feat: Updated purchase page

admin/cmd/main.go

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/joho/godotenv"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/api"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/auth"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/billing"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/config"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/db"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/hqsync"
@@ -93,6 +94,7 @@ func main() {
 	reconcileCtx, stopReconcile := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
 	defer stopReconcile()
 	inject.StartReconciler(reconcileCtx)
+	billing.StartPlaceholderReconciler(reconcileCtx)
 	hqsync.Start(reconcileCtx)
 
 	lifecycle.SetPortalURL(cfg.PublicURL)

admin/internal/api/checkout.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package api
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
@@ -74,6 +75,50 @@ func createSelfHostedPlaceholder(c *gin.Context) {
 	c.JSON(http.StatusCreated, gin.H{"instance_id": inst.InstanceID})
 }
 
+// createCloudCheckout creates a PAID cloud placeholder and hands back its id so
+// the browser can open a Paddle checkout keyed to it. Nothing is provisioned yet:
+// a cloud instance costs real infrastructure, so it is created only once payment
+// is confirmed, by the subscription webhook (billing.handleSubscription).
+//
+// This mirrors the self-hosted placeholder, with one difference that matters:
+// admin owns the cloud UUID, so the id generated here is the id the instance
+// will keep. Provisioning on the webhook reuses it (provision.CreateInstanceWithID),
+// which is why there is no claim-and-rewrite step and the subscription's
+// custom_data never goes stale. PendingOwnerUserID remembers who bought it so the
+// webhook can make them the instance owner.
+//
+// An abandoned checkout therefore leaves only this row — no infrastructure — the
+// same cheap, reap-safe state a self-hosted placeholder leaves.
+func createCloudCheckout(c *gin.Context) {
+	s := auth.Current(c)
+	var body struct {
+		Name string `json:"name"`
+	}
+	if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&body); err != nil || strings.TrimSpace(body.Name) == "" {
+		c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{"error": "a name is required"})
+		return
+	}
+	ctx := c.Request.Context()
+	inst := models.Instance{
+		InstanceID:         uuid.NewString(),
+		AccountID:          s.AccountID,
+		Name:               strings.TrimSpace(body.Name),
+		Deployment:         license.DeploymentCloud,
+		Status:             models.StatusAwaitingLink,
+		Placeholder:        true,
+		PendingOwnerUserID: s.UserID,
+		CreatedAt:          time.Now().UTC(),
+	}
+	if _, err := db.Admin("admin_instances").InsertOne(ctx, inst); err != nil {
+		c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
+		return
+	}
+	audit.Write(ctx, models.AuditEntry{
+		Actor: s.Email, Action: "instance.cloud_placeholder_created", AccountID: s.AccountID,
+		Target: inst.InstanceID, IP: c.ClientIP()})
+	c.JSON(http.StatusCreated, gin.H{"instance_id": inst.InstanceID})
+}
+
 // updateEntitlement sets an instance's DESIRED configuration and pushes the
 // resulting line items to Paddle. It does NOT issue — the resulting
 // subscription.updated webhook does, from granted. An increase is prorated

admin/internal/api/customer.go

@@ -200,6 +200,96 @@ func listSubscriptions(c *gin.Context) {
 	c.JSON(http.StatusOK, subs)
 }
 
+// provisionCloudInstance provisions a real cloud instance in the control plane
+// and records admin's row for it, WITHOUT issuing a licence. Both the Free
+// create path and the paid-checkout path share it, so the provisioning — and its
+// unwind-in-reverse rollback — has one definition rather than two that drift.
+//
+// It leaves the instance unlicensed on purpose: createInstance then issues Free,
+// and createCloudCheckout leaves it for the paid subscription webhook to license.
+// The returned rec carries no Tier or CurrentLicense; the caller sets those once
+// it has issued.
+//
+// Errors are returned unwrapped for the provisioning step so the caller can still
+// match provision.ErrEmailTaken / ErrNameRejected; later steps are wrapped.
+func provisionCloudInstance(c *gin.Context, name string) (*models.Instance, error) {
+	ctx := c.Request.Context()
+	s := auth.Current(c)
+
+	var cu models.CustomerUser
+	if err := db.Admin("customer_users").FindOne(ctx,
+		bson.M{"user_id": s.UserID}).Decode(&cu); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("read account: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	inst, err := cloudprov.CreateInstance(ctx, name, cu.Email, cu.PasswordHash, cu.UserID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rec := models.Instance{
+		InstanceID: inst.InstanceID,
+		AccountID:  s.AccountID,
+		Name:       inst.Name,
+		Slug:       inst.Slug,
+		Deployment: license.DeploymentCloud,
+		Status:     models.StatusActive,
+		CreatedAt:  time.Now().UTC(),
+	}
+	if _, err := db.Admin("admin_instances").InsertOne(ctx, rec); err != nil {
+		// Unwind in reverse: the owner first, because RollbackInstance refuses
+		// an instance that still has users.
+		if uid, e := cloudprov.OwnerUserID(ctx, inst.InstanceID); e == nil {
+			_ = cloudprov.DeleteUser(ctx, inst.InstanceID, uid)
+		}
+		if e := cloudprov.RollbackInstance(ctx, inst.InstanceID); e != nil {
+			log.Printf("provisionCloudInstance: rollback of %s failed: %v", inst.InstanceID, e)
+		}
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("record instance: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Record the owner's membership. Best-effort: the projected user already
+	// exists and is what actually grants access, so a missing row here costs a
+	// line in the members panel, not access — and the boot backfill rebuilds it.
+	ownerID, err := cloudprov.OwnerUserID(ctx, inst.InstanceID)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("provisionCloudInstance: owner lookup for %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
+	} else if _, err := db.Admin("instance_members").InsertOne(ctx, models.InstanceMember{
+		MemberID:       uuid.NewString(),
+		AccountID:      s.AccountID,
+		InstanceID:     inst.InstanceID,
+		CustomerUserID: cu.UserID,
+		ControlUserID:  ownerID,
+		Role:           sharedmodels.RoleOwner,
+		Email:          cu.Email,
+		CreatedAt:      time.Now().UTC(),
+	}); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("provisionCloudInstance: record owner membership for %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
+	}
+
+	audit.Write(ctx, models.AuditEntry{
+		Actor: s.Email, Action: "instance.created", AccountID: s.AccountID,
+		Target: inst.InstanceID, Detail: "slug=" + inst.Slug, IP: c.ClientIP()})
+	return &rec, nil
+}
+
+// cloudProvisionError maps the errors provisionCloudInstance can surface onto the
+// customer-facing responses shared by the Free and paid-checkout paths.
+func cloudProvisionError(c *gin.Context, err error) {
+	switch {
+	case errors.Is(err, provision.ErrEmailTaken):
+		// users.email is unique per instance, so this means the address already
+		// owns a user in an instance we are not creating — a legacy cloud tenant.
+		// Staff have to attach that one by hand.
+		c.JSON(http.StatusConflict, gin.H{
+			"error": "that email address already belongs to an existing Vantage instance; contact support@hostxtra.co.uk and we will link it to your account"})
+	case errors.Is(err, provision.ErrNameRejected):
+		c.JSON(http.StatusUnprocessableEntity, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
+	default:
+		c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"error": "could not create the instance"})
+	}
+}
+
 // createInstance provisions a Free cloud instance for the calling account.
 //
 // The ordering matters and each step unwinds the previous one. Licence issuance
@@ -241,75 +331,12 @@ func createInstance(c *gin.Context) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	var cu models.CustomerUser
-	if err := db.Admin("customer_users").FindOne(ctx,
-		bson.M{"user_id": s.UserID}).Decode(&cu); err != nil {
-		c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"error": "could not read your account"})
-		return
-	}
-
-	inst, err := cloudprov.CreateInstance(ctx, name, cu.Email, cu.PasswordHash, cu.UserID)
+	rec, err := provisionCloudInstance(c, name)
 	if err != nil {
-		if errors.Is(err, provision.ErrEmailTaken) {
-			// users.email is unique per instance, so this means the address
-			// already owns a user in an instance we are not creating — a legacy
-			// cloud tenant. Staff have to attach that one by hand.
-			c.JSON(http.StatusConflict, gin.H{
-				"error": "that email address already belongs to an existing Vantage instance; contact support@hostxtra.co.uk and we will link it to your account"})
-			return
-		}
-		if errors.Is(err, provision.ErrNameRejected) {
-			c.JSON(http.StatusUnprocessableEntity, gin.H{"error": err.Error()})
-			return
-		}
-		c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"error": "could not create the instance"})
+		cloudProvisionError(c, err)
 		return
 	}
-
-	rec := models.Instance{
-		InstanceID: inst.InstanceID,
-		AccountID:  s.AccountID,
-		Name:       inst.Name,
-		Slug:       inst.Slug,
-		Deployment: license.DeploymentCloud,
-		Status:     models.StatusActive,
-		CreatedAt:  time.Now().UTC(),
-	}
-	if _, err := db.Admin("admin_instances").InsertOne(ctx, rec); err != nil {
-		// Unwind in reverse: the owner first, because RollbackInstance refuses
-		// an instance that still has users.
-		if uid, e := cloudprov.OwnerUserID(ctx, inst.InstanceID); e == nil {
-			_ = cloudprov.DeleteUser(ctx, inst.InstanceID, uid)
-		}
-		if e := cloudprov.RollbackInstance(ctx, inst.InstanceID); e != nil {
-			log.Printf("createInstance: rollback of %s failed: %v", inst.InstanceID, e)
-		}
-		c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"error": "could not create the instance"})
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Record the owner's membership. Best-effort: the projected user already
-	// exists and is what actually grants access, so a missing row here costs a
-	// line in the members panel, not access — and the boot backfill rebuilds it.
-	ownerID, err := cloudprov.OwnerUserID(ctx, inst.InstanceID)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Printf("createInstance: owner lookup for %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
-	} else if _, err := db.Admin("instance_members").InsertOne(ctx, models.InstanceMember{
-		MemberID:       uuid.NewString(),
-		AccountID:      s.AccountID,
-		InstanceID:     inst.InstanceID,
-		CustomerUserID: cu.UserID,
-		ControlUserID:  ownerID,
-		Role:           sharedmodels.RoleOwner,
-		Email:          cu.Email,
-		CreatedAt:      time.Now().UTC(),
-	}); err != nil {
-		log.Printf("createInstance: record owner membership for %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
-	}
-
-	audit.Write(ctx, models.AuditEntry{
-		Actor: s.Email, Action: "instance.created", AccountID: s.AccountID,
-		Target: inst.InstanceID, Detail: "slug=" + inst.Slug, IP: c.ClientIP()})
+	inst := rec
 
 	// Past this point nothing fails the request.
 	lic, err := licensing.Issue(ctx, licensing.IssueInput{

admin/internal/api/routes.go

@@ -80,6 +80,10 @@ func Routes(cfg config.Config) http.Handler {
 		cust.POST("/instances/self-hosted",
 			auth.RequireAccountRole(models.AccountRoleOwner, models.AccountRoleAdmin),
 			createSelfHostedPlaceholder)
+		// Paid cloud: provisions a real instance the paid webhook then licenses.
+		cust.POST("/instances/cloud",
+			auth.RequireAccountRole(models.AccountRoleOwner, models.AccountRoleAdmin),
+			createCloudCheckout)
 		cust.PUT("/instances/:id/entitlement",
 			auth.RequireAccountRole(models.AccountRoleOwner, models.AccountRoleAdmin),
 			updateEntitlement)

admin/internal/billing/cloudprovision.go

@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+package billing
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"log"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/catalogue"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/cloudprov"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/db"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/models"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/paddle"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/shared/license"
+	sharedmodels "github.com/mrhid6/vantage/shared/models"
+	"go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver/v2/bson"
+)
+
+// placeholderReconcileInterval is how often placeholders are swept: paid cloud
+// ones a failed webhook left unprovisioned are completed, and stale unpaid ones
+// of either deployment are reaped.
+const placeholderReconcileInterval = 5 * time.Minute
+
+// abandonedPlaceholderAfter is how long an unpaid placeholder may sit before it
+// is treated as an abandoned checkout and deleted. Comfortably longer than a
+// webhook's delivery lag, so a just-paid placeholder awaiting its subscription
+// event is never mistaken for an abandoned one.
+const abandonedPlaceholderAfter = 24 * time.Hour
+
+// StartPlaceholderReconciler owns the after-checkout lifecycle of placeholders.
+//
+// It recovers the one failure the webhook cannot on its own — a confirmed payment
+// whose provisioning handler errored, which is not retried once its event is
+// claimed and which the inject reconciler (licences only) does not repair — by
+// completing paid cloud placeholders here. And it reaps abandoned ones: a
+// placeholder with no subscription past abandonedPlaceholderAfter is a checkout
+// nobody finished, and deleting it loses nothing, because a placeholder has no
+// control-plane footprint until it is paid for and provisioned.
+func StartPlaceholderReconciler(ctx context.Context) {
+	go func() {
+		t := time.NewTicker(placeholderReconcileInterval)
+		defer t.Stop()
+		reconcilePlaceholders(ctx)
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return
+			case <-t.C:
+				reconcilePlaceholders(ctx)
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+}
+
+func reconcilePlaceholders(ctx context.Context) {
+	cur, err := db.Admin("admin_instances").Find(ctx, bson.M{"placeholder": true})
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: query: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	var placeholders []models.Instance
+	if err := cur.All(ctx, &placeholders); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: decode: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	for _, inst := range placeholders {
+		var sub models.Subscription
+		paid := db.Admin("subscriptions").FindOne(ctx,
+			bson.M{"instance_id": inst.InstanceID, "status": models.SubActive}).Decode(&sub) == nil
+
+		if !paid {
+			// Never paid for. Reap once it is old enough to be an abandoned
+			// checkout rather than one still awaiting its subscription webhook.
+			if now.Sub(inst.CreatedAt) > abandonedPlaceholderAfter {
+				if _, err := db.Admin("admin_instances").DeleteOne(ctx,
+					bson.M{"instance_id": inst.InstanceID, "placeholder": true}); err != nil {
+					log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: reap abandoned %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
+				} else {
+					log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: reaped abandoned placeholder %s", inst.InstanceID)
+				}
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// Paid, self-hosted: nothing to provision — the customer installs and
+		// links, and lifecycle chases them. Only cloud is completed here.
+		if inst.Deployment != license.DeploymentCloud {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		items := make([]catalogue.Item, 0, len(sub.Items))
+		for _, it := range sub.Items {
+			items = append(items, catalogue.Item{PriceID: it.PriceID, Quantity: it.Quantity})
+		}
+		match, err := catalogue.ResolveItems(ctx, paddle.Get().Env(), items)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: resolve items for %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		provisioned, err := completeCloudPlaceholder(ctx, &inst)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: complete %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := promoteAndIssue(ctx, provisioned, match, models.ReasonNew); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: issue %s: %v", inst.InstanceID, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		log.Printf("placeholder reconcile: completed paid cloud instance %s", inst.InstanceID)
+	}
+}
+
+// completeCloudPlaceholder provisions the cloud instance a paid placeholder stands
+// for, once payment is confirmed, and returns the row promoted to a real instance.
+//
+// It is the payment-first half of the paid-cloud flow: createCloudCheckout made
+// the placeholder before payment, this provisions it after. The control-plane
+// instance is created with the placeholder's OWN id (cloudprov.CreateInstanceWithID),
+// so nothing is rewritten and the subscription's custom_data still resolves this
+// row on every later webhook.
+//
+// Every step is idempotent, because a webhook can be retried after this partly
+// ran: provisioning converges rather than duplicates, and the row flip and
+// membership insert are guarded on what they write. The caller then issues.
+func completeCloudPlaceholder(ctx context.Context, inst *models.Instance) (*models.Instance, error) {
+	cu, err := placeholderOwner(ctx, inst)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	prov, err := cloudprov.CreateInstanceWithID(ctx, inst.InstanceID, inst.Name,
+		cu.Email, cu.PasswordHash, cu.UserID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("provision cloud instance %s: %w", inst.InstanceID, err)
+	}
+
+	if _, err := db.Admin("admin_instances").UpdateOne(ctx,
+		bson.M{"instance_id": inst.InstanceID},
+		bson.M{
+			"$set":   bson.M{"slug": prov.Slug, "status": models.StatusActive, "placeholder": false},
+			"$unset": bson.M{"pending_owner_user_id": ""},
+		}); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("promote placeholder %s: %w", inst.InstanceID, err)
+	}
+
+	// Record the owner's membership. Best-effort and guarded on absence: the
+	// projected user is what grants access, so a missing row costs a line in the
+	// members panel, not access — and the boot backfill rebuilds it.
+	if ownerID, err := cloudprov.OwnerUserID(ctx, inst.InstanceID); err == nil {
+		if n, _ := db.Admin("instance_members").CountDocuments(ctx,
+			bson.M{"instance_id": inst.InstanceID, "customer_user_id": cu.UserID}); n == 0 {
+			if _, err := db.Admin("instance_members").InsertOne(ctx, models.InstanceMember{
+				MemberID:       uuid.NewString(),
+				AccountID:      inst.AccountID,
+				InstanceID:     inst.InstanceID,
+				CustomerUserID: cu.UserID,
+				ControlUserID:  ownerID,
+				Role:           sharedmodels.RoleOwner,
+				Email:          cu.Email,
+				CreatedAt:      time.Now().UTC(),
+			}); err != nil {
+				log.Printf("completeCloudPlaceholder: record owner membership for %s: %v",
+					inst.InstanceID, err)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	next := *inst
+	next.Slug = prov.Slug
+	next.Status = models.StatusActive
+	next.Placeholder = false
+	next.PendingOwnerUserID = ""
+	return &next, nil
+}
+
+// placeholderOwner resolves the customer_user who should own a provisioned cloud
+// placeholder: the buyer recorded at checkout, or the account owner if that
+// pointer is somehow missing.
+func placeholderOwner(ctx context.Context, inst *models.Instance) (*models.CustomerUser, error) {
+	var cu models.CustomerUser
+	if inst.PendingOwnerUserID != "" {
+		if err := db.Admin("customer_users").FindOne(ctx,
+			bson.M{"user_id": inst.PendingOwnerUserID}).Decode(&cu); err == nil {
+			return &cu, nil
+		}
+	}
+	if err := db.Admin("customer_users").FindOne(ctx,
+		bson.M{"account_id": inst.AccountID, "account_role": models.AccountRoleOwner}).Decode(&cu); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no owner for account %s to provision %s: %w",
+			inst.AccountID, inst.InstanceID, err)
+	}
+	return &cu, nil
+}

admin/internal/billing/subscription.go

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/mail"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/models"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/paddle"
+	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/shared/license"
 	"go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver/v2/bson"
 	"go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver/v2/mongo/options"
 )
@@ -87,20 +88,32 @@ func handleSubscription(ctx context.Context, ev Event) error {
 			bson.M{"$set": bson.M{"paddle_customer_id": d.CustomerID}})
 	}
 
-	// A self-hosted placeholder that has not been linked yet gets its
-	// subscription recorded but NO licence — there is no UUID to bind to. The
-	// link endpoint issues when the customer pastes it.
 	var inst models.Instance
 	if err := db.Admin("admin_instances").FindOne(ctx,
 		bson.M{"instance_id": d.CustomData.InstanceID}).Decode(&inst); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("subscription %s names unknown instance %s: %w",
 			d.ID, d.CustomData.InstanceID, err)
 	}
+
+	// Placeholders are the payment-first path: the instance does not exist until
+	// this confirmed-payment event. A cloud placeholder is provisioned here and
+	// then issued (first term). A self-hosted placeholder has no UUID to bind to
+	// until the customer pastes their install's — its subscription is recorded and
+	// the link endpoint issues later.
+	reason := models.ReasonEntitlementChange
 	if inst.Placeholder {
-		return nil
+		if inst.Deployment != license.DeploymentCloud {
+			return nil
+		}
+		provisioned, err := completeCloudPlaceholder(ctx, &inst)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		inst = *provisioned
+		reason = models.ReasonNew
 	}
 
-	return promoteAndIssue(ctx, &inst, match, models.ReasonEntitlementChange)
+	return promoteAndIssue(ctx, &inst, match, reason)
 }
 
 // promoteAndIssue promotes desired→granted from the resolved match, then signs a

admin/internal/cloudprov/cloudprov.go

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/admin/internal/db"
 	sharedmodels "github.com/mrhid6/vantage/shared/models"
 	"github.com/mrhid6/vantage/shared/provision"
@@ -32,11 +33,29 @@ import (
 // On owner-insert failure the instance is rolled back, so a failed provision
 // never leaves a slug permanently occupied by an instance nobody owns.
 func CreateInstance(ctx context.Context, name, ownerEmail, ownerPasswordHash, hqUserID string) (*sharedmodels.Instance, error) {
-	inst, err := provision.CreateInstance(ctx, db.ControlDB(), name)
+	return CreateInstanceWithID(ctx, uuid.NewString(), name, ownerEmail, ownerPasswordHash, hqUserID)
+}
+
+// CreateInstanceWithID provisions a cloud instance under a caller-supplied ID and
+// its owner. It backs the paid-cloud flow, where the ID is a placeholder created
+// before payment and provisioning runs on the confirmed-payment webhook (see
+// provision.CreateInstanceWithID).
+//
+// It is idempotent, because a webhook can be retried after provisioning partly
+// completed: the instance is created only if absent, and the owner only if the
+// instance has none yet. A second call therefore converges to the same state
+// rather than colliding on the per-instance email unique index.
+func CreateInstanceWithID(ctx context.Context, instanceID, name, ownerEmail, ownerPasswordHash, hqUserID string) (*sharedmodels.Instance, error) {
+	inst, err := provision.CreateInstanceWithID(ctx, db.ControlDB(), instanceID, name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	// A retry that already created the owner must not create a second one.
+	if _, err := OwnerUserID(ctx, inst.InstanceID); err == nil {
+		return inst, nil
+	}
+
 	u, err := provision.CreateUserWithHash(ctx, db.ControlDB(), inst.InstanceID,
 		ownerEmail, ownerPasswordHash, sharedmodels.RoleOwner, sharedmodels.AuthHQ)
 	if err != nil {

admin/internal/models/models.go

@@ -147,7 +147,11 @@ type Instance struct {
 	// checkout has something to attach custom_data to, before the customer has
 	// pasted their install's real UUID. Cleared when the instance is linked.
 	Placeholder bool      `bson:"placeholder,omitempty" json:"placeholder,omitempty"`
-	CreatedAt   time.Time `bson:"created_at" json:"created_at"`
+	// PendingOwnerUserID is the customer_user who bought a paid-cloud placeholder,
+	// remembered so the confirmed-payment webhook can provision the instance with
+	// them as owner. Cleared once provisioned. Only ever set on a cloud placeholder.
+	PendingOwnerUserID string    `bson:"pending_owner_user_id,omitempty" json:"-"`
+	CreatedAt          time.Time `bson:"created_at" json:"created_at"`
 }
 
 // License is append-only. A renewal writes a new row and sets SupersededBy on

adminsite/app/(customer)/page.tsx

@@ -70,10 +70,15 @@ export default function OverviewPage() {
                 title="Overview"
                 subtitle={subtitle}
                 actions={
-                    !hasFree && live.length > 0 ? (
-                        <LinkButton variant="line" href="/instances/new">
-                            Create a free instance
-                        </LinkButton>
+                    live.length > 0 ? (
+                        <>
+                            {!hasFree && (
+                                <LinkButton variant="line" href="/instances/new">
+                                    Create a free instance
+                                </LinkButton>
+                            )}
+                            <LinkButton href="/purchase">Buy a plan</LinkButton>
+                        </>
                     ) : undefined
                 }
                 record={[
@@ -96,7 +101,10 @@ export default function OverviewPage() {
                         server, and link it here to get your licence file.
                     </p>
                     <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-2.5">
-                        <LinkButton href="/instances/new">Create a free instance</LinkButton>
+                        <LinkButton href="/purchase">Buy a plan</LinkButton>
+                        <LinkButton variant="line" href="/instances/new">
+                            Create a free instance
+                        </LinkButton>
                         <LinkButton variant="line" href="/instances/link">
                             Link an install
                         </LinkButton>

adminsite/app/(customer)/purchase/page.tsx

@@ -2,15 +2,15 @@ import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import { PurchaseForm } from "./PurchaseForm";
 import { PageHeader } from "@/components/PageHeader";
 
-export const metadata: Metadata = { title: "Buy a self-hosted plan" };
+export const metadata: Metadata = { title: "Buy a plan" };
 
 export default function PurchasePage() {
     return (
         <div className="grid gap-6">
             <PageHeader
                 back={{ href: "/", label: "Overview" }}
-                title="Self-hosted plan"
-                subtitle="Name your instance, choose a plan, and pay. After payment, paste the ID your install reports to receive its licence. Self-hosted is billed annually."
+                title="Choose your plan"
+                subtitle="Configure the instance, see exactly what you'll be charged, then pay. Nothing is billed until you confirm at checkout."
             />
             <PurchaseForm />
         </div>

adminsite/lib/api.ts

@@ -319,6 +319,9 @@ export const api = {
     checkoutOptions: () => req<CheckoutOptions>("/api/checkout/options"),
     createSelfHosted: (name: string) =>
         post<{ instance_id: string }>("/api/instances/self-hosted", { name }),
+    // Paid cloud: provisions the real instance the paid webhook then licenses.
+    createCloudCheckout: (name: string) =>
+        post<{ instance_id: string }>("/api/instances/cloud", { name }),
     updateEntitlement: (
         id: string,
         body: { tier: Tier; term: Term; servers: number; features: string[] },

adminsite/lib/paddle.ts

@@ -15,3 +15,62 @@ export function initPaddle(): Promise<Paddle | undefined> {
     }
     return cached;
 }
+
+export interface PricedLine {
+    priceId: string;
+    /* Already localised and currency-formatted by Paddle, e.g. "£39.00". The line
+     * total for the quantity, not the unit price. */
+    total: string;
+    unit: string;
+}
+
+export interface PricePreview {
+    currency: string;
+    /* Grand total, formatted. */
+    total: string;
+    lines: Record<string, PricedLine>;
+}
+
+/*
+ * previewPrices asks Paddle for the real localised prices of a set of line items,
+ * so the order summary shows what the customer will actually pay rather than a
+ * hardcoded number that would drift from the dashboard.
+ *
+ * It returns null when Paddle is unavailable or a price cannot be previewed (an
+ * unconfigured sandbox price, an ad blocker). The caller falls back to showing
+ * the line items without amounts rather than a wrong total — the real figure
+ * still appears in the checkout overlay, which is the authority.
+ */
+export async function previewPrices(
+    items: { priceId: string; quantity: number }[],
+): Promise<PricePreview | null> {
+    if (items.length === 0) return { currency: "", total: "", lines: {} };
+    const paddle = await initPaddle();
+    if (!paddle) return null;
+    try {
+        const res = await paddle.PricePreview({
+            items: items.map((i) => ({ priceId: i.priceId, quantity: i.quantity })),
+        });
+        const currency = res.data.currencyCode;
+        const lines: Record<string, PricedLine> = {};
+        // Paddle gives per-line totals but no grand total, so sum the raw minor
+        // units and format once. The checkout overlay is the authority; this is
+        // the honest preview beside it.
+        let subtotalMinor = 0;
+        for (const li of res.data.details.lineItems) {
+            lines[li.price.id] = {
+                priceId: li.price.id,
+                total: li.formattedTotals.subtotal,
+                unit: li.formattedUnitTotals.subtotal,
+            };
+            subtotalMinor += Number.parseInt(li.totals.subtotal, 10) || 0;
+        }
+        const total = new Intl.NumberFormat(undefined, {
+            style: "currency",
+            currency,
+        }).format(subtotalMinor / 100);
+        return { currency, total, lines };
+    } catch {
+        return null;
+    }
+}

shared/provision/instance.go

@@ -17,13 +17,35 @@ var ErrNameRejected = errors.New("organisation name rejected")
 
 const maxSlugAttempts = 50
 
-// CreateInstance inserts an instance under the first free slug derived from name.
+// CreateInstance inserts an instance under the first free slug derived from name,
+// with a freshly generated ID.
+func CreateInstance(ctx context.Context, db *mongo.Database, name string) (*models.Instance, error) {
+	return CreateInstanceWithID(ctx, db, uuid.NewString(), name)
+}
+
+// CreateInstanceWithID inserts an instance under the first free slug derived from
+// name, using a caller-supplied instance ID.
+//
+// A caller-supplied ID exists for the paid-cloud flow: a placeholder row is
+// created before payment and provisioning happens on the confirmed-payment
+// webhook. Provisioning with the placeholder's own ID keeps the id stable, so
+// the subscription's custom_data never points at a rewritten row and later
+// webhooks still resolve it. If an instance with this ID already exists — a
+// webhook retried after a partial provision — it is returned as-is rather than
+// duplicated.
 //
 // The count-then-insert loop is racy on its own. It is safe only because
 // instances.slug carries a unique index: a lost race surfaces as a duplicate-key
 // error, which we treat as "that slug is taken" and retry. Do not remove the
 // duplicate-key branch, and do not remove the index.
-func CreateInstance(ctx context.Context, db *mongo.Database, name string) (*models.Instance, error) {
+func CreateInstanceWithID(ctx context.Context, db *mongo.Database, instanceID, name string) (*models.Instance, error) {
+	// Idempotency: a retried provision finds its own instance already present.
+	var existing models.Instance
+	if err := db.Collection("instances").FindOne(ctx,
+		bson.M{"instance_id": instanceID}).Decode(&existing); err == nil {
+		return &existing, nil
+	}
+
 	base, err := BaseSlug(name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrNameRejected, err.Error())
@@ -41,7 +63,7 @@ func CreateInstance(ctx context.Context, db *mongo.Database, name string) (*mode
 		}
 
 		inst := models.Instance{
-			InstanceID: uuid.NewString(),
+			InstanceID: instanceID,
 			Name:       name,
 			Slug:       slug,
 			CreatedAt:  time.Now().UTC(),