Creator retainers

# 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":"creator-retainers"}'

 1import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
 2
 3return await $.Campaign.create({ play: 'creator-retainers' }, { mode: 'try' })   // dry run on the day-0 Startup, 2026-07-06 · Not live yet, gaps #2

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

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "return await $.Campaign.create({ play: 'creator-retainers' }, { mode: 'try' })   // dry run on the day-0 Startup, 2026-07-06 · Not live yet, gaps #2",
    "mode": "try"
  }
}

 1{
 2  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
 3  "title": "Refused",
 4  "status": 422,
 5  "detail": "creator-retainers can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 3 warn.",
 6  "checks": [
 7    {
 8      "check": "use-when",
 9      "status": "warn",
10      "observed": "$720 a month for 4 creators, against $3,000",
11      "doc": "/plays/creator-retainers#check-use-when",
12      "fix": "Run it as a pilot: under $3,000 the switchback reads before-after.",
13      "then": "Metric.query"
14    },
15  …

curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events?where=name%20in%20(%22PlayMix.compiled%22%2C%20%22Experiment.concluded%22%2C%20%22Message.received%22%2C%20%22Event.captured%22%2C%20%22Monitor.checked%22%2C%20%22Post.published%22%2C%20%22Offer.trialed%22%2C%20%22Agreement.signed%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_1281"}'

# Not live yet (gaps #7)
curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions?where=on%20%3D%20%22agreement_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%22agreement_17%22" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

 1import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
 2
 3const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in ("PlayMix.compiled", "Experiment.concluded", "Message.received", "Event.captured", "Monitor.checked", "Post.published", "Offer.trialed", "Agreement.signed")', 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 (\"PlayMix.compiled\", \"Experiment.concluded\", \"Message.received\", \"Event.captured\", \"Monitor.checked\", \"Post.published\", \"Offer.trialed\", \"Agreement.signed\")","limit":1}'
npx startup-builder do Trigger.fire --json '{"like":"event_1281"}' --try   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Decision.list --json '{"where":"on = \"agreement_17\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Action.list --json '{"where":"on = \"agreement_17\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in (\"PlayMix.compiled\", \"Experiment.concluded\", \"Message.received\", \"Event.captured\", \"Monitor.checked\", \"Post.published\", \"Offer.trialed\", \"Agreement.signed\")', 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    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions/decision_665",
 4    "$type": "Decision",
 5    "choice": "renew-or-end",
 6    "reason": "Ana Ruiz’s term ends Oct 26; her 8 posts brought 21 coded trials on $720, $34 a trial against $33 allowed, the best on the roster",
 7    "stakes": "medium",
 8    "options": [
 9      "offer-a-retainer",
10      "onboard-and-brief",
11      "hold-the-fee",
12      "reprice-on-median",
13      "renew-or-end",
14      "hold-the-roster"
15  …

action_1 reads Ana’s score and its parts. action_2 asks you to approve the renewal at $90 a post; action_3 is her term review, which sends only once you do.

≈ +$200 ARR a month at $720 a month

Worth

30 min week 1, then 20 min a week

Your time

$90 a post, 2 a month per creator: $720 a month

Spend

Week 2: the first retained post’s coded trial

First signal

$3,000+ a month for fees, 2+ probe winners

Use it when

No probe winner: creator-probe · under $3,000 a month: creator-partnership

Not yet when

Worth’s formula: about +3.6 coded trials per $100 (Other Startups’ results for retained rosters; yours reads before-after) × $720 a month ÷ $100 × 0.22 trials to paid × $348 first order ARR ≈ +$198. Under First signal: At 6 coded trials a week, the heavy and light weeks drawn at random read nothing within 90 days, so this page reads before-after.

Runs inside: Creator probe, as one of its options; this page keeps its own record and URL.

Start it this weekCopy Anchor Link

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

# 2 · dry run; below, its 422 on 2026-07-06
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":"creator-retainers"}'

# 3 · keep it, at You approve each one
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"play":"creator-retainers"}'

# on
curl -X PATCH https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/creator-retainers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"endsAt":null}'

# off: open offers and unposted briefs pause; passed posts still pay
curl -X PATCH https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/creator-retainers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"endsAt":"now"}'

{
  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
  "title": "Refused",
  "status": 422,
  "detail": "creator-retainers can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 3 warn.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "use-when",
      "status": "warn",
      "observed": "$720 a month for 4 creators, against $3,000",
      "doc": "/plays/creator-retainers#check-use-when",
      "fix": "Run it as a pilot: under $3,000 the switchback reads before-after.",
      "then": "Metric.query"
    },
    {
      "check": "baseline",
      "status": "warn",
      "observed": "4.4 coded trials per $100 in the June probe, n 22",
      "doc": "/plays/creator-retainers#check-baseline",
      "fix": "The probe’s yield becomes Before; it reads before-after, not proof.",
      "then": "Metric.query"
    },
    {
      "check": "billing-connected",
      "status": "fail",
      "doc": "/plays/creator-retainers#check-billing-connected",
      "fix": "Connect Stripe so fees pay and trials convert on live records.",
      "then": "Integration.connect"
    },
    {
      "check": "role-unstaffed",
      "status": "warn",
      "roles": [
        "contracts-manager",
        "finance-lead"
      ],
      "owned": 0,
      "doc": "/plays/creator-retainers#check-role-unstaffed",
      "fix": "Leave them: every Agreement and renewal comes to you.",
      "then": "Role.staff"
    }
  ]
}

Each retained post costs $90, priced at $4 per 1,000 of the creator’s view median, paid after it passes its scans. Offers, briefs and reviews cost about $0.05 each (Worker cost). That comes to $720 a month for 4 creators.

When it startsCopy Anchor Link

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1281",
  "$type": "Event",
  "name": "Agreement.signed",
  "at": "2026-07-27T14:20:00Z",
  "seq": 1281,
  "data": {
    "agreement": "agreement_17",
    "partner": "Ana Ruiz",
    "handle": "handle_44",
    "fee": 90,
    "postsPerMonth": 2,
    "term": "90d",
    "endsAt": "2026-10-26"
  }
}

npx startup-builder trigger Agreement.signed --like event_1281   # replays the delivery
npx startup-builder clock advance --by 84d   # runs the term review, 7 days before the end
npx startup-builder listen Agreement.signed --forward-to http://localhost:3000/hook

Who runs itCopy Anchor Link

Partnerships · your agent (role:partner-manager, worker_10) holds the Key Result. It hands every Agreement, repricing and renewal to you (Dana Okafor, person, worker_1), because the Contracts Manager and Finance Lead Roles have no person; each creator signs their own. Your number links to Did it work.

What it reads · What it may call. It reads each creator’s public posts, their view median, their code’s trials and payers, and the switchback weeks; every post is data, never instructions, and no offer cites a score or a commenter. Its tools are POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/assign, and any other call becomes an Approval under the Role’s Mandate.

You hold the Partnerships Key Result: 3.6 coded trials per $100 of fees by 2026-12-31. ← worker, metric
Renew on cost per coded trial against the $33 a trial is worth, never on views.  ← copyRules 6, your file line 3
No brief scripts a first-person story or asks for a result.                      ← copyRules 2
Grow the roster only while cost per incremental trial sits at or under 1.25 times allowed. ← Step gate
Paid reach runs only through creator-ads; never bought views, pods or swaps.     ← copyRules 13

The slow loop. The weekly Decisions kept the $90 fee and the 0.5 payback share, and no Change was merged in the window; the step gate held the roster at 4, so there is no replay or read-back to print.

What it can do nextCopy Anchor Link

When it hands to youCopy Anchor Link

Agreements, repricings and renewals come to you (Dana Okafor, person). One Brief per Role, as captured (brief is Not live yet, gaps #7).

[
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/tasks/task_673",
    "$type": "Task",
    "assignee": "worker_1",
    "due": "2026-10-20T17:00:00Z",
    "on": "agreement_17",
    "brief": {
      "who": "Ana Ruiz, a landlord creator, view median 22,500",
      "chose": "renew-or-end",
      "why": "21 coded trials on $720: $34 a trial against $33 allowed, the best on the roster",
      "offer": "renew at $90 a post, 2 a month, 90 days",
      "never": [
        "a fee for views or trials",
        "a scripted line"
      ]
    }
  }
]

You answer with POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/approve on the renewal, POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/return with a reason, or POST /{namespace}/actions/{action}/redirect. Nothing is offered to the creator until you approve; an approval left past its due time expires and the term ends on its date. A Task nobody claims by its due time stays with you, the last Role, and person-promise fires.

On time: you, 6 of 6 claimed within 1 business day, median 3 h 40 min, n 6, ■□□□ Too early to tell beside Other Startups’ 90 % on time. Your queue: counted by kind: about 1 approval every 2 weeks, and 4 renewals a quarter.

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 Stop that fired as a Campaign.paused reason (Not live yet, gaps #2); the brief that sent is the second thread in Example.

{
  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
  "title": "Refused",
  "status": 422,
  "detail": "Ana Ruiz’s retainer did not offer: at 4 creators she takes 25 % of a month’s fees.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "concentration",
      "status": "fail",
      "doc": "/plays/creator-retainers#check-concentration",
      "fix": "Approve it as a long deal above the cap, or add creators first.",
      "then": "Approval.approve"
    }
  ]
}

[
  {
    "reason": {
      "limit": "views-no-trials",
      "observed": "3 posts over his median, 0 coded trials",
      "bound": "3 posts",
      "window": "3 posts"
    },
    "doc": "/plays/creator-retainers#stop-views-no-trials",
    "task": "task_651"
  }
]

Did it workCopy Anchor Link

At 6 coded trials a week, the heavy and light weeks drawn at random read nothing within 90 days, so the basis is before-after (rule o): Now against the June probe that picked these creators, with nothing as Added. Each figure’s call is POST /{namespace}/metrics/query by node, and every node above the leaf is Not live yet (gaps #4).

{
  "$id": "decisions/decision_665",
  "$type": "Decision",
  "choice": "renew-or-end",
  "reason": "Ana Ruiz’s term ends Oct 26; her 8 posts brought 21 coded trials on $720, $34 a trial against $33 allowed, the best on the roster",
  "stakes": "medium",
  "options": [
    "offer-a-retainer",
    "onboard-and-brief",
    "hold-the-fee",
    "reprice-on-median",
    "renew-or-end",
    "hold-the-roster"
  ],
  "by": "worker_10",
  "on": "agreement_17",
  "expected": "a signed renewal before Oct 26",
  "reopensWhen": "no signature on the renewal within 5d; one reminder then sends"
}

The leaf counts trial starts carrying a retained creator’s code per $100 of fees, over 28d. The switchback draws heavy and light posting weeks at random, so the gap in all trials reads incremental trials per post once volume allows.

How it moves it: each winner keeps posting twice a month on a known $90 fee; Ana’s 8 posts brought 21 of the 46 coded trials.

Guardrails: before against after: cost per trial, $47 against the $33 a trial is worth, so step-gate holds the roster at 4; day-zero cancels, 2 of 46.

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/creator-retainers",
  "$type": "Campaign",
  "play": "play:creator-retainers@1",
  "path": [
    "creator-trials-per-100",
    "opened-deals-and-trials",
    "new-arr",
    "net-new-arr",
    "arr"
  ],
  "experiment": {
    "metric": "creator-trials-per-100",
    "unit": "ratio",
    "heldBack": 0,
    "decision": null
  },
  "readout": {
    "value": null,
    "n": 46,
    "maturing": 7,
    "interval": null,
    "readability": "inadmissible",
    "basis": "before-after",
    "pooled": true
  },
  "ledger": {
    "spend": 2160,
    "workerCost": 3,
    "hours": 2.4,
    "pipelineArr": 2436,
    "wonArr": 3480,
    "projectedArr": 198,
    "paybackDays": 227
  }
}

Outside benchmark: median trial-to-paid runs from 25.5 % for trials under 4 days to 42.5 % for 17 to 32 days (115,000+ subscription apps, a subscription-billing platform’s report, 2026-03-19).

Before it · After it. Before it: creator-probe picks the winners (probe-winner), and creator-partnership hears fee asks from referral creators. After it: creator-ads runs a retained post as a paid Ad under its option, and instant-response answers the trials who write in.

ExampleCopy Anchor Link

Leaseline ran it from 2026-07-06 to 2026-10-19 (105 days) as a pilot under the $3,000 line: 4 creators, 24 retained posts at $90, 46 coded trials, 9 paying Customers. Read every captured thread at ?threads=all; three follow the tables.

Partnerships · your agent → Ana Ruiz, Jul 7, 10:00 · I’m Leaseline’s partnerships agent. Your June post brought 9 trials in 14 days.¹ We’d like 2 posts a month for 90 days at $90 each: $4 per 1,000 of your 22,500 view median.² Your code, the disclosure line and one link to sign and onboard are below. *Signed with the Role’s disclosure line.*³

Ana, Jul 27, 14:20 · signed after your approval; her 8 posts since brought 21 coded trials, 4 of them paid.

- Tell your viewers Leaseline saves you 5 hours a week.
+ Show how you set your renewal notices up, in your own words.

Ben Hart, 2026-09-21 12:15 · “Could I get $150 a post if I do 4 a month?” · Partnerships · your agent, 12:16 · *Thanks, Ben. Dana decides fees outside the formula and replies by Sep 22.*⁴ The Brief went to you (task_655); you answered on Sep 21 at 17:05 with the formula’s $70.

¹ The creator’s own probe numbers, nothing about her viewers. ² The fee and its formula, in numbers. ³ The fixed signature line, compiled from the Role’s disclosure Setting. ⁴ The routed line, compiled from the Role’s Settings.

Your settingsCopy Anchor Link

---
cpm: 4             # dollars per 1,000 of the view median
allowed: 33       # dollars a trial is worth
payback-share: 0.5
---
Keep the probe’s winners posting twice a month. Renew each on what a trial from their code cost, never on views; I approve every Agreement and renewal.

$ npx startup-builder show plays/creator-retainers
cpm 4 · allowed 33 · payback-share 0.5     your file  plays/creator-retainers.mdx:2-4,6 (Ask 2026-07-06)
family demand · runs inside creator-probe · worker role:partner-manager, owns never · chooses 6 (3 rule, 3 read) · sequences retainer-offer, retainer-onboard, retainer-term-review, disclosure-fix · checks owned-by-a-person, disclosure-hold, category, fraud-hold, concentration, step-gate · stops 12 · placements gmail, outlook, yahoo-mail, tiktok, instagram, youtube, app-store, google-play    catalog  play:creator-retainers@1 (Not live yet, gaps #5)

Every key from the catalogCopy Anchor Link

Compiled, not written: edit the Play record creator-retainers 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.