Next Step

A calm, reliable health management app for families supporting a loved one through treatment. Built to be "mum-proof" — simple, clear, and accessible.

Features

Today Dashboard

• Next appointment with location and map link
• Medications due with one-tap "Taken" button
• Quick note for jotting down thoughts
• Call clinic button for easy access

Appointments

• Simple timeline view with date groupings
• Add title, date/time, location, map link, and notes
• Soft delete with recovery

Medications

• Multiple schedule types:
  • Fixed times daily (e.g., 8am, 8pm)
  • Every X hours (e.g., every 8 hours)
  • Specific weekdays (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri at 9am)
  • PRN/As needed with cooldown period
• One-tap dose logging with 5-minute undo window
• "What did I take?" history view (last 7 days)
• Overdue indicators with grace period

Notes

• Questions for doctor — track what to ask, mark as asked
• General notes — timestamped thoughts
• Copy questions for appointments

Family Sharing

• Workspace model (e.g., "Grace's Plan")
• Invite family via link
• Roles: Owner, Editor, Viewer
• Audit log of all changes

Offline-First

• Works without internet connection
• IndexedDB local cache
• Automatic sync when online
• Conflict detection with "updated on another device" banner

Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 14 (App Router), TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
• Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
• Auth: Session cookies with argon2 password hashing
• Offline: IndexedDB via Dexie.js
• Deployment: Docker Compose

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose
• Tailscale (for external access)

1. Clone and Configure

cd /path/to/nextstep

# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env and set:
# - NEXTAUTH_SECRET (generate with: openssl rand -base64 32)
# - DB_PASSWORD (choose a secure password)
# - NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL (your Tailscale Funnel URL)

2. Start the Application

docker compose up -d

The app will:

1. Build the Next.js application
2. Start PostgreSQL
3. Run database migrations
4. Start the app on 127.0.0.1:3000

3. Set Up Tailscale Funnel

Tailscale Funnel exposes your local app to the internet with automatic HTTPS.

# Enable Funnel (one-time setup)
tailscale funnel --https=443 http://127.0.0.1:3000 --bg

# Check status
tailscale funnel status

# Your app is now accessible at:
# https://[your-machine-name].[your-tailnet].ts.net

4. Update Your Environment

Edit .env and set NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL to your Funnel URL:

NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://your-machine.your-tailnet.ts.net

Then restart the app:

docker compose down
docker compose up -d

5. Create Your Account

1. Open your Funnel URL in a browser
2. Click "Create Account"
3. Accept the disclaimer
4. Create your workspace (e.g., "Grace's Plan")
5. Add your clinic phone number

Development

Local Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Set up local PostgreSQL (or use Docker)
docker run -d \
  --name nextstep-postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=nextstep \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=nextstep \
  -e POSTGRES_DB=nextstep \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  postgres:16-alpine

# Set up environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with DATABASE_URL=postgresql://nextstep:nextstep@localhost:5432/nextstep

# Generate Prisma client
npm run db:generate

# Run migrations
npm run db:migrate

# Start dev server
npm run dev

Running Tests

npm test

Tests cover:

• Medication scheduling logic
• PRN cooldown calculations
• Fixed times, interval, and weekday schedules

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	Yes
NEXTAUTH_SECRET	Session encryption secret (min 32 chars)	Yes
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL	Public URL of the app	Yes
DB_PASSWORD	PostgreSQL password (for Docker)	Yes
TZ	Timezone (default: Australia/Perth)	No
RATE_LIMIT_MAX_REQUESTS	Max requests per minute (default: 100)	No
LOGIN_MAX_ATTEMPTS	Failed logins before lockout (default: 5)	No
LOGIN_LOCKOUT_MINUTES	Lockout duration (default: 15)	No
SESSION_MAX_AGE_DAYS	Session lifetime (default: 30)	No

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register — Create account
• POST /api/auth/login — Sign in
• POST /api/auth/logout — Sign out
• GET /api/auth/me — Get current user

Workspaces

• GET /api/workspaces — List user's workspaces
• POST /api/workspaces — Create workspace
• GET /api/workspaces/[id] — Get workspace details
• PATCH /api/workspaces/[id] — Update workspace settings
• POST /api/workspaces/[id]/invite — Create invite link
• GET /api/invite/[token] — Get invite details
• POST /api/invite/[token] — Accept invite

Sync

• GET /api/sync?workspaceId=...&since=... — Pull changes
• POST /api/sync — Push offline operations

Health

• GET /api/health — Health check

Security

• Password hashing: Argon2id with secure parameters
• Session cookies: HTTPOnly, Secure, SameSite=Lax
• Rate limiting: Per-IP request limits
• Login protection: Lockout after failed attempts
• Input validation: Zod schemas on all endpoints
• HTTPS: Enforced via Tailscale Funnel

Tailscale Funnel Commands

# Start Funnel (background mode)
tailscale funnel --https=443 http://127.0.0.1:3000 --bg

# Check Funnel status
tailscale funnel status

# Stop Funnel
tailscale funnel off

# View Funnel logs
tailscale funnel status --json

Backup & Restore

Backup Database

docker exec nextstep-db pg_dump -U nextstep nextstep > backup.sql

Restore Database

cat backup.sql | docker exec -i nextstep-db psql -U nextstep nextstep

Export User Data

Users can export their data as JSON from Settings > Export Data.

Troubleshooting

App won't start

# Check logs
docker compose logs app

# Common issues:
# - Database not ready: wait a few seconds, it will retry
# - Missing env vars: check .env file

Database connection failed

# Check database is running
docker compose ps

# Check database logs
docker compose logs db

# Verify connection string in .env

Tailscale Funnel not working

# Ensure Funnel is enabled for your tailnet
# (requires admin access to Tailscale admin console)

# Check if Funnel is running
tailscale funnel status

# Restart Funnel
tailscale funnel off
tailscale funnel --https=443 http://127.0.0.1:3000 --bg

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Tailscale Funnel                     │
│                  (HTTPS termination)                    │
└────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                         │
                         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Next.js App                           │
│                 (127.0.0.1:3000)                        │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐  │
│  │   App       │  │   API       │  │   Auth          │  │
│  │   Router    │  │   Routes    │  │   (Sessions)    │  │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                         │
                         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    PostgreSQL                           │
│                   (Internal only)                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

License

MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.

Disclaimer

Next Step is a tracking tool only. It does not provide medical advice. Always consult your healthcare team for medical decisions. For emergencies, call 000 (Australia) or your local emergency services.