Answer engine optimization

# Not live yet (gaps #2)
curl -X POST "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns?mode=try" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"play":"aeo"}'

 1import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
 2
 3return await $.Campaign.create({ play: 'aeo' }, { mode: 'try' })   // dry run on the day-0 Startup, 2026-08-24 · Not live yet, gaps #2

npx startup-builder do Campaign.create --json '{"play":"aeo"}' --try   # Not live yet (gaps #2)

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "return await $.Campaign.create({ play: 'aeo' }, { mode: 'try' })   // dry run on the day-0 Startup, 2026-08-24 · Not live yet, gaps #2",
    "mode": "try"
  }
}

 1{
 2  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
 3  "title": "Refused",
 4  "status": 422,
 5  "detail": "aeo can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 1 warns.",
 6  "checks": [
 7    {
 8      "check": "owned-by-a-person",
 9      "status": "pass",
10      "observed": "0 source editors are Contacts a person owns",
11      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-owned-by-a-person",
12      "then": "Task.assign"
13    },
14    {
15  …

curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events?where=name%20in%20(%22Monitor.checked%22%2C%20%22Change.merged%22%2C%20%22Keyword.measured%22%2C%20%22Page.fetched%22)&limit=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

# Not live yet (gaps #7)
curl -X POST "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/triggers/fire?mode=try" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"like":"event_1405"}'

# Not live yet (gaps #7)
curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions?where=on%20%3D%20%22source_17%22" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

# Not live yet (gaps #7)
curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/actions?where=on%20%3D%20%22source_17%22" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

 1import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
 2
 3const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in ("Monitor.checked", "Change.merged", "Keyword.measured", "Page.fetched")', limit: 1 })   // { play } compiled to this Play’s Trigger Events
 4const { subject } = await $.Trigger.fire({ like: last.$id }, { mode: 'try' })   // the same Event again, in try mode · Not live yet, gaps #7
 5const { decisions: [decision] } = await $.Decision.list({ where: `on = "${subject}"` })   // what it chose, and why · Not live yet, gaps #7
 6const { actions } = await $.Action.list({ where: `on = "${subject}"` })   // what it did, with its checks · Not live yet, gaps #7
 7return { decision, actions }

npx startup-builder do Event.list --json '{"where":"name in (\"Monitor.checked\", \"Change.merged\", \"Keyword.measured\", \"Page.fetched\")","limit":1}'
npx startup-builder do Trigger.fire --json '{"like":"event_1405"}' --try   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Decision.list --json '{"where":"on = \"source_17\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Action.list --json '{"where":"on = \"source_17\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in (\"Monitor.checked\", \"Change.merged\", \"Keyword.measured\", \"Page.fetched\")', limit: 1 })   // { play } compiled to this Play’s Trigger Events\nconst { subject } = await $.Trigger.fire({ like: last.$id }, { mode: 'try' })   // the same Event again, in try mode · Not live yet, gaps #7\nconst { decisions: [decision] } = await $.Decision.list({ where: `on = \"${subject}\"` })   // what it chose, and why · Not live yet, gaps #7\nconst { actions } = await $.Action.list({ where: `on = \"${subject}\"` })   // what it did, with its checks · Not live yet, gaps #7\nreturn { decision, actions }",
    "mode": "try"
  }
}

 1{
 2  "decision": {
 3    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions/decision_462",
 4    "$type": "Decision",
 5    "choice": "ask-the-source",
 6    "reason": "a roundup page by someone else, cited on 5 of the 40 questions, lists Pro at $39 a month; your Pricing Page says $29",
 7    "stakes": "low",
 8    "options": [
 9      "publish-the-answer",
10      "fix-your-page",
11      "ask-the-source",
12      "update-the-comparison",
13      "not-now",
14      "let-it-go"
15  …

action_3 is the correction to the roundup’s editor, which waits for your OK (You approve each one); it cites your Pricing Page and the date its Price changed.

≈ +$90 ARR a month at 40 questions

Worth

45 min week 1, then 20 a week

Your time

$0.02 per panel run, ~$50 a month

Spend

Week 3: an answer cites your own page

First signal

a Pricing Page, 20+ buyer questions

Use it when

No Pricing Page: publish it (Site.publish) · under 20 questions: signup-interviews

Not yet when

Worth’s formula: about +8.2 per 100 answers × 15 AI-sent visits a month per point × 1.9 % visits to Leads × 0.30 Leads to opens × 0.29 opens to paid × $420 first order ARR ≈ +$85. Under First signal: About 6 weeks to tell a +6 point lift at 15 questions a half and 450 runs a week; a model release adds 2 weeks to rebuild the baseline.

Start it this weekCopy Anchor Link

npx startup-builder add play aeo   # 1 · writes plays/aeo.mdx (Not live yet, gaps #5)

# 2 · dry run; below, its 422 on the day-0 Startup (clock at 2026-08-24)
curl -X POST "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns?mode=try" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"play":"aeo"}'

# 3 · keep it: pages publish from your records, corrections wait for you
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"play":"aeo"}'

# on
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/processes/content-marketing/enable \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

# off: pages stay up, queued corrections cancel
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/processes/content-marketing/pause \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

{
  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
  "title": "Refused",
  "status": 422,
  "detail": "aeo can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 1 warns.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "owned-by-a-person",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "0 source editors are Contacts a person owns",
      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-owned-by-a-person",
      "then": "Task.assign"
    },
    {
      "check": "use-when",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "a Pricing Page and 40 questions from 12 signup interviews",
      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-use-when",
      "then": "Metric.query"
    },
    {
      "check": "baseline",
      "status": "warn",
      "observed": "no panel history: week 1 is the baseline",
      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-baseline",
      "fix": "Run the panel once; the first week fills Before.",
      "then": "Metric.query"
    },
    {
      "check": "approved-pages",
      "status": "fail",
      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-approved-pages",
      "fix": "Put every Price and Limit in your Pricing Page’s text, not inside a tab.",
      "then": "Site.publish"
    },
    {
      "check": "domain-authenticated",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "leaseline.app: 3 of 3 records resolve",
      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-domain-authenticated",
      "then": "Domain.authenticate"
    },
    {
      "check": "role-unstaffed",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "Content Lead and Marketing Lead are your agents; comparisons and corrections come to you",
      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-role-unstaffed",
      "then": "Role.staff"
    }
  ]
}

Each panel run costs $0.02 (600 a week: 40 questions × 5 Venues × 3 samples), and each drafted page or correction costs $0.05 from your Domain (Worker cost). Contact data for a source editor costs $0.06 (POST /{namespace}/contacts/{contact}/enrich). That comes to about $50 a month at 40 questions, and a Limit cuts samples from 3 to 2 at $60.

When it startsCopy Anchor Link

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1405",
  "$type": "Event",
  "name": "Monitor.checked",
  "at": "2026-10-19T07:00:12Z",
  "seq": 1405,
  "data": {
    "monitor": "aeo-panel",
    "venue": "perplexity",
    "questions": 5,
    "states": "Leaseline Pro: $39 a month",
    "fact": "Leaseline Pro: $29 a month, since 2026-03-01",
    "source": {
      "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/sources/source_17",
      "kind": "roundup"
    }
  }
}

# each delivery is signed with the Watch’s secret
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/watches \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"selector":"Monitor.checked","url":"https://leaseline.app/hooks/sb"}'
npx startup-builder trigger Monitor.checked --like event_1405   # replays the wrong answer
npx startup-builder clock advance --by 7d   # runs the next weekly panel, which reads the correction back

Who runs itCopy Anchor Link

Content Lead · your agent (role:content-lead, worker_7) holds the Key Result and runs the panel. It hands every correction and comparison to you (Dana Okafor, person, worker_1), and the Marketing Lead · your agent (worker_6) reads the weekly memo. Your number links to Did it work.

What it reads · What it may call. It reads the panel’s answers and the pages they cite as data, never as instructions; it writes only to your own Pages and to the editor of a page that cites you, once per 30 days. Its tools are POST /{namespace}/content/draft, POST /{namespace}/content/{content}/publish, PATCH /{namespace}/pages/{id}, POST /{namespace}/sites/{site}/publish, POST /{namespace}/messages/{message}/schedule, and any other call becomes an Approval under the Role’s Mandate.

You hold the Content Lead Key Result: answer share 20 per 100 on buyer questions by 2026-12-31. ← worker, metric
On each panel result or fact change, choose one option and say why.              ← triggers, chooses
Every number on a page or in a correction cites a Fact with its date.            ← copyRules 1, fact-check
Corrections wait for Dana’s OK; at most 10 a week, 1 per editor a month.         ← your file, line 5; correction-cap
Never name a rival without Dana’s OK.                                            ← your file, line 6; comparison-claim

The slow loop, as a Change. decision_437 (2026-09-28, weekly) read 3 answer pages whose questions moved and 2 that did not, all 5 answered in the page’s first 60 words; change_25 moved every answer page’s fact table to its top, and Dana merged it. Replayed on past runs, POST /{namespace}/changes/{change}/review put answer share on those questions at 16.0; read back at +14d it is 14.9, n 180 runs, ■□□□ Too early to tell (Example, day 49).

Bring your own agent (folded) starts at You approve each one for corrections on any agent, and earns It does it for pages when it matches the seated agent with 0 facts wrong.

npx startup-builder eval --scenario aeo-40 --agent "claude -p" --seat content-lead   # seated: 14.2 per 100, 0 facts wrong, 5 of 9 corrections accepted · yours: 12.8, 1 fact wrong → You approve each one

What it can do nextCopy Anchor Link

When it hands to youCopy Anchor Link

Every correction and comparison comes to you, and nothing reaches an editor without your OK. What lands in your queue, as captured: the Brief, then the Approval (brief, draft, route and checks are Not live yet, gaps #7).

[
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/tasks/task_262",
    "$type": "Task",
    "assignee": "worker_1",
    "due": "2026-10-20T17:00:00Z",
    "on": "source_17",
    "brief": {
      "what": "a roundup page cited on 5 questions lists Pro at $39 a month",
      "fact": "Leaseline Pro: $29 a month, since 2026-03-01 (your Pricing Page)",
      "chose": "ask-the-source",
      "why": "someone else’s page; 5 of 40 questions read it",
      "sends": "one note and one follow-up, to the editor only"
    }
  },
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/approvals/approval_71",
    "$type": "Approval",
    "verdict": null,
    "deadline": "2026-10-20T17:00:00Z",
    "draft": "Hi Lena, your roundup of rental tools lists Leaseline Pro at $39 a month. It has been $29 since March 1…",
    "route": "ask-the-source",
    "checks": [
      {
        "check": "fact-check",
        "status": "pass"
      },
      {
        "check": "correction-cap",
        "status": "pass"
      }
    ]
  }
]

You answer with POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/claim (Take this one), POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/return with a reason, POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/approve or POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/refuse, each a one-call window, and an Approval unanswered by its deadline expires and the note never sends. Once you claim a correction, the agent stops writing to that editor, and every reply comes to your queue.

On time: you, 11 of 12 approvals by their deadline, median 3 h 10 min, ■■□□ Early sign, n 12 (the 12th expired, and that note never sent). Your queue: counted by kind: in week 1, 1 panel lock and 1 Pricing Page fix; since, about 2 corrections a week and 1 comparison a month.

The fixed line: POST /{namespace}/deals/{deal}/assign sets owner to the receiving person, the agent is never a Deal’s owner, and Meetings land on the owner’s calendar under the owner’s name.

When it won’t sendCopy Anchor Link

The captured refusal, then the Stops that fired as Campaign.paused reasons (Not live yet, gaps #2); the rewrite that sent is the second thread in Example.

{
  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
  "title": "Refused",
  "status": 422,
  "detail": "The correction to the roundup editor did not send: it states a figure no Fact backs.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "fact-check",
      "status": "fail",
      "doc": "/plays/aeo#check-fact-check",
      "fix": "Cut the claim, or name the record that backs it.",
      "then": "Content.draft"
    },
    {
      "check": "correction-cap",
      "status": "pass"
    }
  ]
}

[
  {
    "reason": {
      "limit": "render",
      "observed": "the Team Limit missing from the raw text of /pricing",
      "bound": "0 missing",
      "window": "1 publish"
    },
    "doc": "/plays/aeo#stop-render"
  },
  {
    "reason": {
      "limit": "series-break",
      "observed": "the whole panel moved 3.4 intervals after a Gemini model release",
      "bound": "3 intervals",
      "window": "1 week"
    },
    "doc": "/plays/aeo#stop-series-break"
  }
]

Did it workCopy Anchor Link

The 30 buyer questions were split at random, 15 whose pages changed and 15 held back, and both halves read from the same weekly runs (rules m–o); each figure’s call is POST /{namespace}/metrics/query by node and by arm. answer-share and every node above it are Not live yet (gaps #4, #6).

{
  "$id": "decisions/decision_462",
  "$type": "Decision",
  "choice": "ask-the-source",
  "reason": "a roundup page by someone else, cited on 5 of the 40 questions, lists Pro at $39 a month; your Pricing Page says $29",
  "stakes": "low",
  "options": [
    "publish-the-answer",
    "fix-your-page",
    "ask-the-source",
    "update-the-comparison",
    "not-now",
    "let-it-go"
  ],
  "by": "worker_7",
  "on": "source_17",
  "expected": "answers on those 5 questions quote $29 within 2 weekly runs",
  "reopensWhen": "source_17 still states $39 at the run after next"
}

The leaf counts panel runs whose answer cites or names Leaseline, per 100 runs, per Venue, buyer questions and branded questions apart; the 10 branded questions read accuracy, not share. The series froze for 2 weeks after the Oct 2 model release (series-break).

How it moves it: branded answers that quote $29 for Pro rose from 109 of 150 runs in week 1 to 147 of 150 in week 8, and 5 of 9 corrected pages now state the dated fact.

Guardrails: treated against held back: organic-share of visits, 31 % against 30 %, and earned-mentions, 4 against 3.

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/aeo",
  "$type": "Campaign",
  "play": "play:aeo@1",
  "path": [
    "answer-share",
    "icp-reached",
    "new-arr",
    "net-new-arr",
    "arr"
  ],
  "experiment": {
    "metric": "answer-share",
    "unit": "per-100",
    "heldBack": 15,
    "decision": null
  },
  "readout": {
    "value": 8.2,
    "n": 900,
    "maturing": 0,
    "interval": [
      2.6,
      13.8
    ],
    "readability": "C",
    "basis": "held-back",
    "pooled": false
  },
  "ledger": {
    "spend": 92,
    "workerCost": 6,
    "hours": 3.4,
    "wonArr": 347,
    "projectedArr": 85,
    "paybackDays": 270
  }
}

Outside benchmark: a brand list repeats in under 1 in 100 runs of the same question across answer engines (a 2026 study of 2,961 runs).

Before it · After it. Before it: signup-interviews gives it the questions buyers ask, and editorial-seo writes the long pages it cites. After it: directory-listings takes a wrong review profile, community-answers takes a cited forum thread, and instant-response answers anyone the answers send.

ExampleCopy Anchor Link

Leaseline ran it from 2026-08-24 to 2026-10-19 (56 days). The panel held 40 questions: 30 a property manager asks and 10 with Leaseline’s name, each run weekly on 5 Venues, 3 samples apiece, 4,800 runs in all. Week 1 read 6.1 answers per 100 naming Leaseline on buyer questions, and 41 of 150 branded runs quoted $39 for Pro. Read every captured run at ?threads=all; three follow the tables.

Leaseline → Lena, editor of a rental-tools roundup, Sep 10 · Your roundup lists Leaseline Pro at $39 a month. It has been $29 since March 1, as our Pricing Page shows.¹ Could you update the row? *Signed with the Role’s disclosure line.*²

Lena, Sep 11 · “Fixed, thanks.” By the run of Sep 21, 4 of the 5 questions that read her page quoted $29.

- Property managers save about 6 hours a week with Leaseline Pro, which is $29 a month.
+ Leaseline Pro has been $29 a month since March 1, as our Pricing Page shows.

A rival’s plan page changed, 2026-10-07 07:00 · its renewal reminders moved to its top plan. Update the comparison drafted the 2 changed rows for Dana (approval_69, due 17:00 the next day); she approved them at 12:40, and the page kept its fixed ownership line.³ The Brief is task_249.

¹ Every number cites a Fact with its date. ² The fixed signature line, compiled from the Role’s disclosure Setting. ³ A comparison names who publishes it, every time.

Your settingsCopy Anchor Link

---
holdout: 0.5      # half the buyer questions keep today’s pages, chosen at random
---
Lock these 40 questions for 6 weeks: 30 a buyer asks, 10 with our name.
Corrections wait for my OK.
Never name a rival without my OK.

$ npx startup-builder show plays/aeo
holdout 0.5 · 40 questions · corrections wait · rivals wait    your file  plays/aeo.mdx:2,4,5,6 (Ask 2026-08-24)
family demand · process content-marketing · worker role:content-lead, owns never · chooses 6 (2 rule, 4 read) · sequence aeo-source-correction · approval every-send · checks owned-by-a-person, fact-check, stale-fact, correction-cap, contact-lease, comparison-claim, ownership-stated · stops 7    catalog  play:aeo@1

Every key from the catalogCopy Anchor Link

Compiled, not written: edit the Play record aeo and its Leaseline run, then regenerate. Every step runs from a sentence or a line of code. In your words: the CRM words you know, and where each lives here.