Lethela

AI-supported delivery platform for food, groceries, and township-first commerce in South Africa.

Run locally

npm install
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000.

Required environment variables

Copy .env.example to .env.local and fill values you need.

Core:

• NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL
• NEXTAUTH_URL
• NEXTAUTH_SECRET
• VENDOR_SESSION_SECRET
• RIDER_CONSOLE_SECRET
• ADMIN_APPROVAL_KEY
• CRON_SECRET
• BANK_DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY
• DATABASE_URL

Production launch controls:

• NEXT_PUBLIC_MARKETPLACE_LAUNCH_MODE — prelaunch, pilot, or public
• EMAIL_VERIFICATION_REQUIRED — enable only after existing accounts and the email channel are verified
• DATABASE_RESTORE_TESTED_AT
• PRIVATE_STORAGE_VERIFIED_AT
• REFUND_FLOW_TESTED_AT

The public homepage remains in pre-launch or pilot mode until real approved inventory and the configured operating thresholds are available. Public mode must not be used to bypass the owner launch-readiness checks.

SEO + marketing:

• NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_SITE_VERIFICATION
• NEXT_PUBLIC_BING_SITE_VERIFICATION
• NEXT_PUBLIC_FACEBOOK_DOMAIN_VERIFICATION
• NEXT_PUBLIC_GA4_ID (optional)
• NEXT_PUBLIC_GTM_ID (optional; preferred over GA4 direct script)
• NEXT_PUBLIC_META_PIXEL_ID (optional)

SEO / AEO / GEO stack included

• Canonical metadata + Open Graph + Twitter cards
• Dynamic robots.txt via src/app/robots.ts
• Dynamic sitemap.xml via src/app/sitemap.ts (includes active vendor pages)
• JSON-LD schema:
  • Organization
  • WebSite + SearchAction
  • FoodDeliveryService
• FAQPage (home/about/faq content)
• vendor FoodEstablishment + menu ItemList
• Internal search page at /search
• GEO helper file at /llms.txt via src/app/llms.txt/route.ts
• Google Merchant feed at /feeds/google-merchant.xml

Connect Google and marketing systems

1. Deploy with NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL set to your live domain.
2. In Google Search Console:
   • add your domain property,
   • set NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_SITE_VERIFICATION,
   • submit https://<your-domain>/sitemap.xml.
3. In Bing Webmaster Tools:
   • set NEXT_PUBLIC_BING_SITE_VERIFICATION,
   • submit the same sitemap URL.
4. For GA4/GTM:
   • set NEXT_PUBLIC_GTM_ID (recommended) or NEXT_PUBLIC_GA4_ID.
5. For Meta Pixel:
   • set NEXT_PUBLIC_META_PIXEL_ID.

Quality checks

npm audit --omit=dev --audit-level=high
npm test
npm run check:security-env
npm run typecheck
npm run lint
npm run format:check
npm run build

Operating readiness

Use /admin/launch-checklist after deployment to verify the controlled pilot and public marketing gates. The owner runbook is in docs/OPERATIONS_RUNBOOK.md.

Public launch additionally requires real approved vendors, products and riders; a controlled Ozow payment and delivery; a refund test; private-storage verification; and a successful provider-side database restore drill.