FAQTimelines, cost, ownership, data
Straight answers,
before you commit.
The questions operators actually ask before working with us, answered plainly. No sales script. If yours isn’t here, bring it to a call and you’ll get the same straight answer.
01Working with Directive
Timelines, cost,
and commitment.
- How long does an engagement take?It depends on the scope. An internal dashboard pulling several systems together usually takes two to four weeks. Larger automation and AI builds run four to twelve weeks depending on complexity. Whatever the scope, we quote a window upfront and tell you immediately if we're tracking off it.
- What does it cost?Every project is scoped and quoted before we start, broken down into clear line items. No hourly billing, no scope-creep surprises. We talk numbers once we understand the work, not on a public page. Book an intro call and you'll get a straight answer.
- Do I have to commit to a long contract?No. Project work is paid per project. If we host or maintain something for you, the arrangement is month to month. Cancel any time, no penalty. We win because the work is good, not because you're locked in.
- What if I'm not sure what I actually need?Most of our best engagements start from "something isn't working but I can't articulate it". The first conversation is exploratory and no obligation. We listen for what's eating your time, where you're flying blind, which bottlenecks keep repeating. Often the right answer is smaller than you think; sometimes it's a different shape entirely.
02Ownership and your data
Yours to own.
That includes leaving.
- Who owns the system at handover?You do. Every system we ship comes with documentation, runbooks and a practical escape hatch from day one. The code sits in accounts you control, the data lives on infrastructure you control, and if we part ways you keep the lot. No black boxes, no hostage systems.
- What if I want to take everything elsewhere later?We hand it over within 24 hours. The code lives in your GitHub account or transfers to it, the hosting moves to your Netlify, Cloudflare or AWS account, the domain transfers to your registrar. We'll even do a handover call to walk your next provider through the architecture. No drama.
- Where does my business data live?Your choice. The default is self-hosted on infrastructure you control: your cloud account, your server, your homelab if that's your thing. If you'd rather we host it, we can. Either way, you have full access to backups and exports at all times. Sovereignty is a default, not a premium feature.
- Do I need to be technical to work with you?No. Our job is to make the technical part disappear. You bring the business knowledge: what you sell, who buys, how it actually runs. We handle everything from architecture decisions to deploy buttons. You'll always have access to the systems we build, but you'll never need to touch them unless you want to.
- Do you offer ongoing support after launch?Yes, optionally. Most clients move to a month-to-month support plan covering hosting, monitoring, backups, security patches and small content or feature changes. Plans start small and only grow if your needs grow. If you'd rather take everything in-house and run it yourself, that's fine too.
- How do I know what your systems are actually doing?Every system works the same way: dry run first, human approval on anything consequential, and plain-English evidence of every action. You can see what ran, when, and why, and you can stop it whenever you like.
03The products
The products,
plainly.
All four products are ours end to end, so here is exactly where each one stands. The products page has the full picture.
- What are the AI Kits?AI Kits turn the AI assistant you already use (Claude Code or Codex) into a guide for one job, done properly. The first kit is the Website Kit: it gives the assistant a library of finished designs, a seven-step path from first interview to live one-page business site, and checks that catch what an eager assistant gets wrong. You end up with plain HTML and CSS on your own laptop, hosted free, on accounts in your name. The kits live at directivekits.com; the Website Kit is available now and more kits are in development.
- Is the Website Kit the same as your website service?No. The kit is for a small business that needs a good one-page site and is happy to spend an afternoon with its own AI assistant. The service is for businesses where the website is one part of a bigger system, or where nobody has an afternoon. If you are unsure which you are, ask and you will get a straight answer.
- Is Composer live?Yes. Composer is live and in soft launch. The demo at cmposr.app is open to anyone: synthetic data, no account needed, and it works offline. Anything still in development is described that way, not listed as shipped.
- What does "works offline" mean?Orders are drafted and saved on the device, so a rep keeps working in a store with no signal. When the network comes back, Composer syncs: each queued order submits exactly once, gets a receipt, and shows its status until the distributor's system confirms the final total. Prices on the device are estimates and are labelled that way. Your accounting system stays the authority.
- What is Memory?Memory by Directive is our knowledge base for AI tools, currently in beta. Point it at a directory of markdown files and query it from an AI client, the REST API, the CLI or the built-in web UI. Single Rust binary, SQLite underneath, self-hosted, nothing leaves your machine.
- What is Did It Land?Did It Land is for speakers, workshop facilitators and anyone who presents. You make a page with your ideas, resources and optional feedback questions, and share it with one QR code on your last slide. Your audience needs no account or email, can pick what they want into their own takeaway pack, and the page can change after the talk while the QR code stays the same. It lives at didit.land and is available now.
- Can I try the products before we talk?Please do. The Website Kit and Did It Land are live on their own sites. The Composer demo runs in your browser with no signup. Memory is in beta with access by invitation: ask through the contact page and you will get it. Kicking the tyres first makes for a much better first call.
Got a question
we haven’t answered?
Bring it to a 30-minute call or send it through the contact page. Same straight answer either way.