RC Engine

Results through Clarity - an AI-native product development pipeline.

Take a one-line product idea through structured research, architecture, build, validation, and traceability - with 52 tools across 4 domains. Free and open source.

Built for developers, technical founders, and product teams who want structured methodology instead of ad-hoc AI coding.

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The Problem

AI coding tools are great at generating code - but they skip the work that makes code worth shipping: market research, requirements, architecture, security, and traceability. Projects built with ad-hoc AI prompting end up with gaps in business viability, user experience, and production readiness.

RC Engine adds a structured methodology layer on top of your AI IDE. Instead of jumping straight to code, it researches your idea with up to 20 specialists (3-20 based on complexity), writes a complete requirements document, designs the architecture, builds task by task, then scans for security and legal issues - all before you ship. Every step requires your approval, so you stay in control.

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How It Works

RC Engine is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that runs inside your IDE. Describe your product idea, and the AI walks you through a phase-gated pipeline - researching, designing, building, and validating - with human approval at every checkpoint.

Idea --> Research (up to 20 specialists) --> PRD --> Architecture --> Build --> Security + Legal Scan --> Ship

You never call tools directly. Open your IDE, describe what you want to build, and the AI handles the rest.

BYOK model: RC Engine uses your own API keys (Anthropic, Perplexity, etc.) - you pay providers directly at their rates. Typical total: $3-20 per project depending on complexity.

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Key Benefits

Benefit	What It Means
Structured Research	Up to 20 AI research specialists (3-20 based on complexity) analyze your idea before code is written
Web-Grounded Intelligence	Market research uses real-time web data with citations - not hallucinated competitors
Quality Gates	Up to 12 human-approval gates. Nothing ships without passing security, UX, and coverage audits
Traceability	Every requirement gets a deterministic ID. Tasks map to requirements. Findings map back to source
Multi-LLM Orchestration	4 providers available - search models for research, fast models for extraction, powerful models for architecture
Design + Copy	Brand-aware visual design options and research-backed copy generation
Security + Legal Review	Post-build OWASP pattern scanning, monitoring readiness, and legal compliance review. Design-time analysis - not a replacement for professional auditing

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The Pipeline

Domain	Tools	What It Does
Pre-RC Research	7	Up to 20 AI specialists analyze your idea across market, users, security, UX, and business
RC Method Build	33	8-phase gated pipeline with design, copy, UX, and export tools
Post-RC Validation	7	Security scanning, monitoring readiness, override tracking, ship/no-ship gate
Traceability	3	Requirements-to-code audit trail with coverage reporting
Pipeline	2	Cross-domain overview + unified entry point
Total	52

All 52 tools are available with no restrictions.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites: Node.js >= 18, an MCP-compatible IDE (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code)

Path A: Web UI

git clone https://github.com/originalrashmi/rc-engine-product-framework.git rc-engine
cd rc-engine
npm install && npm run build
npm run web

Open http://localhost:3100 in your browser.

Path B: MCP Server (IDE)

git clone https://github.com/originalrashmi/rc-engine-product-framework.git rc-engine
cd rc-engine
npm install && npm run build

Configure API keys in .env:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your API keys (at minimum, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)

Add to your IDE config:

Claude Code (.mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rc-engine": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/rc-engine/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

For Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code setup, see Getting Started.

Start building

Open your IDE and describe your product idea. The AI handles the rest.

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Quick Start

1. Describe your idea - "I want to build a SaaS tool for freelancer invoicing"
2. The AI runs research - 12-15 specialists analyze market, users, tech, UX, and security
3. Approve checkpoints - review findings at each gate, then the AI builds your project
4. Get deliverables - PRD, architecture, task list, code, security scan, traceability report

For the full walkthrough, see Starter Guide or Getting Started.

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What You Get

Every pipeline run produces these deliverables:

Deliverable	Description
Product Requirements Document (PRD)	19-section research-backed document covering problem, users, features, architecture, risks, and GTM strategy
Go-to-Market Strategy	Launch plan with distribution channels, competitive positioning, and growth tactics (PRD section 12)
Technical Architecture	Stack selection, data model, API design, infrastructure plan
Prioritized Task List	Dependency-ordered tasks across 4 layers (Foundation, Core, Integration, Polish)
Architecture Diagrams	Dependency graph, Gantt chart, and layer views (Mermaid)
Design Options	Wireframes, brand identity, visual design directions with design challenge review
Copy System	Research-backed copy for headlines, CTAs, onboarding flows
Implementation Guidance	Per-task build instructions with file structure and code patterns
Playbook	Step-by-step implementation guide (architecture decision record)
Security Scan Report	OWASP-mapped findings with CWE references and plain-language remediation
Legal Compliance Review	Regulatory gap analysis (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, COPPA, and more)
Edge Case Analysis	Boundary conditions and failure mode detection
Traceability Matrix	Requirements-to-code coverage showing what was specified, built, and verified
Value Report	Cost and time savings vs. a human consulting team

All deliverables are saved as markdown and HTML files in your project directory.

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Documentation

Document	Description
Starter Guide	Visual guide - what RC Engine is, both paths, pipeline overview
Quickstart Guide	5-minute setup, first run walkthrough, what you get, troubleshooting
Architecture	Technical deep dive - domains, phases, personas, LLM routing, state management
Getting Started	Setup, API keys, IDE configuration, first project walkthrough
Usage & Cost Guide	Token estimates, cost optimization

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Important Disclaimers

RC Engine is a development tool, not a substitute for professional services. By using RC Engine you acknowledge the following:

• No guarantee of product quality. All outputs (PRD, architecture, code, tasks, scan results) are AI-generated guidance. Toerana is not responsible for the quality, correctness, security, or fitness of any product built using this pipeline. Human review is required before acting on any output.
• Not legal advice. The legal review module performs automated pattern matching and AI-based analysis. It does not constitute legal counsel, certification, or professional legal services. Findings are informational. Consult a qualified attorney for legal advice specific to your product and jurisdiction.
• Not a security audit. Security scanning uses static pattern analysis and LLM heuristics. It does not replace professional penetration testing, SAST/DAST tools, or security audits. Toerana is not responsible for vulnerabilities not detected by the scanner.
• Not regulatory certification. Regulatory checks (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, COPPA, GDPR, FERPA, etc.) identify potential gaps. They do not certify compliance. Compliance requires professional assessment specific to your product and jurisdiction.
• AI-generated content. All pipeline outputs are generated with AI assistance and may contain errors, hallucinations, or omissions. Outputs should be reviewed by qualified professionals before use in production, regulatory submissions, or business decisions.
• User assumes all deployment risk. RC Engine's pipeline ends at validation. Deployment decisions, production operations, and business outcomes are entirely the user's responsibility. A "PASS" gate decision means no blocking findings were detected - it is not a guarantee of production readiness.
• Third-party services. RC Engine uses third-party AI services (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity). Toerana is not responsible for the accuracy, availability, or security of third-party services or their outputs.
• No indemnification. The software is provided "AS IS" under the MIT License. Toerana accepts no liability for losses, damages, or claims arising from use of the framework, its outputs, or reliance on its findings.

For the full license terms, see LICENSE.

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License

RC Engine (this repository): MIT - free to use, modify, and distribute

Commercial Use Notice

The source code is MIT-licensed, which permits use, modification, and distribution. However:

• "RC Engine", "RC Method", and "Toerana" are trademarks of Toerana. You may not use these names, logos, or branding to market, sell, or distribute a competing product or service without written permission from Toerana.
• You may not clone or fork this repository and offer it (or a derivative) as a hosted commercial service, SaaS product, or paid offering under any name without written permission from Toerana.
• You may use RC Engine to build your own products, integrate it into your internal workflows, and modify it for your own use.

For commercial licensing inquiries: licensing@toerana.com

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and pull request guidelines.

Security

See SECURITY.md for reporting vulnerabilities and security considerations.

Feedback

Try it out and let us know what you think. Open an issue with your experience, feature requests, or questions. Stars help others find this project.

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Built by Toerana