["SUBSCRIPTIONS\nid, user_id, plan\nstore, status, expires_at"]
end
subgraph Ops["Safety and Ops"]
SAFE["SAFETY_EVENTS\nid, user_id, trigger_text\ndetection_stage"]
AI_USE["AI_USAGE_EVENTS\nid, user_id, feature\nmodel, tokens, cost"]
end
USERS --> PROFILES
USERS --> AUTH
USERS --> REFRESH
USERS --> M_SESS
M_SESS --> M_MSG
M_MSG --> M_FRAG
USERS --> TURNS
USERS --> GOALS
GOALS --> ACTIONS
USERS --> S_WEEK
USERS --> S_MONTH
USERS --> SUBS
USERS --> SAFE
USERS --> AI_USE
10. Deployment Topology & Scaling Path
How the infrastructure evolves from a single EUR 8.45/mo VPS to a multi-node architecture as DAU grows.
flowchart TB
subgraph Launch["Launch: Single VPS — 50 DAU — ~EUR 16/mo"]
P1_CF["Cloudflare (Free)"] --> P1_NGINX["Nginx"]
P1_NGINX --> P1_API["Node.js API + Workers"]
P1_API --> P1_PG["PostgreSQL 16"]
P1_API --> P1_REDIS["Redis"]
P1_API --> P1_AI["DeepSeek V3.2\nvia OpenRouter/DeepInfra"]
end
subgraph Traction["Traction: Split DB — 200 DAU — ~EUR 53/mo"]
P2_CF["Cloudflare"] --> P2_NGINX["Nginx"]
P2_NGINX --> P2_API["Node.js API + Workers"]
P2_API --> P2_PG["PostgreSQL (Separate VPS)"]
P2_API --> P2_REDIS["Redis"]
P2_API --> P2_AI["DeepSeek V3.2 via OpenRouter\n+ Claude Haiku fallback"]
end
subgraph Growth["Growth: Scale API — 1000 DAU — ~EUR 216/mo"]
P3_CF["Cloudflare"] --> P3_LB["Load Balancer"]
P3_LB --> P3_API1["API Replica 1"]
P3_LB --> P3_API2["API Replica 2"]
P3_API1 --> P3_PG["PostgreSQL (Dedicated)"]
P3_API2 --> P3_PG
P3_API1 --> P3_REDIS["Redis Cluster"]
P3_API2 --> P3_REDIS
P3_WORKER["Spectrum Workers"] --> P3_PG
P3_API1 --> P3_AI["OpenRouter AI Gateway\n(DeepSeek + Claude fallback)"]
P3_API2 --> P3_AI
end
Launch -->|"p95 latency > 120ms\nor storage > 70%"| Traction
Traction -->|"CPU > 70% sustained\nor p95 > SLO"| Growth