Launch Your Paid Raycast Extension: From Idea to $5K MRR in 45 Days

Most side projects do not fail because the code is bad or the idea is flawed. They fail because they never launch. They die a slow death in a private GitHub repository, buried under a pile of feature creep, "perfect" architecture decisions, and the exhaustion of a full-time job.

As a senior developer or product manager, your day job pays you to mitigate risk and build robust, scalable systems. But in the indie hacker world, specifically when building Raycast extensions, that mindset is a liability. To reach $5K MRR, you do not need microservices, 99.99% test coverage, or a custom authentication server. You need a product that solves a specific pain point for users willing to pay for it, and you need it in their hands fast.

This section defines the constraints that will force you to ship. We are replacing the vague goal of "building a SaaS" with a concrete, 45-day operational plan designed to fit into 10-15 hours a week.

The 45-Day Operational Timeline

The 45-day timeline is not arbitrary. It is long enough to build something substantial using TypeScript and the Raycast API, but short enough to prevent burnout. It forces you to make ruthless decisions about what features actually matter.

We break this down into four distinct phases. This schedule assumes you are working 1-2 hours on weeknights and 4-6 hours on weekends.

Phase 1: Validation and Definition (Days 1-7)

Most developers skip this. They open VS Code on Day 1. In this course, you will write zero lines of code in the first week. Your goal is to identify a workflow gap in the Raycast ecosystem that users are currently hacking together with scripts or dedicated apps. By Day 7, you must have a clear "User Story" and a list of 5-10 potential beta testers.

Phase 2: The Core Loop (Days 8-21)

This is your primary build phase. You are building the "Steel Thread"--a single path through the application that delivers the core value. If you are building a Jira extension, the steel thread is "Create a ticket." It is not "Edit ticket," "Delete ticket," or "View Analytics." It is one thing done perfectly.

• Deliverable: A functional extension running locally that performs the primary action.

Phase 3: Infrastructure and Polish (Days 22-35)

Here, we integrate the "boring" parts that make it a real business. You will implement license key validation (using off-the-shelf tools, not custom code), basic error handling, and the polished UI components Raycast provides.

• Deliverable: A distributable build that requires a license key to function.

Phase 4: Launch and Distribution (Days 36-45)

The final ten days are dedicated to marketing assets: store screenshots, the README, the pricing page, and your launch posts for Twitter/X and relevant communities.

• Deliverable: Live launch and first paying customer.

Key Insight: The primary reason senior engineers fail at side projects is over-engineering the infrastructure. In this timeline, you are forbidden from building your own backend unless absolutely necessary. We lean on the Raycast Local Storage and external APIs for everything.

Reverse Engineering the $5K MRR Target

"Five thousand dollars in Monthly Recurring Revenue" sounds like a daunting mountain until you break it down into unit economics. Unlike consumer mobile apps where you might charge $0.99, Raycast users are power users--developers, designers, and executives--who value their time at hundreds of dollars an hour.

To hit $5K MRR, you need to align your pricing strategy with the value you save them. We will avoid the "coffee money" trap.

The Pricing Matrix

For this course, we target the Pro Workflow or Business Critical tiers. We are looking for 200 to 600 customers, not thousands. This dramatically changes your acquisition strategy. You don't need to go viral on TikTok; you need to solve a burning problem for a specific subreddit or Slack community.

Important: Your goal is not to convince a user to spend money. Your goal is to convince them that your extension saves them 15 minutes a week. If a developer earns $100/hour, 15 minutes per week is worth $25. Charging $9/month is a mathematical no-brainer for them.

Defining "Done": The V1 Scope Constraints

Scope creep is the silent killer of shipping. To ship in 45 days alongside a job, you must adopt a strict definition of "Done." We use the 3-Click Rule for Scope.

The Rule: If a feature cannot be accessed or executed within 3 interactions in Raycast, it does not belong in V1.

What is OUT for V1:

• Custom Settings Dashboards: Use the raycast-env.d.ts preferences schema. Don't build a custom web UI for settings.
• User Accounts/Auth: Unless you are connecting to a third-party API (like GitHub or Linear), do not build a user account system. Use license keys for access control.
• Analytics Dashboards: You do not need to visualize usage data inside the app. Use a third-party provider to track events silently.
• Complex Onboarding: If the extension requires a 5-minute tutorial video to configure, the scope is too broad.

What is IN for V1:

• Speed: The extension must load in under 200ms.
• Error Handling: If the API fails, the user gets a clear Toast message, not a crash.
• Keyboard Accessibility: Every action must be drivable via keyboard shortcuts.

The Lightweight Project System

You cannot manage this project with the same overhead you use at work. No daily standups, no complex Jira workflows, and no PR reviews (unless you have a partner). You need a system designed for speed and intermittent work blocks.

1. The Backlog (Linear or Notion)

Create a single list of tasks. Tag them with "Must" or "Nice."

• Rule: You are only allowed to have 3 items in the "Must" column at any time. You cannot add a fourth until one is completed. This prevents the cognitive load of a massive to-do list.

2. The Decision Log

Create a simple document to record architectural decisions.

• Example: "Decision: Use Lemon Squeezy for license keys. Reason: Handles tax compliance and has a node SDK. Tradeoff: 5% fee."
• Writing this down stops you from re-litigating decisions in your head three weeks later when you are tired.

3. Time Blocking

Schedule your sessions.

• Deep Work (Saturday/Sunday): 3-hour blocks for complex logic (e.g., API integration, data transformation).
• Shallow Work (Weeknights): 45-minute blocks for UI polish, writing copy, or setting up store assets.
• Do not attempt complex logic on a Tuesday night after a stressful day at the office; you will only write bugs.

Pro Tip: Set up your environment on Day 1 so that running a build takes one command. If it takes you 10 minutes to "get into context" every time you sit down to code, you will lose 20% of your available project time. We will cover the optimal Raycast dev environment setup in the technical modules.

Looking Ahead

You now have the constraints: 45 days, strict scoping, and a target of ~$10/month pricing. You have a system to track progress without administrative bloat.

However, a perfect schedule is useless if you are building a product nobody wants. The most common mistake developers make is building a "solution in search of a problem."

In the next section, Idea Validation and Selection, we will leave the code behind entirely. We will look at how to analyze the Raycast Store for gaps, how to "stalk" potential customers on Twitter to find their pain points, and how to choose an idea that has a high probability of hitting that $5K MRR target before you write a single line of TypeScript.

The graveyard of indie developer projects is filled with clean, well-tested code that solved problems nobody actually cared about.

In Section 1, we established our timeline and revenue goals. Now we move to the most critical phase of the 45-day roadmap: Validation-First Idea Selection.

Most developers work backward. They find a new API or UI library they want to try, build a tool around it, and then look for users. We are going to flip that model. We will identify friction points in professional workflows, confirm that people are already trying to solve them inefficiently, and then design a Raycast extension that solves that specific pain point better than anything else.

Your goal for this section is not just to have an idea, but to have a validated concept brief that gives you the confidence to commit your limited coding hours.

The "Workflow Gap" Mining Framework

A successful paid Raycast extension usually does not try to be a full platform. Instead, it acts as a bridge or an accelerator. It takes a workflow that currently requires opening a browser, waiting for a slow UI to load, and clicking five times, and turns it into a sub-second keyboard command.

To find these opportunities, use three mining techniques:

1. The "Unbundling" Audit

Look at the heavy SaaS tools you or your colleagues use daily (Jira, GitHub, AWS, Linear, Salesforce, HubSpot). These tools are powerful but bloated.

• Identify the 1% feature: What is the one specific action you perform 10 times a day in a massive app?
• The Browser Tab Test: If you have to keep a tab open just to check a status or trigger a build, that is an opportunity.
• Example: A developer doesn't need all of AWS Console in Raycast. They just need to restart an EC2 instance or flush a CloudFront cache without logging in.

2. The "Jury-Rigged" Signal

Look for places where developers are hacking together solutions. If you see a colleague using a complex chain of shell scripts, manual spreadsheet updates, or hacky Apple Shortcuts to get a result, they have signaled high intent. They are so desperate to solve the problem they built a bad solution themselves.

• Signal: "Does anyone have a script to parse this log format?"
• Opportunity: A local parsing extension that visualizes logs instantly.

3. The Raycast Store Gap Analysis

Browse the current store with a critical eye.

• Missing Niches: Is there an extension for "X" service? If not, is the API accessible?
• Abandonedware: Are there extensions that haven't been updated in 12 months, break frequently, or lack configuration options?
• Commercial Gaps: Are there free extensions that are good for hobbyists but lack the security, team features, or advanced filtering required by power users?

Viability Scoring: Filtering the Noise

By now, you likely have a list of 10-15 potential ideas. You can't build them all. You need to apply a ruthless filter to determine which one has the highest probability of generating $5K MRR.

We use a weighted scoring rubric (1-5 scale) to rank ideas. Don't skip this step; it removes emotional attachment from the process.

Key Insight: For a paid extension, Professional Utility is your multiplier. Users rarely pay for extensions that manage their grocery lists. They happily pay for extensions that help them manage production incidents, query databases faster, or manage freelance invoices. Target the wallet that gets reimbursed by an employer.

The "Willingness to Pay" Litmus Test

Before you write a single line of TypeScript, you need to verify that your top-scoring idea has monetization potential. In the developer ecosystem, "cool" does not always equal "valuable."

You are looking for workflow density.

• Low Density: A tool used once a week to convert a file format. (Likely free/commodity).
• High Density: A tool used 50 times a day to navigate codebases, manage tickets, or access documentation. (High retention, high value).

The "Coffee Chat" Validation Strategy: You don't need a massive survey. You need 3-5 conversations with potential users (colleagues or contacts from Twitter/X).

1. Describe the problem (not your solution).
2. Ask: "How do you currently handle this?"
3. Ask: "How much time does that cost you per week?"
4. The Golden Question: "If I had a command that did this instantly, would you pay a one-time fee of $20 or a sub of $4/month to never deal with that web UI again?"

If they hesitate or say "maybe," the idea is a dud. You are looking for an emphatic "Yes, take my money," or "I would expense that immediately."

Deliverable: The One-Page Concept Brief

Your output for this week is a single page that defines your product. This prevents scope creep--the enemy of shipping.

Project Name: [Working Title] Target User: [Job Title] who uses [Primary Tool] daily. Problem Statement: Currently, [User] has to [Current Workflow] which takes [Time/Effort] and breaks their flow state. The Promise: This extension allows them to [Action] in under 3 seconds using only the keyboard. Core Features (v1 Only):

• Feature A (The Hook)
• Feature B (The Retention)
• Feature C (The Utility) Differentiation: Why is this better than the web UI or existing free extensions? (e.g., "Offline support," "Global hotkeys," "Customizable templates").

Pro Tip: If your v1 feature list has more than three items, cut it down. You are building a skateboard, not a Ferrari. You need to validate the core mechanic, not the bells and whistles.

What You'll Build On

You now have a validated concept and a clear understanding of your target user. This foundation is required for the technical and business execution that follows in the full course.

Preview: How This Connects to the Roadmap

• Section 3 (Architecture): You will take your concept brief and map it to Raycast API hooks. We will cover how to structure your project so your "Core Features" are modular and testable.
• Section 4 (Development): We move to code. You will learn to implement the "Promise" using React hooks, optimistic updates for speed, and local storage for persistence--ensuring the extension feels native.
• Section 5 (Monetization): We will revisit your "Willingness to Pay" validation to set up the licensing server. You will implement the actual payment gate that captures the value you identified here.

Summary

By the end of this section, you should have discarded 90% of your ideas. That is a success. You are left with the one concept that serves a professional audience, solves a frequent pain point, and has a clear path to revenue.

You are no longer guessing. You are executing on a validated plan.

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This concludes the free preview of "Launch Your Paid Raycast Extension."

In the full course, we stop planning and start building. You will get access to the TypeScript Boilerplate, the Licensing Server Template, and the complete Marketing Swipe File to help you launch to your first 100 customers.

We will walk through the exact code needed to implement authentication, handle API rate limits gracefully, and design a UI that looks like it was built by the Raycast team themselves. If you are ready to turn this concept brief into a revenue-generating asset, I will see you in Section 3.