A real Pineapple workflow: clarify the domain FAQ
On 18 October 2026, we used AI in Codex to review Pineapple's domain explanation and prepare one FAQ correction. The result is an unpublished replacement answer for an existing page. This is a real preparation task, not a fictional customer success story.
Conceptual illustration. It does not show the Pineapple interface or a measured result.
30 October review note: this case preserves the sources and answer from 18 October. The current pricing page now uses Free, Starter and Grow; the older Basic/Starter naming conflict below is historical. This case-study page has been saved as a native draft, but that does not apply the proposed answer to the pricing FAQ. Recheck current sources before using it outside the practice exercise.
Publication note, 1 November: this handbook case study is being released for readers to inspect. The proposed replacement answer has not been applied to the pricing FAQ. Publishing the case study does not establish a customer outcome.
The problem we observed
The pricing FAQ says that both plans include a custom domain. Read alone, that could suggest a newly purchased domain name is included. The domain guide and maintained support facts distinguish connecting a domain from buying it. The same pricing page also mixes Basic and Starter as plan names.
We observed those differences in the source pages. We did not observe a customer being confused or measure resulting support volume. The likely confusion is our editorial judgement.
The decision
Update the existing FAQ. Creating another domain guide would duplicate the detailed answer that already exists. Keeping the original sentence would leave the purchase-versus-connection ambiguity. Stopping all drafting would be unnecessary: the sources agree on the core distinction even though plan naming needs a separate owner correction.
The output therefore avoids prices and plan names. It links to the existing guide and asks the reader to confirm eligibility in their workspace.
Actual replacement draft
Can I use my own domain?
Yes. You can connect a domain you already own to a Pineapple website when your workspace plan supports custom domains. Hosting is included in your Pineapple subscription. Buying and renewing the domain name are separate purchases with your registrar. Check your workspace's Billing page for custom-domain access, then follow our custom domain guide.
Claim review
Claim in the draft: Connect an owned domain to a website on an eligible workspace plan
Support in the source pack: S2 and S3
Result: Supported
Claim in the draft: Hosting is included
Support in the source pack: S1 and S3
Result: Supported
Claim in the draft: Domain purchase and renewal are separate
Support in the source pack: S2 for registration; S3 for registrar renewal
Result: Supported
Claim in the draft: Check workspace Billing for access
Support in the source pack: S3
Result: Supported
Claim in the draft: Use the existing connection guide
Support in the source pack: S2, opened during this run
Result: Destination returned the expected guide
The source pack contains the reviewed evidence and a prompt for reproducing the task. The proposed answer did not resolve the separate Basic/Starter naming inconsistency observed on 18 October. The 30 October check found the plan names aligned; that earlier correction request is no longer a current next step.
Run receipt: the original 18 October task
This receipt records the FAQ drafting run at that time. The later native save concerns this handbook case-study page. It did not save the replacement answer into the pricing FAQ or publish it. Read the 30 October note above for that later status.
Field | Actual record |
|---|---|
Trigger | Peter asked to close the transparency audit gaps and verify one copyable workflow |
Tool | Codex conversation; local file tools and web reading |
Model identity | Exact deployed model version was not captured in this run record |
AI contribution | Inspected sources, identified the ambiguity, chose an existing-page update and wrote the replacement |
Human contribution | Peter chose the goal and the unpublished boundary; no later approval or copy correction has been received |
Draft attempts | One substantive FAQ draft; packaging and validation are separate checks |
Verified result | Draft saved locally, factual claims checked against S1–S3 by the same assistant, selected export read back |
Unverified on 18 October | Native CMS save, independent editorial review, publication, reader comprehension and support impact |
Cost and time | AI cost allocation, human review minutes and time saved are unknown; no separate paid API evaluation was run |
Recurrence | Manual, triggered by this request; no schedule or live action enabled |
One draft is not a success rate. The source review and final review happened in the same assistant session; we do not call them independent. Rebuilding the same files is a packaging replay, not another AI completion.
What the controls actually cover
The export tool accepts only selected files, checks their source revisions and review deadlines, and scans for common private-data hazards. It writes local review files. It has no publishing, billing, DNS or messaging operation. A repeated build replaces the same owned preview and retains the previous build; it cannot send a duplicate customer message.
Those controls do not sandbox the AI conversation or prove the meaning of a sentence. A valid source link can still accompany an unsupported claim. Human judgement remains part of the publication review.
A deliberately bad answer
“Every plan includes a free domain, and we will connect it today.”
This is a teaching counterexample, not an observed model failure. It invents an entitlement and a delivery promise. Reject it even if a formatting checker passes. Return to S1–S3, remove the unsupported statements and keep the original failed draft beside the correction.
Next learning step
Peter can review this exact answer for the existing pricing FAQ. Publication is a separate action. After permission to test with readers, ask three suitable business owners to reproduce the exercise and explain what is included in their subscription. Record completion, corrections and review minutes. No reader test has been performed or outreach sent.
Run the same workflow with these inputs first, then replace the facts with your own business's approved information.
Updated 1 November 2026.
