Project dashboard: onboarding checklist + domain overview (#398)

drizzle-pg/0012_dashboard.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+CREATE TABLE "backlink_snapshots" (
+	"id" serial PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+	"project_id" text NOT NULL,
+	"domain" text NOT NULL,
+	"rank" integer,
+	"backlinks" integer,
+	"referring_domains" integer,
+	"broken_backlinks" integer,
+	"new_backlinks" integer,
+	"lost_backlinks" integer,
+	"new_referring_domains" integer,
+	"lost_referring_domains" integer,
+	"captured_at" text DEFAULT to_char(now() AT TIME ZONE 'utc', 'YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI:SS.MS"Z"') NOT NULL
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE TABLE "organization_activation_state" (
+	"organization_id" text PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+	"first_mcp_authorized_at" text,
+	"first_mcp_tool_call_at" text,
+	"updated_at" text DEFAULT to_char(now() AT TIME ZONE 'utc', 'YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI:SS.MS"Z"') NOT NULL
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE TABLE "project_activation_state" (
+	"project_id" text PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+	"competitor_step_clicked_at" text,
+	"mcp_card_dismissed_at" text,
+	"updated_at" text DEFAULT to_char(now() AT TIME ZONE 'utc', 'YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI:SS.MS"Z"') NOT NULL
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+ALTER TABLE "backlink_snapshots" ADD CONSTRAINT "backlink_snapshots_project_id_projects_id_fk" FOREIGN KEY ("project_id") REFERENCES "public"."projects"("id") ON DELETE cascade ON UPDATE no action;--> statement-breakpoint
+ALTER TABLE "organization_activation_state" ADD CONSTRAINT "organization_activation_state_organization_id_organization_id_fk" FOREIGN KEY ("organization_id") REFERENCES "public"."organization"("id") ON DELETE cascade ON UPDATE no action;--> statement-breakpoint
+ALTER TABLE "project_activation_state" ADD CONSTRAINT "project_activation_state_project_id_projects_id_fk" FOREIGN KEY ("project_id") REFERENCES "public"."projects"("id") ON DELETE cascade ON UPDATE no action;--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE INDEX "backlink_snapshots_project_captured_idx" ON "backlink_snapshots" USING btree ("project_id","captured_at");

drizzle-pg/meta/_journal.json

@@ -85,6 +85,13 @@
       "when": 1784410131656,
       "tag": "0011_friendly_morlun",
       "breakpoints": true
+    },
+    {
+      "idx": 12,
+      "version": "7",
+      "when": 1784423181488,
+      "tag": "0012_dashboard",
+      "breakpoints": true
     }
   ]
 }

drizzle/0035_dashboard.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+CREATE TABLE `backlink_snapshots` (
+	`id` integer PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL,
+	`project_id` text NOT NULL,
+	`domain` text NOT NULL,
+	`rank` integer,
+	`backlinks` integer,
+	`referring_domains` integer,
+	`broken_backlinks` integer,
+	`new_backlinks` integer,
+	`lost_backlinks` integer,
+	`new_referring_domains` integer,
+	`lost_referring_domains` integer,
+	`captured_at` text DEFAULT (current_timestamp) NOT NULL,
+	FOREIGN KEY (`project_id`) REFERENCES `projects`(`id`) ON UPDATE no action ON DELETE cascade
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE INDEX `backlink_snapshots_project_captured_idx` ON `backlink_snapshots` (`project_id`,`captured_at`);--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE TABLE `organization_activation_state` (
+	`organization_id` text PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+	`first_mcp_authorized_at` text,
+	`first_mcp_tool_call_at` text,
+	`updated_at` text DEFAULT (current_timestamp) NOT NULL,
+	FOREIGN KEY (`organization_id`) REFERENCES `organization`(`id`) ON UPDATE no action ON DELETE cascade
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE TABLE `project_activation_state` (
+	`project_id` text PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+	`competitor_step_clicked_at` text,
+	`mcp_card_dismissed_at` text,
+	`updated_at` text DEFAULT (current_timestamp) NOT NULL,
+	FOREIGN KEY (`project_id`) REFERENCES `projects`(`id`) ON UPDATE no action ON DELETE cascade
+);

drizzle/meta/_journal.json

@@ -246,6 +246,13 @@
       "when": 1784410130115,
       "tag": "0034_wonderful_skrulls",
       "breakpoints": true
+    },
+    {
+      "idx": 35,
+      "version": "6",
+      "when": 1784423179842,
+      "tag": "0035_dashboard",
+      "breakpoints": true
     }
   ]
 }

src/client/components/Sidebar.tsx

@@ -57,9 +57,9 @@ function SidebarNavLink({
 }) {
   return (
     <Link
-      {...linkProps}
       onClick={onNavigate}
       activeOptions={{ exact: false, includeSearch: false }}
+      {...linkProps}
       className={navItemClass}
       activeProps={navItemActiveProps}
     >
@@ -109,6 +109,15 @@ export function Sidebar({ projectId, onNavigate, onClose }: SidebarProps) {
     }
   };
 
+  // Coming back from Chat, land on the dashboard rather than leaving the
+  // conversation filling the content panel next to a Browse nav.
+  const openBrowse = () => {
+    setView("browse");
+    if (!projectId || !onSamRoute) return;
+    void navigate({ to: "/p/$projectId", params: { projectId } });
+    onNavigate?.();
+  };
+
   return (
     <div className="flex h-full w-60 flex-col bg-base-200">
       <div className="flex items-center justify-between px-4 pb-2 pt-3">
@@ -147,7 +156,7 @@ export function Sidebar({ projectId, onNavigate, onClose }: SidebarProps) {
               icon={LayoutGrid}
               label="Browse"
               active={view === "browse"}
-              onClick={() => setView("browse")}
+              onClick={openBrowse}
             />
             <SidebarViewTab
               icon={MessageCircle}

src/client/features/dashboard/DashboardCards.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,356 @@
+import { Link } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { Check } from "lucide-react";
+import { SearchConsoleConnectionCard } from "@/client/features/gsc/SearchConsoleConnectionCard";
+import { AUDIT_ISSUE_TYPES } from "@/shared/audit-issues";
+
+import {
+  formatCount,
+  formatCtr,
+  formatPosition,
+} from "@/client/features/search-performance/SearchPerformanceColumns";
+import { getSearchPerformanceReport } from "@/serverFunctions/searchPerformance";
+import {
+  CardShell,
+  EmptyCardBody,
+  formatDay,
+  moreDetailsClass,
+  newLost,
+  PercentDelta,
+  Stat,
+} from "@/client/features/dashboard/cardParts";
+import type {
+  DashboardAuditSummary,
+  DashboardBacklinkSummary,
+  DashboardRankSummary,
+} from "@/server/features/dashboard/services/DashboardService";
+
+// Plain string-keyed view of the registry: issue types from the DB are not
+// statically guaranteed to be registry keys.
+const issueTitles: Record<string, string | undefined> = Object.fromEntries(
+  Object.entries(AUDIT_ISSUE_TYPES).map(([key, value]) => [key, value.title]),
+);
+
+export function GscCard({
+  projectId,
+  connected,
+}: {
+  projectId: string;
+  connected: boolean;
+}) {
+  const reportQuery = useQuery({
+    queryKey: ["dashboardGscReport", projectId],
+    queryFn: () =>
+      getSearchPerformanceReport({
+        data: { projectId, dateRange: "last_28_days" },
+      }),
+    enabled: connected,
+  });
+
+  // Not connected (or a dead grant discovered by the report call): the
+  // connection card sells and runs the whole flow itself.
+  if (!connected || (reportQuery.data && !reportQuery.data.connected)) {
+    return (
+      <div id="connect-gsc">
+        <SearchConsoleConnectionCard projectId={projectId} />
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+  const report = reportQuery.data;
+
+  return (
+    <CardShell
+      title="Search performance"
+      stamp="Google Search Console · last 28 days"
+      action={
+        <Link
+          to="/p/$projectId/search-performance"
+          params={{ projectId }}
+          className={moreDetailsClass}
+        >
+          More details
+        </Link>
+      }
+    >
+      {reportQuery.isPending ? (
+        <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-3" aria-busy>
+          {Array.from({ length: 4 }, (_, i) => (
+            <div key={i} className="skeleton h-20" />
+          ))}
+        </div>
+      ) : reportQuery.isError ? (
+        <p className="text-sm text-base-content/60">
+          Couldn&rsquo;t load Search Console data. Try again shortly.
+        </p>
+      ) : report?.connected ? (
+        <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-3">
+          <Stat
+            label="Clicks"
+            value={formatCount(report.totals.clicks)}
+            sub={
+              <PercentDelta
+                current={report.totals.clicks}
+                previous={report.prevTotals.clicks}
+              />
+            }
+          />
+          <Stat
+            label="Impressions"
+            value={formatCount(report.totals.impressions)}
+            sub={
+              <PercentDelta
+                current={report.totals.impressions}
+                previous={report.prevTotals.impressions}
+              />
+            }
+          />
+          <Stat label="CTR" value={formatCtr(report.totals.ctr)} />
+          <Stat
+            label="Avg position"
+            value={formatPosition(report.totals.position)}
+          />
+        </div>
+      ) : null}
+    </CardShell>
+  );
+}
+
+export function RankMovementCard({
+  projectId,
+  rank,
+}: {
+  projectId: string;
+  rank: DashboardRankSummary | null;
+}) {
+  if (!rank) {
+    return (
+      <CardShell title="Rank tracking">
+        <EmptyCardBody
+          message="Track your money keywords and watch your ranking improve over time."
+          cta={
+            <Link
+              to="/p/$projectId/rank-tracking"
+              params={{ projectId }}
+              className="btn btn-primary btn-sm"
+            >
+              Track your first keyword
+            </Link>
+          }
+        />
+      </CardShell>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <CardShell
+      title="Rank movement"
+      stamp={
+        rank.lastCheckedAt
+          ? `Rank data · checked ${formatDay(rank.lastCheckedAt)} · vs 7 days ago`
+          : "Rank data · no completed checks yet"
+      }
+      action={
+        <Link
+          to="/p/$projectId/rank-tracking"
+          params={{ projectId }}
+          className={moreDetailsClass}
+        >
+          More details
+        </Link>
+      }
+    >
+      <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-3">
+        <Stat label="Tracked" value={String(rank.trackedKeywords)} />
+        <Stat
+          label="Improved"
+          value={`▲ ${rank.improved}`}
+          tone={rank.improved > 0 ? "success" : undefined}
+        />
+        <Stat
+          label="Declined"
+          value={`▼ ${rank.declined}`}
+          tone={rank.declined > 0 ? "error" : undefined}
+        />
+        <Stat label="Top 10" value={String(rank.top10)} />
+      </div>
+    </CardShell>
+  );
+}
+
+export function AuditHealthCard({
+  projectId,
+  audit,
+}: {
+  projectId: string;
+  audit: DashboardAuditSummary | null;
+}) {
+  if (!audit) {
+    return (
+      <CardShell title="Site audit">
+        <EmptyCardBody
+          message="Crawl your site for broken links, missing tags and indexability problems."
+          cta={
+            <Link
+              to="/p/$projectId/audit"
+              params={{ projectId }}
+              className="btn btn-primary btn-sm"
+            >
+              Run an audit
+            </Link>
+          }
+        />
+      </CardShell>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <CardShell
+      title="Site audit"
+      stamp={`Site audit · ${
+        audit.status === "completed"
+          ? `crawled ${audit.pagesCrawled} pages · ${formatDay(audit.startedAt)}`
+          : audit.status === "running"
+            ? "crawl in progress"
+            : "last crawl failed"
+      }`}
+      action={
+        <Link
+          to="/p/$projectId/audit"
+          params={{ projectId }}
+          className={moreDetailsClass}
+        >
+          More details
+        </Link>
+      }
+    >
+      {audit.topIssues.length === 0 ? (
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-2 text-sm text-base-content/70">
+          <Check className="size-4 text-success" />
+          No issues found — your site looks healthy.
+        </div>
+      ) : (
+        <ul className="space-y-2">
+          {audit.topIssues.map((issue) => (
+            <li
+              key={issue.issueType}
+              className="flex items-center justify-between gap-2 text-sm"
+            >
+              <span className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-2">
+                <span
+                  className={`size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full ${
+                    issue.severity === "critical"
+                      ? "bg-error"
+                      : issue.severity === "warning"
+                        ? "bg-warning"
+                        : "bg-base-content/30"
+                  }`}
+                />
+                <span className="truncate">
+                  {issueTitles[issue.issueType] ?? issue.issueType}
+                </span>
+              </span>
+              <span className="shrink-0 tabular-nums text-base-content/60">
+                {issue.count} {issue.count === 1 ? "page" : "pages"}
+              </span>
+            </li>
+          ))}
+          {audit.totalIssueTypes > audit.topIssues.length ? (
+            <li className="text-xs text-base-content/50">
+              + {audit.totalIssueTypes - audit.topIssues.length} more issue
+              {audit.totalIssueTypes - audit.topIssues.length === 1 ? "" : "s"}
+            </li>
+          ) : null}
+        </ul>
+      )}
+    </CardShell>
+  );
+}
+
+export function BacklinkPulseCard({
+  projectId,
+  backlinks,
+  refreshing,
+}: {
+  projectId: string;
+  backlinks: DashboardBacklinkSummary | null;
+  refreshing: boolean;
+}) {
+  if (!backlinks && refreshing) {
+    return (
+      <CardShell title="Backlink pulse" stamp="Taking your first snapshot…">
+        <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-3" aria-busy>
+          {Array.from({ length: 4 }, (_, i) => (
+            <div key={i} className="skeleton h-20" />
+          ))}
+        </div>
+      </CardShell>
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (!backlinks) {
+    return (
+      <CardShell title="Backlink pulse">
+        <p className="text-sm text-base-content/60">
+          We&rsquo;ll snapshot who links to your domain — nothing to set up.
+        </p>
+      </CardShell>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <CardShell
+      title="Backlink pulse"
+      stamp={`Backlinks · snapshot ${formatDay(backlinks.capturedAt)}${
+        refreshing ? " · refreshing…" : ""
+      }`}
+      action={
+        <Link
+          to="/p/$projectId/backlinks"
+          params={{ projectId }}
+          search={{ target: backlinks.domain, scope: "domain" }}
+          className={moreDetailsClass}
+        >
+          More details
+        </Link>
+      }
+    >
+      <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-3">
+        <Stat
+          label="Ref. domains"
+          value={
+            backlinks.referringDomains === null
+              ? "—"
+              : backlinks.referringDomains.toLocaleString()
+          }
+        />
+        <Stat
+          label="Backlinks"
+          value={
+            backlinks.backlinks === null
+              ? "—"
+              : backlinks.backlinks.toLocaleString()
+          }
+        />
+        <Stat
+          label="New links"
+          value={`▲ ${newLost(backlinks.newBacklinks)}`}
+          tone={
+            backlinks.newBacklinks && backlinks.newBacklinks > 0
+              ? "success"
+              : undefined
+          }
+        />
+        <Stat
+          label="Lost links"
+          value={`▼ ${newLost(backlinks.lostBacklinks)}`}
+          tone={
+            backlinks.lostBacklinks && backlinks.lostBacklinks > 0
+              ? "error"
+              : undefined
+          }
+        />
+      </div>
+    </CardShell>
+  );
+}

src/client/features/dashboard/DashboardPage.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,376 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { Link, useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { toast } from "sonner";
+import { ChevronLeft, ChevronRight, Check } from "lucide-react";
+import { captureClientEvent } from "@/client/lib/posthog";
+import {
+  computeNextStep,
+  isStepDone,
+  STEP_ORDER,
+} from "@/client/features/dashboard/dashboardSteps";
+import {
+  AuditHealthCard,
+  BacklinkPulseCard,
+  GscCard,
+  RankMovementCard,
+} from "@/client/features/dashboard/DashboardCards";
+import { McpConnectCard } from "@/client/features/dashboard/McpConnectCard";
+import { getStandardErrorMessage } from "@/client/lib/error-messages";
+import type { DashboardActivation } from "@/server/features/dashboard/services/DashboardService";
+import {
+  getDashboardActivation,
+  getDashboardOverview,
+  markDashboardCompetitorClicked,
+  refreshDashboardBacklinkSnapshot,
+} from "@/serverFunctions/dashboard";
+import { setProjectDomain } from "@/serverFunctions/projects";
+import type { DashboardHeroStep } from "@/types/schemas/dashboard";
+
+const HERO_COPY: Record<
+  DashboardHeroStep,
+  { title: string; body: string; cta: string }
+> = {
+  domain: {
+    title: "What site are you working on?",
+    body: "Set your project's domain and every card on this page starts working for it — backlinks, audits, rank tracking.",
+    cta: "Save",
+  },
+  mcp: {
+    title: "Connect your AI agent",
+    body: "OpenSEO is built to be used from agents like Claude. Connect once, then ask it to use OpenSEO to help build your SEO strategy.",
+    cta: "Show me how",
+  },
+  gsc: {
+    title: "Connect Search Console",
+    body: "Your real queries and clicks, straight from Google.",
+    cta: "Connect",
+  },
+  competitor: {
+    title: "Size up a competitor",
+    body: "Paste a competitor's domain to see what they rank for and who links to them.",
+    cta: "Open domain lookup",
+  },
+};
+
+function scrollToCard(id: string) {
+  document.getElementById(id)?.scrollIntoView({
+    behavior: "smooth",
+    block: "center",
+  });
+}
+
+// Users paste full URLs; store the bare host like settings expects.
+function normalizeDomainInput(value: string): string {
+  return value
+    .trim()
+    .replace(/^https?:\/\//i, "")
+    .replace(/\/.*$/, "");
+}
+
+function OnboardingChecklist({
+  projectId,
+  activation,
+}: {
+  projectId: string;
+  activation: DashboardActivation;
+}) {
+  const navigate = useNavigate();
+  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
+  const [domainInput, setDomainInput] = useState("");
+  // null = follow the first actionable step; set once the user pages with ‹ ›.
+  const [viewedIndex, setViewedIndex] = useState<number | null>(null);
+  const invalidateActivation = () =>
+    void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+      queryKey: ["dashboardActivation", projectId],
+    });
+
+  const competitorClickMutation = useMutation({
+    mutationFn: () => markDashboardCompetitorClicked({ data: { projectId } }),
+    onSuccess: invalidateActivation,
+  });
+  const domainMutation = useMutation({
+    mutationFn: (domain: string) =>
+      setProjectDomain({ data: { projectId, domain } }),
+    onSuccess: () => {
+      invalidateActivation();
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: ["dashboardOverview", projectId],
+      });
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ["projects"] });
+    },
+    onError: (error) =>
+      toast.error(
+        getStandardErrorMessage(error, "Couldn't save the domain. Try again."),
+      ),
+  });
+
+  // Hidden once every step is done.
+  const nextStep = computeNextStep(activation);
+  if (!nextStep) return null;
+
+  const index = viewedIndex ?? STEP_ORDER.indexOf(nextStep);
+  const step = STEP_ORDER[index];
+  const copy = HERO_COPY[step];
+  const done = isStepDone(activation, step);
+
+  const page = (delta: number) =>
+    setViewedIndex(Math.min(Math.max(index + delta, 0), STEP_ORDER.length - 1));
+
+  const onSubmitDomain = () => {
+    const domain = normalizeDomainInput(domainInput);
+    if (!domain) return;
+    captureClientEvent("dashboard:next_move_click", { step: "domain" });
+    domainMutation.mutate(domain);
+  };
+
+  // Only the gsc/competitor steps use the fallback CTA button — domain
+  // renders an inline form and mcp renders a Link.
+  const onCta = () => {
+    captureClientEvent("dashboard:next_move_click", { step });
+    if (step === "gsc") {
+      scrollToCard("connect-gsc");
+    } else if (step === "competitor") {
+      competitorClickMutation.mutate();
+      void navigate({ to: "/p/$projectId/domain", params: { projectId } });
+    }
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div className="rounded-xl border border-primary/25 bg-primary/5 shadow-sm">
+      <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4 px-5 pt-4">
+        <p className="text-xs font-medium uppercase tracking-wide text-primary">
+          Onboarding checklist
+        </p>
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-1">
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            className={`btn btn-ghost btn-xs btn-square ${
+              index === 0 ? "invisible" : ""
+            }`}
+            aria-label="Previous step"
+            disabled={index === 0}
+            onClick={() => page(-1)}
+          >
+            <ChevronLeft className="size-4" />
+          </button>
+          <span className="text-xs tabular-nums text-base-content/60">
+            {index + 1} / {STEP_ORDER.length}
+          </span>
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            className={`btn btn-ghost btn-xs btn-square ${
+              index === STEP_ORDER.length - 1 ? "invisible" : ""
+            }`}
+            aria-label="Next step"
+            disabled={index === STEP_ORDER.length - 1}
+            onClick={() => page(1)}
+          >
+            <ChevronRight className="size-4" />
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+      <div className="flex flex-row flex-wrap items-center justify-between gap-4 p-5 pt-2">
+        <div className="min-w-0">
+          <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold">{copy.title}</h2>
+          <p className="mt-1 max-w-xl text-sm text-base-content/70">
+            {copy.body}
+          </p>
+        </div>
+        <div className="flex shrink-0 flex-wrap items-center gap-3">
+          {done ? (
+            <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-medium text-success">
+              <Check className="size-4" />
+              Done
+            </span>
+          ) : step === "domain" ? (
+            <form
+              className="join"
+              onSubmit={(event) => {
+                event.preventDefault();
+                onSubmitDomain();
+              }}
+            >
+              <input
+                type="text"
+                className="input input-bordered join-item w-52"
+                placeholder="acme.com"
+                value={domainInput}
+                onChange={(event) => setDomainInput(event.target.value)}
+                aria-label="Your site's domain"
+              />
+              <button
+                type="submit"
+                className="btn btn-primary join-item"
+                disabled={
+                  domainMutation.isPending ||
+                  normalizeDomainInput(domainInput) === ""
+                }
+              >
+                {copy.cta}
+              </button>
+            </form>
+          ) : step === "mcp" ? (
+            <Link
+              to="/ai"
+              className="link link-primary text-sm font-medium"
+              onClick={() =>
+                captureClientEvent("dashboard:next_move_click", { step })
+              }
+            >
+              {copy.cta} →
+            </Link>
+          ) : (
+            <button type="button" className="btn btn-primary" onClick={onCta}>
+              {copy.cta}
+            </button>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+export function DashboardPage({ projectId }: { projectId: string }) {
+  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
+
+  const activationQuery = useQuery({
+    queryKey: ["dashboardActivation", projectId],
+    queryFn: () => getDashboardActivation({ data: { projectId } }),
+  });
+  const overviewQuery = useQuery({
+    queryKey: ["dashboardOverview", projectId],
+    queryFn: () => getDashboardOverview({ data: { projectId } }),
+  });
+
+  const activation = activationQuery.data;
+  const overview = overviewQuery.data;
+
+  // Visit-triggered backlink snapshot: fire once per page view when the
+  // overview reports a missing or stale snapshot for a project with a domain.
+  // The server re-checks freshness, so a stray double-fire costs nothing.
+  const refreshMutation = useMutation({
+    mutationFn: () => refreshDashboardBacklinkSnapshot({ data: { projectId } }),
+    onSuccess: () =>
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: ["dashboardOverview", projectId],
+      }),
+  });
+  const refreshFiredRef = useRef(false);
+  const needsSnapshot =
+    activation?.domain != null &&
+    overview !== undefined &&
+    (overview.backlinks === null || overview.backlinks.stale);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!needsSnapshot || refreshFiredRef.current) return;
+    refreshFiredRef.current = true;
+    refreshMutation.mutate();
+  }, [needsSnapshot, refreshMutation]);
+
+  if (activationQuery.isError) {
+    return (
+      <div className="px-4 py-4 md:px-6 md:py-6">
+        <div className="alert alert-error">
+          {getStandardErrorMessage(activationQuery.error)}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (!activation) {
+    return (
+      <div
+        className="mx-auto flex max-w-5xl flex-col gap-5 px-4 py-4 md:px-6 md:py-6"
+        aria-busy
+      >
+        <div className="skeleton h-8 w-52" />
+        <div className="skeleton h-36" />
+        <div className="grid gap-5 lg:grid-cols-2">
+          <div className="skeleton h-44" />
+          <div className="skeleton h-44" />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+  const showBacklinks = activation.domain !== null;
+  const gscConnected = activation.gsc.connected;
+
+  return (
+    <div className="px-4 py-4 pb-24 md:px-6 md:py-6 md:pb-8">
+      <div className="mx-auto flex max-w-5xl flex-col gap-5">
+        <h1 className="text-2xl font-semibold">Dashboard</h1>
+
+        <OnboardingChecklist projectId={projectId} activation={activation} />
+
+        {/* Every card is half width on large screens (only the checklist spans).
+          Cards with data render before setup pitches and empty states. */}
+        <div className="grid items-start gap-5 lg:grid-cols-2">
+          {[
+            // Array order is the within-bucket order after the data-first sort:
+            // the MCP pitch leads the setup cards.
+            ...(activation.mcp.firstToolCallAt || activation.mcp.cardDismissedAt
+              ? []
+              : [
+                  {
+                    key: "mcp",
+                    hasData: false,
+                    node: (
+                      <McpConnectCard
+                        projectId={projectId}
+                        activation={activation}
+                      />
+                    ),
+                  },
+                ]),
+            {
+              key: "gsc",
+              hasData: gscConnected,
+              node: <GscCard projectId={projectId} connected={gscConnected} />,
+            },
+            {
+              key: "rank",
+              hasData: overview?.rank != null,
+              node: (
+                <RankMovementCard
+                  projectId={projectId}
+                  rank={overview?.rank ?? null}
+                />
+              ),
+            },
+            {
+              key: "audit",
+              hasData: overview?.audit != null,
+              node: (
+                <AuditHealthCard
+                  projectId={projectId}
+                  audit={overview?.audit ?? null}
+                />
+              ),
+            },
+            ...(showBacklinks
+              ? [
+                  {
+                    key: "backlinks",
+                    hasData:
+                      overview?.backlinks != null || refreshMutation.isPending,
+                    node: (
+                      <BacklinkPulseCard
+                        projectId={projectId}
+                        backlinks={overview?.backlinks ?? null}
+                        refreshing={refreshMutation.isPending}
+                      />
+                    ),
+                  },
+                ]
+              : []),
+          ]
+            .toSorted((a, b) => Number(b.hasData) - Number(a.hasData))
+            .map((card) => (
+              <div key={card.key}>{card.node}</div>
+            ))}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}

src/client/features/dashboard/McpConnectCard.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import { Link } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { CopyButton } from "@/client/features/ai-mcp/SetupControls";
+import { captureClientEvent } from "@/client/lib/posthog";
+import type { DashboardActivation } from "@/server/features/dashboard/services/DashboardService";
+import { dismissDashboardMcpCard } from "@/serverFunctions/dashboard";
+
+function firstPrompts(domain: string | null): string[] {
+  const site = domain ?? "my site";
+  return [
+    `Review ${site}. Ideas for what keywords we could target? Use OpenSEO`,
+    "Research my competitors top pages and keywords and tell me what's working. Use OpenSEO",
+  ];
+}
+
+/**
+ * The MCP activation card. Pitches the agent workflow and links to the
+ * AI & MCP page for setup; disappears for good after the org's first
+ * external tool call (or an explicit "I already connected").
+ */
+export function McpConnectCard({
+  projectId,
+  activation,
+}: {
+  projectId: string;
+  activation: DashboardActivation;
+}) {
+  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
+  const dismissMutation = useMutation({
+    mutationFn: () => dismissDashboardMcpCard({ data: { projectId } }),
+    onSuccess: () =>
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: ["dashboardActivation", projectId],
+      }),
+  });
+
+  if (activation.mcp.firstToolCallAt || activation.mcp.cardDismissedAt) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const connected = activation.mcp.authorizedAt !== null;
+
+  return (
+    <div className="overflow-hidden rounded-xl border border-base-300 bg-base-100 shadow-sm">
+      <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4 px-5 py-4">
+        <h2 className="text-base font-semibold leading-tight">
+          Connect your AI agent
+        </h2>
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
+          {connected ? (
+            <span className="badge badge-success badge-outline badge-sm">
+              Connected
+            </span>
+          ) : null}
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            className="btn btn-ghost btn-xs text-base-content/60"
+            disabled={dismissMutation.isPending}
+            onClick={() => {
+              captureClientEvent("dashboard:mcp_already_connected");
+              dismissMutation.mutate();
+            }}
+          >
+            I already connected
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+      <div className="space-y-3 border-t border-base-300 p-5">
+        {connected ? (
+          <>
+            <p className="text-sm text-base-content/70">
+              Your agent is connected. Try asking it:
+            </p>
+            <ul className="space-y-2">
+              {firstPrompts(activation.domain).map((prompt) => (
+                <li
+                  key={prompt}
+                  className="flex items-center justify-between gap-2 rounded-md border border-base-300 bg-base-200/50 px-3 py-2"
+                >
+                  <span className="min-w-0 truncate text-xs text-base-content/80">
+                    {prompt}
+                  </span>
+                  <CopyButton
+                    value={prompt}
+                    successMessage="Prompt copied"
+                    iconOnly
+                    onCopy={() =>
+                      captureClientEvent("dashboard:mcp_prompt_copy")
+                    }
+                  />
+                </li>
+              ))}
+            </ul>
+            <p className="text-xs text-base-content/50">
+              Waiting for your first call — this card disappears once your agent
+              talks to OpenSEO.
+            </p>
+          </>
+        ) : (
+          <>
+            <div className="space-y-2 text-sm text-base-content/70">
+              <p>
+                OpenSEO is designed to give your AI agent the data it needs to
+                build a great SEO strategy and help you execute it.
+              </p>
+              <p>
+                This way you aren&rsquo;t limited on &ldquo;AI credits&rdquo;.
+              </p>
+              <p>
+                You can work with your agent to figure out what automations make
+                sense for you and it can help you write content too.
+              </p>
+            </div>
+            <Link
+              to="/ai"
+              className="link link-primary text-sm font-medium"
+              onClick={() => captureClientEvent("dashboard:mcp_setup_open")}
+            >
+              Set up in AI &amp; MCP →
+            </Link>
+          </>
+        )}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}

src/client/features/dashboard/cardParts.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+// Shared building blocks for the dashboard cards. Same visual language as
+// the GSC IntegrationCard (rounded-xl, shadow-sm, header row + divider) so
+// the embedded SearchConsoleConnectionCard doesn't read as a different
+// design system.
+export function CardShell({
+  title,
+  stamp,
+  action,
+  children,
+}: {
+  title: string;
+  stamp?: string;
+  action?: React.ReactNode;
+  children: React.ReactNode;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div className="overflow-hidden rounded-xl border border-base-300 bg-base-100 shadow-sm">
+      <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4 px-5 py-4">
+        <h2 className="text-base font-semibold leading-tight">{title}</h2>
+        {action}
+      </div>
+      <div className="border-t border-base-300 p-5">
+        {children}
+        {stamp ? (
+          <p className="mt-4 text-[11px] text-base-content/45">{stamp}</p>
+        ) : null}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+export function EmptyCardBody({
+  message,
+  cta,
+}: {
+  message: string;
+  cta: React.ReactNode;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div className="flex flex-col items-start gap-3">
+      <p className="text-sm text-base-content/70">{message}</p>
+      {cta}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+export function Stat({
+  label,
+  value,
+  tone,
+  sub,
+}: {
+  label: string;
+  value: string;
+  tone?: "success" | "error";
+  sub?: React.ReactNode;
+}) {
+  const toneClass =
+    tone === "success" ? "text-success" : tone === "error" ? "text-error" : "";
+  return (
+    <div>
+      <p className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-base-content/60">
+        {label}
+      </p>
+      <p className={`text-2xl font-semibold tabular-nums ${toneClass}`}>
+        {value}
+      </p>
+      {sub}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+export function PercentDelta({
+  current,
+  previous,
+}: {
+  current: number;
+  previous: number;
+}) {
+  if (previous <= 0) return null;
+  const pct = ((current - previous) / previous) * 100;
+  if (!Number.isFinite(pct)) return null;
+  const rounded = Math.round(pct);
+  const tone = rounded > 0 ? "text-success" : rounded < 0 ? "text-error" : "";
+  return (
+    <p className={`text-xs tabular-nums ${tone}`}>
+      {rounded > 0 ? "▲" : rounded < 0 ? "▼" : ""} {Math.abs(rounded)}%
+    </p>
+  );
+}
+
+export const moreDetailsClass = "btn btn-ghost btn-xs";
+
+export function newLost(value: number | null): string {
+  return value === null ? "—" : String(value);
+}
+
+export function formatDay(timestamp: string): string {
+  const ms = Date.parse(
+    // SQLite's current_timestamp default has no timezone marker; treat it as
+    // UTC rather than letting the browser parse it as local time.
+    /^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} /.test(timestamp)
+      ? `${timestamp.replace(" ", "T")}Z`
+      : timestamp,
+  );
+  if (Number.isNaN(ms)) return timestamp;
+  return new Date(ms).toLocaleDateString(undefined, {
+    month: "short",
+    day: "numeric",
+  });
+}

src/client/features/dashboard/dashboardSteps.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import type { DashboardActivation } from "@/server/features/dashboard/services/DashboardService";
+import type { DashboardHeroStep } from "@/types/schemas/dashboard";
+
+export const STEP_ORDER: DashboardHeroStep[] = [
+  "domain",
+  "mcp",
+  "gsc",
+  "competitor",
+];
+
+// A step is "done" when the underlying product state exists, regardless of
+// how it got there. The MCP hero step completes at authorization (the card
+// below owns the connected-but-no-call-yet coaching) or when the user said
+// "I already connected".
+export function isStepDone(
+  activation: DashboardActivation,
+  step: DashboardHeroStep,
+): boolean {
+  switch (step) {
+    case "domain":
+      return activation.domain !== null;
+    case "mcp":
+      return (
+        activation.mcp.authorizedAt !== null ||
+        activation.mcp.cardDismissedAt !== null
+      );
+    case "gsc":
+      return activation.gsc.connected;
+    case "competitor":
+      return activation.competitorClickedAt !== null;
+  }
+}
+
+/** The single step the hero should coach next; null = coaching is over. */
+export function computeNextStep(
+  activation: DashboardActivation,
+): DashboardHeroStep | null {
+  for (const step of STEP_ORDER) {
+    if (!isStepDone(activation, step)) return step;
+  }
+  return null;
+}

src/client/features/gsc/SearchConsoleConnectionCard.tsx

@@ -96,6 +96,14 @@ export function SearchConsoleConnectionCard({
       void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
         queryKey: ["searchPerformanceTable", projectId],
       });
+      // The dashboard embeds this card and swaps it for the Search
+      // performance stats card once activation reports the connection.
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: ["dashboardActivation", projectId],
+      });
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: ["dashboardGscReport", projectId],
+      });
     },
     onError: (error) => toast.error(getStandardErrorMessage(error)),
   });
@@ -116,6 +124,12 @@ export function SearchConsoleConnectionCard({
       void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
         queryKey: ["searchPerformanceTable", projectId],
       });
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: ["dashboardActivation", projectId],
+      });
+      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: ["dashboardGscReport", projectId],
+      });
     },
     onError: (error) => toast.error(getStandardErrorMessage(error)),
   });
@@ -177,7 +191,8 @@ export function SearchConsoleConnectionCard({
       ) : (
         <div className="space-y-4">
           <p className="text-sm text-base-content/70">
-            Connect your Google Search Console to get insights in OpenSEO.
+            Connect GSC to see how your website is actually performing in Google
+            Search.
           </p>
           <button
             type="button"

src/client/features/onboarding/PostSignupOnboarding.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { ArrowLeft, ArrowRight, Check } from "lucide-react";
+import { ArrowRight, Check } from "lucide-react";
 import type { ReactNode } from "react";
 import { Fragment } from "react";
 import {
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ type PostSignupOnboardingProps = {
   onNext: () => void;
   onBack: () => void;
   onSkip: () => void;
-  onFinish: (mcpSetupIntent: "yes" | "no") => void;
+  onFinish: () => void;
   isSaving: boolean;
   accountMenu: ReactNode;
 };
@@ -122,27 +122,20 @@ export function PostSignupOnboarding({
             otherValue={answers.sourceOther}
             onOtherChange={(sourceOther) => updateAnswers({ sourceOther })}
           />
-        ) : step === 3 ? (
-          <SearchConsoleOnboardingStep />
         ) : (
-          <McpRecommendation
-            isSaving={isSaving}
-            onBack={onBack}
-            onSetup={() => onFinish("yes")}
-            onSkip={() => onFinish("no")}
-          />
+          <SearchConsoleOnboardingStep />
         )}
 
-        {step < ONBOARDING_LAST_STEP ? (
-          <div className="mt-5 flex items-center justify-between gap-3">
-            <button
-              type="button"
-              className="btn btn-ghost"
-              disabled={step === 0 || isSaving}
-              onClick={onBack}
-            >
-              Back
-            </button>
+        <div className="mt-5 flex items-center justify-between gap-3">
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            className="btn btn-ghost"
+            disabled={step === 0 || isSaving}
+            onClick={onBack}
+          >
+            Back
+          </button>
+          {step < ONBOARDING_LAST_STEP ? (
             <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
               <button
                 type="button"
@@ -162,79 +155,23 @@ export function PostSignupOnboarding({
                 <ArrowRight className="size-4" />
               </button>
             </div>
-          </div>
-        ) : null}
+          ) : (
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              className="btn btn-primary"
+              disabled={isSaving}
+              onClick={onFinish}
+            >
+              Finish
+              <ArrowRight className="size-4" />
+            </button>
+          )}
+        </div>
       </div>
     </div>
   );
 }
 
-function McpRecommendation({
-  isSaving,
-  onBack,
-  onSetup,
-  onSkip,
-}: {
-  isSaving: boolean;
-  onBack: () => void;
-  onSetup: () => void;
-  onSkip: () => void;
-}) {
-  const capabilities = [
-    "Keyword research",
-    "Competitor research",
-    "Link prospecting",
-  ];
-
-  return (
-    <div className="flex flex-col">
-      <button
-        type="button"
-        className="btn btn-ghost btn-sm -ml-2 mb-2 self-start gap-1.5 text-base-content/60"
-        disabled={isSaving}
-        onClick={onBack}
-      >
-        <ArrowLeft className="size-4" />
-        Back
-      </button>
-      <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold">Set up OpenSEO MCP?</h2>
-      <p className="mt-1.5 text-sm leading-relaxed text-base-content/70">
-        The most powerful way to use OpenSEO — use AI to supercharge your SEO
-        skills.
-      </p>
-
-      <ul className="mt-4 w-full space-y-2">
-        {capabilities.map((capability) => (
-          <li key={capability} className="flex items-center gap-2.5 text-sm">
-            <span className="flex size-5 shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-base-200 text-base-content">
-              <Check className="size-3" />
-            </span>
-            <span className="text-base-content/80">{capability}</span>
-          </li>
-        ))}
-      </ul>
-
-      <button
-        type="button"
-        className="btn btn-primary mt-5 w-full"
-        disabled={isSaving}
-        onClick={onSetup}
-      >
-        Yes, set up MCP
-        <ArrowRight className="size-4" />
-      </button>
-      <button
-        type="button"
-        className="btn btn-ghost btn-sm mt-2 w-full text-base-content/60"
-        disabled={isSaving}
-        onClick={onSkip}
-      >
-        Not now
-      </button>
-    </div>
-  );
-}
-
 function OnboardingChoiceGroup({
   title,
   description,

src/client/features/onboarding/onboardingModel.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { queryOptions } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { getOnboardingAnswers } from "@/serverFunctions/onboarding";
 
-export const ONBOARDING_LAST_STEP = 4;
+export const ONBOARDING_LAST_STEP = 3;
 
 export const INTEREST_OPTIONS = [
   "AI workflows with Claude or Codex (MCP)",
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ export const CLIENT_WEBSITE_COUNT_OPTIONS = [
 ] as const;
 
 export const SOURCE_OPTIONS = [
+  "Product Hunt",
   "Google",
   "Reddit",
   "X / Twitter",
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ export function restoreOnboardingAnswers(
 export function buildOnboardingPayload(
   answers: OnboardingAnswers,
   step: number,
-  extra: { mcpSetupIntent?: "yes" | "no"; completed?: boolean } = {},
+  extra: { completed?: boolean } = {},
 ) {
   const interestedFeatures = answers.selectedInterests.map((value) =>
     value === "Other" && answers.interestOther.trim()

src/client/features/projects/ProjectSwitcher.tsx

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ export function ProjectSwitcher({
     if (project.id === activeProjectId) return;
     setLastProjectId(project.id);
     void navigate({
-      to: "/p/$projectId/keywords",
+      to: "/p/$projectId",
       params: { projectId: project.id },
     });
   };

src/client/navigation/items.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
   Bot,
   ClipboardCheck,
   Globe,
+  LayoutDashboard,
   Link2,
   MessageSquare,
   Search,
@@ -13,6 +14,14 @@ import { linkOptions } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { GoogleGlyphMuted } from "@/client/features/gsc/GoogleGlyph";
 
 const projectNavItems = [
+  {
+    to: "/p/$projectId" as const,
+    label: "Dashboard",
+    icon: LayoutDashboard,
+    // Without exact matching, the index path is a prefix of every project
+    // route and the Dashboard item would render active everywhere.
+    activeOptions: { exact: true, includeSearch: false },
+  },
   {
     to: "/p/$projectId/keywords" as const,
     label: "Keyword Research",
@@ -90,6 +99,10 @@ export function getProjectNavGroups(projectId: string) {
     all.find((i) => i.to === path)!;
 
   return [
+    {
+      label: "Overview",
+      items: [byPath("/p/$projectId")],
+    },
     {
       label: "Research",
       items: [

src/db/app.schema.ts

@@ -350,3 +350,71 @@ export const rankSnapshots = sqliteTable(
     ),
   ],
 );
+
+// Dashboard activation milestones. Organization-scoped: MCP OAuth grants are
+// user-level, so any member connecting an external MCP client satisfies the
+// milestone for the whole organization. Timestamps are first-occurrence only
+// and never move once set.
+export const organizationActivationState = sqliteTable(
+  "organization_activation_state",
+  {
+    organizationId: text("organization_id")
+      .primaryKey()
+      .references(() => organization.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    firstMcpAuthorizedAt: text("first_mcp_authorized_at"),
+    firstMcpToolCallAt: text("first_mcp_tool_call_at"),
+    updatedAt: text("updated_at")
+      .notNull()
+      .default(sql`(current_timestamp)`),
+  },
+);
+
+// Per-project state for the dashboard's onboarding checklist. Most steps
+// complete via real product state (projects.domain, gsc_connections, MCP
+// activation); the competitor step completes on click-through.
+export const projectActivationState = sqliteTable("project_activation_state", {
+  projectId: text("project_id")
+    .primaryKey()
+    .references(() => projects.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+  competitorStepClickedAt: text("competitor_step_clicked_at"),
+  // "I already connected" on the MCP card: hides the card for this project
+  // without faking the org-level first-tool-call milestone, which stays
+  // truthful and self-heals when a real external call lands.
+  mcpCardDismissedAt: text("mcp_card_dismissed_at"),
+  updatedAt: text("updated_at")
+    .notNull()
+    .default(sql`(current_timestamp)`),
+});
+
+// Point-in-time backlink profile summaries for the project's own domain,
+// written by the dashboard's visit-triggered refresh. DataForSEO's summary
+// already carries new/lost counts, so one snapshot renders a full card;
+// rows accumulate into history for future trend views. The domain is stored
+// per row so a later project-domain change doesn't rewrite history.
+export const backlinkSnapshots = sqliteTable(
+  "backlink_snapshots",
+  {
+    id: integer("id").primaryKey({ autoIncrement: true }),
+    projectId: text("project_id")
+      .notNull()
+      .references(() => projects.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    domain: text("domain").notNull(),
+    rank: integer("rank"),
+    backlinks: integer("backlinks"),
+    referringDomains: integer("referring_domains"),
+    brokenBacklinks: integer("broken_backlinks"),
+    newBacklinks: integer("new_backlinks"),
+    lostBacklinks: integer("lost_backlinks"),
+    newReferringDomains: integer("new_referring_domains"),
+    lostReferringDomains: integer("lost_referring_domains"),
+    capturedAt: text("captured_at")
+      .notNull()
+      .default(sql`(current_timestamp)`),
+  },
+  (table) => [
+    index("backlink_snapshots_project_captured_idx").on(
+      table.projectId,
+      table.capturedAt,
+    ),
+  ],
+);

src/db/pg/app.schema.ts

@@ -343,3 +343,65 @@ export const rankSnapshots = pgTable(
     ),
   ],
 );
+
+// Dashboard activation milestones. Organization-scoped: MCP OAuth grants are
+// user-level, so any member connecting an external MCP client satisfies the
+// milestone for the whole organization. Timestamps are first-occurrence only
+// and never move once set.
+export const organizationActivationState = pgTable(
+  "organization_activation_state",
+  {
+    organizationId: text("organization_id")
+      .primaryKey()
+      .references(() => organization.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    firstMcpAuthorizedAt: timestampColumn("first_mcp_authorized_at"),
+    firstMcpToolCallAt: timestampColumn("first_mcp_tool_call_at"),
+    updatedAt: timestampColumn("updated_at").notNull().default(isoNow),
+  },
+);
+
+// Per-project state for the dashboard's onboarding checklist. Most steps
+// complete via real product state (projects.domain, gsc_connections, MCP
+// activation); the competitor step completes on click-through.
+export const projectActivationState = pgTable("project_activation_state", {
+  projectId: text("project_id")
+    .primaryKey()
+    .references(() => projects.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+  competitorStepClickedAt: timestampColumn("competitor_step_clicked_at"),
+  // "I already connected" on the MCP card: hides the card for this project
+  // without faking the org-level first-tool-call milestone, which stays
+  // truthful and self-heals when a real external call lands.
+  mcpCardDismissedAt: timestampColumn("mcp_card_dismissed_at"),
+  updatedAt: timestampColumn("updated_at").notNull().default(isoNow),
+});
+
+// Point-in-time backlink profile summaries for the project's own domain,
+// written by the dashboard's visit-triggered refresh. DataForSEO's summary
+// already carries new/lost counts, so one snapshot renders a full card;
+// rows accumulate into history for future trend views. The domain is stored
+// per row so a later project-domain change doesn't rewrite history.
+export const backlinkSnapshots = pgTable(
+  "backlink_snapshots",
+  {
+    id: serial("id").primaryKey(),
+    projectId: text("project_id")
+      .notNull()
+      .references(() => projects.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    domain: text("domain").notNull(),
+    rank: integer("rank"),
+    backlinks: integer("backlinks"),
+    referringDomains: integer("referring_domains"),
+    brokenBacklinks: integer("broken_backlinks"),
+    newBacklinks: integer("new_backlinks"),
+    lostBacklinks: integer("lost_backlinks"),
+    newReferringDomains: integer("new_referring_domains"),
+    lostReferringDomains: integer("lost_referring_domains"),
+    capturedAt: timestampColumn("captured_at").notNull().default(isoNow),
+  },
+  (table) => [
+    index("backlink_snapshots_project_captured_idx").on(
+      table.projectId,
+      table.capturedAt,
+    ),
+  ],
+);

src/db/schema.ts

@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ export const {
   rankTrackingKeywords,
   rankCheckRuns,
   rankSnapshots,
+  organizationActivationState,
+  projectActivationState,
+  backlinkSnapshots,
   audits,
   auditPages,
   auditLinks,

src/routes/_app/index.tsx

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ function IndexRedirect() {
     }
 
     void navigate({
-      to: "/p/$projectId/keywords",
+      to: "/p/$projectId",
       params: { projectId: (target ?? data[0]).id },
     });
   }, [data, navigate]);

src/routes/_authenticated.onboarding.index.tsx

@@ -81,10 +81,7 @@ function OnboardingFlow({
   const [answers, setAnswers] = useState<OnboardingAnswers>(initialAnswers);
 
   const saveMutation = useMutation({
-    mutationFn: (extra: {
-      mcpSetupIntent?: "yes" | "no";
-      completed?: boolean;
-    }) =>
+    mutationFn: (extra: { completed?: boolean }) =>
       saveOnboardingAnswers({
         data: buildOnboardingPayload(answers, step, extra),
       }),
@@ -113,9 +110,9 @@ function OnboardingFlow({
     goToStep(step + 1);
   };
 
-  const handleFinish = async (mcpSetupIntent: "yes" | "no") => {
+  const handleFinish = async () => {
     try {
-      await saveMutation.mutateAsync({ mcpSetupIntent, completed: true });
+      await saveMutation.mutateAsync({ completed: true });
       // Refresh the shared cache so the destination's onboarding-redirect guard
       // sees the completed state and doesn't bounce the user back here.
       await queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ["onboardingAnswers"] });
@@ -126,13 +123,9 @@ function OnboardingFlow({
       interests: answers.selectedInterests,
       work_for: answers.workFor,
       source: answers.source,
-      wants_mcp_setup: mcpSetupIntent === "yes",
     });
-    if (mcpSetupIntent === "yes") {
-      void navigate({ to: "/ai", replace: true });
-    } else {
-      void navigate({ to: "/", replace: true });
-    }
+    // The dashboard's onboarding checklist owns MCP coaching now.
+    void navigate({ to: "/", replace: true });
   };
 
   return (

src/routes/_project/p/$projectId/index.tsx

@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
-import { createFileRoute, redirect } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { DashboardPage } from "@/client/features/dashboard/DashboardPage";
 
 export const Route = createFileRoute("/_project/p/$projectId/")({
-  beforeLoad: ({ params }) => {
-    throw redirect({
-      to: "/p/$projectId/keywords",
-      params: { projectId: params.projectId },
-    });
-  },
+  component: DashboardRoute,
 });
+
+function DashboardRoute() {
+  const { projectId } = Route.useParams();
+  return <DashboardPage projectId={projectId} />;
+}

src/server/features/activation/mcpActivation.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import { ActivationRepository } from "@/server/features/activation/repositories/ActivationRepository";
+
+// Orgs whose first external MCP tool call is already recorded (or in flight)
+// in this isolate. Only *first* timestamps matter, so after one successful
+// write the tool-call hot path never touches the DB again for that org.
+const recordedToolCallOrgs = new Set<string>();
+
+/**
+ * Milestone writes for the dashboard's MCP activation card. Both are awaited
+ * inline by their callers (not waitUntil) so the upsert runs inside the
+ * request's DB client scope, and both swallow errors: activation tracking
+ * must never fail an OAuth flow or a tool call.
+ */
+export async function recordMcpAuthorized(
+  organizationId: string,
+): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    await ActivationRepository.recordFirstMcpAuthorized(organizationId);
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error("activation: recordMcpAuthorized failed", error);
+  }
+}
+
+export async function recordExternalMcpToolCall(
+  organizationId: string,
+): Promise<void> {
+  if (recordedToolCallOrgs.has(organizationId)) return;
+  recordedToolCallOrgs.add(organizationId);
+  try {
+    await ActivationRepository.recordFirstMcpToolCall(organizationId);
+  } catch (error) {
+    // Allow a retry on a later call rather than losing the milestone.
+    recordedToolCallOrgs.delete(organizationId);
+    console.error("activation: recordExternalMcpToolCall failed", error);
+  }
+}

src/server/features/activation/repositories/ActivationRepository.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import { eq, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { db } from "@/db";
+import {
+  organizationActivationState,
+  projectActivationState,
+} from "@/db/schema";
+
+type OrganizationActivationState =
+  typeof organizationActivationState.$inferSelect;
+type ProjectActivationState = typeof projectActivationState.$inferSelect;
+
+async function getOrganizationActivation(
+  organizationId: string,
+): Promise<OrganizationActivationState | null> {
+  const rows = await db
+    .select()
+    .from(organizationActivationState)
+    .where(eq(organizationActivationState.organizationId, organizationId))
+    .limit(1);
+  return rows[0] ?? null;
+}
+
+async function getProjectActivation(
+  projectId: string,
+): Promise<ProjectActivationState | null> {
+  const rows = await db
+    .select()
+    .from(projectActivationState)
+    .where(eq(projectActivationState.projectId, projectId))
+    .limit(1);
+  return rows[0] ?? null;
+}
+
+// First-occurrence timestamps only: concurrent writers race harmlessly because
+// COALESCE keeps whichever value landed first.
+async function recordFirstMcpAuthorized(organizationId: string): Promise<void> {
+  const now = new Date().toISOString();
+  await db
+    .insert(organizationActivationState)
+    .values({ organizationId, firstMcpAuthorizedAt: now, updatedAt: now })
+    .onConflictDoUpdate({
+      target: organizationActivationState.organizationId,
+      set: {
+        firstMcpAuthorizedAt: sql`coalesce(${organizationActivationState.firstMcpAuthorizedAt}, ${now})`,
+        updatedAt: now,
+      },
+    });
+}
+
+async function recordFirstMcpToolCall(organizationId: string): Promise<void> {
+  const now = new Date().toISOString();
+  await db
+    .insert(organizationActivationState)
+    .values({ organizationId, firstMcpToolCallAt: now, updatedAt: now })
+    .onConflictDoUpdate({
+      target: organizationActivationState.organizationId,
+      set: {
+        firstMcpToolCallAt: sql`coalesce(${organizationActivationState.firstMcpToolCallAt}, ${now})`,
+        updatedAt: now,
+      },
+    });
+}
+
+async function markCompetitorStepClicked(projectId: string): Promise<void> {
+  const now = new Date().toISOString();
+  await db
+    .insert(projectActivationState)
+    .values({ projectId, competitorStepClickedAt: now, updatedAt: now })
+    .onConflictDoUpdate({
+      target: projectActivationState.projectId,
+      set: {
+        competitorStepClickedAt: sql`coalesce(${projectActivationState.competitorStepClickedAt}, ${now})`,
+        updatedAt: now,
+      },
+    });
+}
+
+async function markMcpCardDismissed(projectId: string): Promise<void> {
+  const now = new Date().toISOString();
+  await db
+    .insert(projectActivationState)
+    .values({ projectId, mcpCardDismissedAt: now, updatedAt: now })
+    .onConflictDoUpdate({
+      target: projectActivationState.projectId,
+      set: {
+        mcpCardDismissedAt: sql`coalesce(${projectActivationState.mcpCardDismissedAt}, ${now})`,
+        updatedAt: now,
+      },
+    });
+}
+
+export const ActivationRepository = {
+  getOrganizationActivation,
+  getProjectActivation,
+  recordFirstMcpAuthorized,
+  recordFirstMcpToolCall,
+  markCompetitorStepClicked,
+  markMcpCardDismissed,
+};

src/server/features/audit/repositories/auditSummaryQueries.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import { countDistinct, eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { db } from "@/db";
+import { auditIssues } from "@/db/schema";
+
+/**
+ * Distinct-page counts per issue type for one audit — link-level issues
+ * write one row per occurrence, and consumers phrase this as "N pages".
+ * Lives beside AuditRepository (same pattern as rank-tracking's
+ * snapshotQueries) to keep the main repository under the file-size limit.
+ */
+export async function getIssueTypePageCountsForAudit(auditId: string) {
+  return db
+    .select({
+      issueType: auditIssues.issueType,
+      severity: auditIssues.severity,
+      pages: countDistinct(auditIssues.pageUrl),
+    })
+    .from(auditIssues)
+    .where(eq(auditIssues.auditId, auditId))
+    .groupBy(auditIssues.issueType, auditIssues.severity);
+}

src/server/features/dashboard/repositories/BacklinkSnapshotRepository.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import { desc, eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { db } from "@/db";
+import { backlinkSnapshots } from "@/db/schema";
+
+type BacklinkSnapshot = typeof backlinkSnapshots.$inferSelect;
+
+async function getLatestForProject(
+  projectId: string,
+): Promise<BacklinkSnapshot | null> {
+  const rows = await db
+    .select()
+    .from(backlinkSnapshots)
+    .where(eq(backlinkSnapshots.projectId, projectId))
+    // id, not capturedAt: autoincrement is monotonic and immune to the
+    // sqlite-vs-pg timestamp text-format difference.
+    .orderBy(desc(backlinkSnapshots.id))
+    .limit(1);
+  return rows[0] ?? null;
+}
+
+async function insert(
+  values: typeof backlinkSnapshots.$inferInsert,
+): Promise<BacklinkSnapshot> {
+  const [row] = await db.insert(backlinkSnapshots).values(values).returning();
+  if (!row) {
+    throw new Error("Failed to insert backlink_snapshot");
+  }
+  return row;
+}
+
+export const BacklinkSnapshotRepository = {
+  getLatestForProject,
+  insert,
+};

src/server/features/dashboard/services/DashboardService.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,273 @@
+import type { BillingCustomerContext } from "@/server/billing/subscription";
+import { ActivationRepository } from "@/server/features/activation/repositories/ActivationRepository";
+import { AuditRepository } from "@/server/features/audit/repositories/AuditRepository";
+import { getIssueTypePageCountsForAudit } from "@/server/features/audit/repositories/auditSummaryQueries";
+import { BacklinkSnapshotRepository } from "@/server/features/dashboard/repositories/BacklinkSnapshotRepository";
+import { GscConnectionRepository } from "@/server/features/gsc/repositories/GscConnectionRepository";
+import { RankTrackingRepository } from "@/server/features/rank-tracking/repositories/RankTrackingRepository";
+import { getLatestResults } from "@/server/features/rank-tracking/services/rankTrackingResults";
+import {
+  createDataforseoClient,
+  normalizeBacklinksTarget,
+} from "@/server/lib/dataforseo";
+
+// Daily cadence: fresh numbers each visit without per-visit spend; a dormant
+// project costs nothing because refreshes are visit-triggered.
+const SNAPSHOT_MAX_AGE_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+// Bounds the per-config result reads on the overview path; projects rarely
+// have more than a couple of configs.
+const MAX_CONFIGS_FOR_OVERVIEW = 5;
+
+export type DashboardActivation = {
+  domain: string | null;
+  gsc: { connected: boolean; siteUrl: string | null };
+  mcp: {
+    authorizedAt: string | null;
+    firstToolCallAt: string | null;
+    cardDismissedAt: string | null;
+  };
+  competitorClickedAt: string | null;
+};
+
+export type DashboardRankSummary = {
+  trackedKeywords: number;
+  improved: number;
+  declined: number;
+  top10: number;
+  lastCheckedAt: string | null;
+};
+
+export type DashboardAuditSummary = {
+  status: "running" | "completed" | "failed";
+  pagesCrawled: number;
+  startedAt: string;
+  // Top issue types by severity then affected-page count, for the card's list.
+  topIssues: {
+    issueType: string;
+    severity: "critical" | "warning" | "info";
+    count: number;
+  }[];
+  totalIssueTypes: number;
+};
+
+export type DashboardBacklinkSummary = {
+  domain: string;
+  rank: number | null;
+  backlinks: number | null;
+  referringDomains: number | null;
+  newBacklinks: number | null;
+  lostBacklinks: number | null;
+  newReferringDomains: number | null;
+  lostReferringDomains: number | null;
+  capturedAt: string;
+  stale: boolean;
+};
+
+type DashboardOverview = {
+  rank: DashboardRankSummary | null;
+  audit: DashboardAuditSummary | null;
+  backlinks: DashboardBacklinkSummary | null;
+};
+
+async function getActivation(input: {
+  projectId: string;
+  organizationId: string;
+  domain: string | null;
+}): Promise<DashboardActivation> {
+  const [gsc, orgActivation, projectActivation] = await Promise.all([
+    GscConnectionRepository.getByProjectId(input.projectId),
+    ActivationRepository.getOrganizationActivation(input.organizationId),
+    ActivationRepository.getProjectActivation(input.projectId),
+  ]);
+
+  return {
+    domain: input.domain,
+    gsc: { connected: gsc !== null, siteUrl: gsc?.siteUrl ?? null },
+    mcp: {
+      authorizedAt: orgActivation?.firstMcpAuthorizedAt ?? null,
+      firstToolCallAt: orgActivation?.firstMcpToolCallAt ?? null,
+      cardDismissedAt: projectActivation?.mcpCardDismissedAt ?? null,
+    },
+    competitorClickedAt: projectActivation?.competitorStepClickedAt ?? null,
+  };
+}
+
+async function getOverview(input: {
+  projectId: string;
+  domain: string | null;
+}): Promise<DashboardOverview> {
+  const [rank, audit, backlinks] = await Promise.all([
+    getRankSummary(input.projectId),
+    getAuditSummary(input.projectId),
+    getBacklinkSummary(input.projectId, input.domain),
+  ]);
+  return { rank, audit, backlinks };
+}
+
+async function getRankSummary(
+  projectId: string,
+): Promise<DashboardRankSummary | null> {
+  const configs = await RankTrackingRepository.getConfigsForProject(projectId);
+  if (configs.length === 0) return null;
+
+  const results = await Promise.all(
+    configs
+      .slice(0, MAX_CONFIGS_FOR_OVERVIEW)
+      .map((config) => getLatestResults(config.id, projectId, "7d")),
+  );
+
+  const summary: DashboardRankSummary = {
+    trackedKeywords: 0,
+    improved: 0,
+    declined: 0,
+    top10: 0,
+    lastCheckedAt: null,
+  };
+
+  for (const result of results) {
+    summary.trackedKeywords += result.rows.length;
+    if (
+      result.run &&
+      (!summary.lastCheckedAt ||
+        result.run.lastCheckedAt > summary.lastCheckedAt)
+    ) {
+      summary.lastCheckedAt = result.run.lastCheckedAt;
+    }
+    for (const row of result.rows) {
+      for (const device of ["desktop", "mobile"] as const) {
+        const { position, previousPosition } = row[device];
+        if (position !== null && position <= 10) summary.top10 += 1;
+        if (position === null || previousPosition === null) continue;
+        // Lower position number = better ranking.
+        if (position < previousPosition) summary.improved += 1;
+        else if (position > previousPosition) summary.declined += 1;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return summary;
+}
+
+async function getAuditSummary(
+  projectId: string,
+): Promise<DashboardAuditSummary | null> {
+  const audit = await AuditRepository.getLatestAuditForProject(projectId);
+  if (!audit) return null;
+
+  const typeRows = await getIssueTypePageCountsForAudit(audit.id);
+
+  const severityRank = { critical: 0, warning: 1, info: 2 };
+  const sorted = typeRows
+    .map((row) => ({
+      issueType: row.issueType,
+      severity: row.severity,
+      count: row.pages,
+    }))
+    .toSorted(
+      (a, b) =>
+        severityRank[a.severity] - severityRank[b.severity] ||
+        b.count - a.count,
+    );
+
+  return {
+    status: audit.status,
+    pagesCrawled: audit.pagesCrawled,
+    startedAt: audit.startedAt,
+    topIssues: sorted.slice(0, 3),
+    totalIssueTypes: sorted.length,
+  };
+}
+
+function isSnapshotFresh(capturedAt: string): boolean {
+  const capturedMs = Date.parse(capturedAt);
+  if (Number.isNaN(capturedMs)) return false;
+  return Date.now() - capturedMs < SNAPSHOT_MAX_AGE_MS;
+}
+
+async function getBacklinkSummary(
+  projectId: string,
+  domain: string | null,
+): Promise<DashboardBacklinkSummary | null> {
+  if (!domain) return null;
+  const snapshot =
+    await BacklinkSnapshotRepository.getLatestForProject(projectId);
+  if (!snapshot || snapshot.domain !== domain) return null;
+  return {
+    domain: snapshot.domain,
+    rank: snapshot.rank,
+    backlinks: snapshot.backlinks,
+    referringDomains: snapshot.referringDomains,
+    newBacklinks: snapshot.newBacklinks,
+    lostBacklinks: snapshot.lostBacklinks,
+    newReferringDomains: snapshot.newReferringDomains,
+    lostReferringDomains: snapshot.lostReferringDomains,
+    capturedAt: snapshot.capturedAt,
+    stale: !isSnapshotFresh(snapshot.capturedAt),
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Visit-triggered snapshot refresh. Fetches only the DataForSEO backlinks
+ * summary (not the history endpoint the backlinks page also pays for) and is
+ * a no-op while the latest snapshot for the current domain is under a day
+ * old. Concurrent loads racing the freshness check can each pay a metered
+ * call — every call is metered, so the race duplicates customer spend on
+ * identical data but never leaks revenue; accepted for now. On a fetch
+ * failure with a stale snapshot in hand, the stale snapshot is returned
+ * rather than surfacing an error card.
+ */
+async function ensureBacklinkSnapshot(input: {
+  projectId: string;
+  domain: string | null;
+  billingCustomer: BillingCustomerContext;
+}): Promise<DashboardBacklinkSummary | null> {
+  const { projectId, domain } = input;
+  if (!domain) return null;
+
+  const latest =
+    await BacklinkSnapshotRepository.getLatestForProject(projectId);
+  const latestMatchesDomain = latest !== null && latest.domain === domain;
+  if (latest && latestMatchesDomain && isSnapshotFresh(latest.capturedAt)) {
+    return getBacklinkSummary(projectId, domain);
+  }
+
+  const normalized = normalizeBacklinksTarget(domain, { scope: "domain" });
+  const dataforseo = createDataforseoClient(input.billingCustomer);
+
+  try {
+    const summary = await dataforseo.backlinks.summary({
+      target: normalized.apiTarget,
+    });
+    await BacklinkSnapshotRepository.insert({
+      projectId,
+      domain,
+      rank: summary.rank ?? null,
+      backlinks: summary.backlinks ?? null,
+      referringDomains: summary.referring_domains ?? null,
+      brokenBacklinks: summary.broken_backlinks ?? null,
+      newBacklinks: summary.new_backlinks ?? null,
+      lostBacklinks: summary.lost_backlinks ?? null,
+      newReferringDomains:
+        summary.new_referring_domains ?? summary.new_reffering_domains ?? null,
+      lostReferringDomains:
+        summary.lost_referring_domains ??
+        summary.lost_reffering_domains ??
+        null,
+      capturedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    });
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (latestMatchesDomain) {
+      console.error("dashboard: backlink snapshot refresh failed", error);
+      return getBacklinkSummary(projectId, domain);
+    }
+    throw error;
+  }
+
+  return getBacklinkSummary(projectId, domain);
+}
+
+export const DashboardService = {
+  getActivation,
+  getOverview,
+  ensureBacklinkSnapshot,
+};

src/server/features/projects/repositories/ProjectRepository.ts

@@ -101,6 +101,31 @@ async function updateProject(
   return row;
 }
 
+// Writes only the domain column, for the dashboard's inline domain input.
+async function updateProjectDomain(
+  projectId: string,
+  organizationId: string,
+  domain: string,
+) {
+  const [row] = await db
+    .update(projects)
+    .set({ domain })
+    .where(
+      and(
+        eq(projects.id, projectId),
+        eq(projects.organizationId, organizationId),
+        isNull(projects.archivedAt),
+      ),
+    )
+    .returning();
+
+  if (!row) {
+    throw new AppError("NOT_FOUND");
+  }
+
+  return row;
+}
+
 // Writes only the market columns. Onboarding sets the project's market before
 // the user has named the project or picked a domain, so it must not go through
 // updateProject, whose `domain: input.domain ?? null` would clear the domain.
@@ -197,6 +222,7 @@ export const ProjectRepository = {
   getProjectById,
   createProject,
   updateProject,
+  updateProjectDomain,
   updateProjectMarket,
   tryCreateDefaultProject,
   archiveProject,

src/server/features/projects/services/ProjectService.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   listProjects,
   listProjectsEnsuringOne,
   restoreProject,
+  setProjectDomain,
   setProjectMarket,
   updateProject,
 } from "@/server/features/projects/services/projects";
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ export const ProjectService = {
   listProjectsEnsuringOne,
   createProject,
   updateProject,
+  setProjectDomain,
   setProjectMarket,
   archiveProject,
   restoreProject,

src/server/features/projects/services/projects.test.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   createProject: vi.fn(),
   updateProject: vi.fn(),
+  updateProjectDomain: vi.fn(),
   archiveProject: vi.fn(),
   restoreProject: vi.fn(),
   countProjects: vi.fn(),
@@ -208,6 +209,51 @@ describe("project service", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe("setProjectDomain", () => {
+    it("canonicalizes a pasted URL to the bare host before writing", async () => {
+      mocks.updateProjectDomain.mockResolvedValue(namedProject);
+      const { setProjectDomain } = await import("./projects");
+
+      await setProjectDomain("org_1", {
+        projectId: "project_acme",
+        domain: "https://www.Acme.com/pricing?ref=x",
+      });
+
+      expect(mocks.updateProjectDomain).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        "project_acme",
+        "org_1",
+        "acme.com",
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("rejects junk that the backlink fetch would later refuse", async () => {
+      const { setProjectDomain } = await import("./projects");
+
+      await expect(
+        setProjectDomain("org_1", {
+          projectId: "project_acme",
+          domain: "not a domain",
+        }),
+      ).rejects.toThrow("Enter a valid domain");
+      expect(mocks.updateProjectDomain).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("updateProject domain validation", () => {
+    it("rejects a junk domain instead of storing it", async () => {
+      const { updateProject } = await import("./projects");
+
+      await expect(
+        updateProject("org_1", {
+          projectId: "project_acme",
+          name: "Acme",
+          domain: "999.999.999.999",
+        }),
+      ).rejects.toThrow("Enter a valid domain");
+      expect(mocks.updateProject).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe("setProjectMarket", () => {
     it("writes only the market columns, leaving name and domain untouched", async () => {
       // Onboarding sets the market before the project is named or given a

src/server/features/projects/services/projects.ts

@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ import type {
   ArchiveProjectInput,
   CreateProjectInput,
   RestoreProjectInput,
+  SetProjectDomainInput,
   SetProjectMarketInput,
   UpdateProjectInput,
 } from "@/types/schemas/projects";
 import { ProjectRepository } from "@/server/features/projects/repositories/ProjectRepository";
+import { normalizeBacklinksTarget } from "@/server/lib/dataforseoBacklinksTarget";
 import { AppError } from "@/server/lib/errors";
 import { assertLanguageForLocation } from "@/server/lib/market";
 import { getLanguageCode } from "@/shared/keyword-locations";
@@ -83,6 +85,24 @@ export async function listProjectsEnsuringOne(organizationId: string) {
   return listProjects(organizationId);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Validates and canonicalizes a project domain (lowercase bare host, www and
+ * protocol/path stripped) with the same rules the backlink fetch will apply
+ * later, so junk fails at save time instead of at the first paid call.
+ * Undefined passes through — updateProject uses that to clear the domain.
+ */
+function normalizeProjectDomain(domain: string | undefined) {
+  if (domain === undefined) return undefined;
+  try {
+    return normalizeBacklinksTarget(domain, { scope: "domain" }).apiTarget;
+  } catch {
+    throw new AppError(
+      "VALIDATION_ERROR",
+      "Enter a valid domain, like acme.com.",
+    );
+  }
+}
+
 export async function createProject(
   organizationId: string,
   input: CreateProjectInput,
@@ -91,7 +111,7 @@ export async function createProject(
     const row = await ProjectRepository.createProject(
       organizationId,
       input.name,
-      input.domain,
+      normalizeProjectDomain(input.domain),
       resolveMarketInput(input),
     );
     return mapProject(row);
@@ -113,7 +133,7 @@ export async function updateProject(
       organizationId,
       {
         name: input.name,
-        domain: input.domain,
+        domain: normalizeProjectDomain(input.domain),
         market: resolveMarketInput(input),
       },
     );
@@ -126,6 +146,27 @@ export async function updateProject(
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Sets a project's domain on its own, for the dashboard hero's inline input.
+ * Writing just this column keeps the write from echoing a name/market the
+ * caller never edited.
+ */
+export async function setProjectDomain(
+  organizationId: string,
+  input: SetProjectDomainInput,
+) {
+  const domain = normalizeProjectDomain(input.domain);
+  if (domain === undefined) {
+    throw new AppError("VALIDATION_ERROR", "Enter a valid domain.");
+  }
+  const row = await ProjectRepository.updateProjectDomain(
+    input.projectId,
+    organizationId,
+    domain,
+  );
+  return mapProject(row);
+}
+
 /**
  * Sets a project's default market on its own, for surfaces that only ask for
  * the market (onboarding). Writing just these two columns keeps the write from

src/server/mcp/instrumentation.test.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { AppError } from "@/server/lib/errors";
 const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   captureServerError: vi.fn(),
   captureServerEvent: vi.fn(),
+  recordExternalMcpToolCall: vi.fn(),
   incrementSelfHostMcpToolCallCount: vi.fn(),
 }));
 
@@ -24,6 +25,12 @@ vi.mock("@/server/lib/posthog", () => ({
   captureServerEvent: mocks.captureServerEvent,
 }));
 
+// The real module pulls in @/db (cloudflare:workers env) — mock it out and
+// assert the milestone hook at this boundary instead.
+vi.mock("@/server/features/activation/mcpActivation", () => ({
+  recordExternalMcpToolCall: mocks.recordExternalMcpToolCall,
+}));
+
 vi.mock("@/server/lib/self-host-telemetry", () => ({
   incrementSelfHostMcpToolCallCount: mocks.incrementSelfHostMcpToolCallCount,
 }));
@@ -56,6 +63,7 @@ describe("instrumentMcpToolHandler", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     mocks.captureServerError.mockReset();
     mocks.captureServerEvent.mockReset();
+    mocks.recordExternalMcpToolCall.mockReset();
     mocks.incrementSelfHostMcpToolCallCount.mockReset();
   });
 
@@ -172,5 +180,45 @@ describe("instrumentMcpToolHandler", () => {
     await wrapped({}, toolExtra);
 
     expect(mocks.captureServerEvent).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mocks.recordExternalMcpToolCall).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("records the activation milestone for a successful external call", async () => {
+    const { instrumentMcpToolHandler } = await import("./instrumentation");
+    const wrapped = instrumentMcpToolHandler("demo", outputSchema, async () =>
+      okResult({ items: [] }),
+    );
+
+    await runWithMcpToolAuthContext(authContext, () => wrapped({}, toolExtra));
+
+    expect(mocks.recordExternalMcpToolCall).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith(
+      "org-1",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("skips the activation milestone for first-party (null clientId) calls", async () => {
+    const { instrumentMcpToolHandler } = await import("./instrumentation");
+    const wrapped = instrumentMcpToolHandler("demo", outputSchema, async () =>
+      okResult({ items: [] }),
+    );
+
+    await runWithMcpToolAuthContext({ ...authContext, clientId: null }, () =>
+      wrapped({}, toolExtra),
+    );
+
+    expect(mocks.recordExternalMcpToolCall).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("skips the activation milestone when the call fails", async () => {
+    const { instrumentMcpToolHandler } = await import("./instrumentation");
+    const wrapped = instrumentMcpToolHandler("demo", outputSchema, async () => {
+      throw new AppError("NOT_FOUND");
+    });
+
+    await expect(
+      runWithMcpToolAuthContext(authContext, () => wrapped({}, toolExtra)),
+    ).rejects.toThrow("NOT_FOUND");
+
+    expect(mocks.recordExternalMcpToolCall).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 });

src/server/mcp/instrumentation.ts

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   type ZodRawShapeCompat,
 } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/zod-compat.js";
 import { asAppError } from "@/server/lib/errors";
+import { recordExternalMcpToolCall } from "@/server/features/activation/mcpActivation";
 import { captureServerError, captureServerEvent } from "@/server/lib/posthog";
 import { shouldCaptureAppErrorCode } from "@/shared/error-codes";
 import { getAuth, type ToolExtra } from "@/server/mcp/context";
@@ -114,6 +115,21 @@ export function instrumentMcpToolHandler<TArgs>(
           ? { success: false, errorCode: "MCP_OUTPUT_VALIDATION" }
           : { success: !result.isError },
       );
+      // Dashboard activation milestone: a successful call from an external
+      // MCP client (OAuth clientId; SAM and the self-hosted transport are
+      // first-party with clientId null). Awaited so the write stays inside
+      // the request's DB scope; a per-isolate memo keeps this off the hot
+      // path after the first call.
+      if (!result.isError && !outputValidationFailed) {
+        try {
+          const auth = getAuth(extra);
+          if (auth.clientId) {
+            await recordExternalMcpToolCall(auth.organizationId);
+          }
+        } catch {
+          // no auth context — skip milestone tracking
+        }
+      }
       return result;
     } catch (error) {
       const appError = asAppError(error);

src/server/mcp/oauth-provider.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   MCP_SCOPE,
 } from "@/lib/oauth-resource";
 import { asAppError } from "@/server/lib/errors";
+import { recordMcpAuthorized } from "@/server/features/activation/mcpActivation";
 import { captureServerEvent } from "@/server/lib/posthog";
 import {
   createWorkersOAuthMcpProps,
@@ -366,6 +367,8 @@ async function handleOAuthConsentResponse(
     props,
   });
 
+  await recordMcpAuthorized(context.organizationId);
+
   waitUntil(
     captureServerEvent({
       distinctId: context.userId,

src/serverFunctions/dashboard.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { createServerFn } from "@tanstack/react-start";
+import { ActivationRepository } from "@/server/features/activation/repositories/ActivationRepository";
+import { DashboardService } from "@/server/features/dashboard/services/DashboardService";
+import { requireProjectContext } from "@/serverFunctions/middleware";
+import { dashboardProjectInputSchema } from "@/types/schemas/dashboard";
+
+export const getDashboardActivation = createServerFn({ method: "POST" })
+  .middleware(requireProjectContext)
+  .validator(dashboardProjectInputSchema)
+  .handler(({ context }) =>
+    DashboardService.getActivation({
+      projectId: context.projectId,
+      organizationId: context.organizationId,
+      domain: context.project.domain,
+    }),
+  );
+
+export const getDashboardOverview = createServerFn({ method: "POST" })
+  .middleware(requireProjectContext)
+  .validator(dashboardProjectInputSchema)
+  .handler(({ context }) =>
+    DashboardService.getOverview({
+      projectId: context.projectId,
+      domain: context.project.domain,
+    }),
+  );
+
+// Visit-triggered: the client calls this when the overview reports a missing
+// or stale backlink snapshot. Metered against org credits at most once per
+// project per day (the service re-checks freshness server-side).
+export const refreshDashboardBacklinkSnapshot = createServerFn({
+  method: "POST",
+})
+  .middleware(requireProjectContext)
+  .validator(dashboardProjectInputSchema)
+  .handler(({ context }) =>
+    DashboardService.ensureBacklinkSnapshot({
+      projectId: context.projectId,
+      domain: context.project.domain,
+      billingCustomer: context,
+    }),
+  );
+
+export const markDashboardCompetitorClicked = createServerFn({
+  method: "POST",
+})
+  .middleware(requireProjectContext)
+  .validator(dashboardProjectInputSchema)
+  .handler(async ({ context }) => {
+    await ActivationRepository.markCompetitorStepClicked(context.projectId);
+    return { ok: true as const };
+  });
+
+// "I already connected" on the MCP card. Hides the card for this project;
+// the org-level milestone stays untouched and self-corrects on the next
+// real external tool call.
+export const dismissDashboardMcpCard = createServerFn({ method: "POST" })
+  .middleware(requireProjectContext)
+  .validator(dashboardProjectInputSchema)
+  .handler(async ({ context }) => {
+    await ActivationRepository.markMcpCardDismissed(context.projectId);
+    return { ok: true as const };
+  });

src/serverFunctions/projects.ts

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   archiveProjectSchema,
   createProjectSchema,
   restoreProjectSchema,
+  setProjectDomainSchema,
   setProjectMarketSchema,
   updateProjectSchema,
 } from "@/types/schemas/projects";
@@ -35,6 +36,13 @@ export const updateProject = createServerFn({ method: "POST" })
     ProjectService.updateProject(context.organizationId, data),
   );
 
+export const setProjectDomain = createServerFn({ method: "POST" })
+  .middleware(requireProjectContext)
+  .validator(setProjectDomainSchema)
+  .handler(async ({ data, context }) =>
+    ProjectService.setProjectDomain(context.organizationId, data),
+  );
+
 export const setProjectMarket = createServerFn({ method: "POST" })
   .middleware(requireProjectContext)
   .validator(setProjectMarketSchema)

src/types/schemas/dashboard.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+
+export const dashboardHeroStepSchema = z.enum([
+  "domain",
+  "mcp",
+  "gsc",
+  "competitor",
+]);
+export type DashboardHeroStep = z.infer<typeof dashboardHeroStepSchema>;
+
+export const dashboardProjectInputSchema = z.object({
+  projectId: z.string().min(1),
+});

src/types/schemas/projects.ts

@@ -63,6 +63,13 @@ export const updateProjectSchema = z
   })
   .refine(hasLocationForLanguage, marketPairMessage);
 
+// Domain on its own, for the dashboard hero's inline input. Same loose shape
+// as updateProjectSchema's domain field, but required.
+export const setProjectDomainSchema = z.object({
+  projectId: z.string().min(1),
+  domain: z.string().trim().min(1).max(255),
+});
+
 // Market-only update (onboarding). Both halves are required: the caller picks
 // them together, so the service can validate the pair without a stored row.
 export const setProjectMarketSchema = z.object({
@@ -89,6 +96,7 @@ export const restoreProjectSchema = z.object({
 
 export type CreateProjectInput = z.infer<typeof createProjectSchema>;
 export type UpdateProjectInput = z.infer<typeof updateProjectSchema>;
+export type SetProjectDomainInput = z.infer<typeof setProjectDomainSchema>;
 export type SetProjectMarketInput = z.infer<typeof setProjectMarketSchema>;
 export type ArchiveProjectInput = z.infer<typeof archiveProjectSchema>;
 export type RestoreProjectInput = z.infer<typeof restoreProjectSchema>;