Feature Gating
Lock premium features behind a plan — without wrecking the free experience.
What it adds
A consistent way to gate features by plan, and to sell the upgrade at the moment of intent.
What your agent is told to do
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What your agent is told to do
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Find where plan/subscription state already lives on the user. Do not invent a second source of truth.
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Enforce every gate SERVER-SIDE. Hiding a button is not a gate, it is a hint — assume the user will call the endpoint directly.
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Add one reusable client-side gate component for the UI affordance.
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When a user hits a gate, show them what the feature does and what it costs. Do not just say no.
Edge cases it handles
4
Edge cases it handles
4- A user who downgrades still has data created under the old plan. Decide explicitly what happens: keep it readable, block new writes.
- A subscription expiring mid-session must take effect without a re-login.
- Trial users, grandfathered users, and comped accounts all need handling.
- The gate must never leak gated data in an API response, even when the UI hides it.
Definition of done
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Definition of done
7- Every gate is enforced server-side, verified by calling the endpoint directly.
- The UI gate is a single reusable component.
- Hitting a gate explains the feature and its price and links to upgrade.
- Downgrade behaviour for existing data is defined and implemented.
- No gated data appears in any API response for an ungated user.
- The feature matches the existing design system.
- No existing functionality is broken.
Related features
Billing Portal
Billing Portal
Let people manage their own subscription.
What it does
A billing area where users can see their plan, change payment method, get invoices, and cancel.
How it works
- 1 Use the payment provider's hosted billing portal if it has one. Do not rebuild card management — it's a PCI liability you don't need.
- 2 Show the current plan, renewal date, and payment method on your own account page.
- 3 Make cancelling possible without emailing support. Dark patterns here generate chargebacks.
Copy the prompt
No account needed
Add this feature to my app:
https://addthisfeature.com/x/billing-portal
Upgrade Modal
Upgrade Modal
Sell the upgrade at the exact moment someone wants it.
What it does
A focused upsell that appears when a free user reaches for a paid capability.
How it works
- 1 Trigger it at the point of intent — when they click the locked thing — not on a timer or on page load.
- 2 Name the specific feature they just tried to use. A generic pricing modal converts far worse.
- 3 State the price plainly and give one button to upgrade.
Copy the prompt
No account needed
Add this feature to my app:
https://addthisfeature.com/x/upgrade-modal
Booking Deposits
Booking Deposits
Take a partial payment at booking so the slot is held against a real commitment.
What it does
A deposit charged during booking, tracked against the remaining balance and the cancellation policy.
How it works
- 1 Show the deposit amount, the remaining balance, and the refund terms on the booking screen before payment, not in the confirmation afterwards.
- 2 Hold the slot while payment is in progress, and confirm the booking only once the payment provider reports settlement. Treat an unsettled payment as no booking at all.
- 3 Reuse the app's existing hosted checkout and the callback handling that already confirms payments. Do not add a second payment integration for bookings, and do not confirm on the browser redirect alone, because a user who closes the tab never returns to it.
Copy the prompt
No account needed
Add this feature to my app:
https://addthisfeature.com/x/booking-deposits
How it works
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1
Copy the link
Grab the Markdown instruction URL for this feature.
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2
Give it to your AI
Paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, v0, Lovable — whatever you build with.
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It inspects, then implements
Your agent reads your existing app first, then adds the feature to fit it.
Works with your stack
These instructions are written to adapt. They tell the agent to detect your framework, match your existing design system, and reuse what you already have — rather than assuming a particular stack.
Need it tighter than that? Customize the feature and tell it exactly what you're running.