Paid pilot

# 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":"paid-pilot"}'

 1import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
 2
 3return await $.Campaign.create({ play: 'paid-pilot' }, { 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":"paid-pilot"}' --try   # Not live yet (gaps #2)

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "return await $.Campaign.create({ play: 'paid-pilot' }, { 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": "paid-pilot can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 1 warns.",
 6  "checks": [
 7    {
 8      "check": "use-when",
 9      "status": "pass",
10      "observed": "3 open Deals a month at or over the $2,400 median; 2 Deals won on a buyer’s own data",
11      "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#check-use-when",
12      "fix": "Nothing to do: it counts Deals at or over your median won value.",
13      "then": "Metric.query"
14    },
15  …

curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events?where=name%20in%20(%22Quote.requested%22%2C%20%22Conversation.labeled%22%2C%20%22File.uploaded%22%2C%20%22Invoice.collected%22%2C%20%22Evaluator.scored%22%2C%20%22Agreement.signed%22%2C%20%22Conversation.answered%22%2C%20%22Contact.enriched%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_1394"}'

# Not live yet (gaps #7)
curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions?where=on%20%3D%20%22deal_21%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%22deal_21%22" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

 1import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
 2
 3const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in ("Quote.requested", "Conversation.labeled", "File.uploaded", "Invoice.collected", "Evaluator.scored", "Agreement.signed", "Conversation.answered", "Contact.enriched")', 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 (\"Quote.requested\", \"Conversation.labeled\", \"File.uploaded\", \"Invoice.collected\", \"Evaluator.scored\", \"Agreement.signed\", \"Conversation.answered\", \"Contact.enriched\")","limit":1}'
npx startup-builder do Trigger.fire --json '{"like":"event_1394"}' --try   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Decision.list --json '{"where":"on = \"deal_21\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Action.list --json '{"where":"on = \"deal_21\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in (\"Quote.requested\", \"Conversation.labeled\", \"File.uploaded\", \"Invoice.collected\", \"Evaluator.scored\", \"Agreement.signed\", \"Conversation.answered\", \"Contact.enriched\")', 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    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions/decision_574",
 4    "$type": "Decision",
 5    "choice": "propose-a-pilot",
 6    "reason": "the free check on 50 of Larkfield’s leases read renewal dates right on 48 (96 %) on Oct 12; $2,400 a year is at your median won Deal; Owen named the CFO, Hana Ito, as budget holder; 3 pilots are open, under the cap of 5",
 7    "stakes": "medium",
 8    "options": [
 9      "check-their-sample",
10      "propose-a-pilot",
11      "check-only",
12      "start-the-term",
13      "end-on-the-miss",
14      "ask-the-budget-holder"
15  …

action_3 is refused by design: Priya owns the Deal, so the proposal does not send as the agent. action_4 drafts it into her queue with the pass sheet and the Quote attached; she sends it from the Deal Thread.

≈ +$430 ARR a month at 2 pilots

Worth

1 h 30 min week 1, then 1 h a pilot

Your time

under 10 % of the $400 fee, ~$30 a pilot

Spend

Day 6: first pilot fee paid

First signal

2+ open Deals a month over your median, asking to test

Use it when

Under 2 Deals won on a buyer’s own data: closer-handoff · under your median: product-led

Not yet when

Worth’s formula: about +15 technical wins per 100 pilots (Other Startups’ results; no lift of your own yet) × 2 pilots a month × 0.60 wins to a first term × $2,393 first order ARR ≈ +$431; the $400 fees are one-time and left out. Under First signal: At 2 pilots a month, 90 days can tell nothing on its own, so your file reads before-after; the pass-line Variants pool across Other Startups.

Start it this weekCopy Anchor Link

npx startup-builder add play paid-pilot   # 1 · writes plays/paid-pilot.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":"paid-pilot"}'

# 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":"paid-pilot"}'

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

# off: no new pilot is offered; running pilots finish on their signed terms
curl -X PATCH https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/paid-pilot \
  -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": "paid-pilot can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 1 warns.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "use-when",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "3 open Deals a month at or over the $2,400 median; 2 Deals won on a buyer’s own data",
      "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#check-use-when",
      "fix": "Nothing to do: it counts Deals at or over your median won value.",
      "then": "Metric.query"
    },
    {
      "check": "baseline",
      "status": "warn",
      "observed": "2 technical wins of 5 free proofs in 90 days",
      "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#check-baseline",
      "fix": "n 5: it reads before-after, not proof; the pass-line Variants pool across Other Startups.",
      "then": "Metric.query"
    },
    {
      "check": "price",
      "status": "fail",
      "observed": "no pilot Offer and no price floor on the $2,400 plan",
      "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#check-price",
      "fix": "Publish the $400 pilot Offer and the plan’s price floor; no rescue discount.",
      "then": "Offer.publish"
    },
    {
      "check": "owned-by-a-person",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "3 open Deals, each owned by a person",
      "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#check-owned-by-a-person",
      "fix": "Nothing to do: every Deal-thread Message drafts into the owner’s queue.",
      "then": "Task.assign"
    },
    {
      "check": "role-unstaffed",
      "status": "warn",
      "roles": [
        "sales-engineer",
        "sales-lead"
      ],
      "owned": 3,
      "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#check-role-unstaffed",
      "fix": "Staff the AE, or leave it: every Deal and pilot comes to you.",
      "then": "Role.staff"
    }
  ]
}

Each pilot spends model and compute under 10 % of its $400 fee, about $30, and the free check about $3 on 50 items (Worker cost). The pilot Tenant is deleted 30 days after a miss or a no-decision. That comes to about $60 a month at 2 pilots, paid for by their fees.

When it startsCopy Anchor Link

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1394",
  "$type": "Event",
  "name": "Quote.requested",
  "at": "2026-10-19T15:48:20Z",
  "seq": 1394,
  "data": {
    "deal": {
      "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/deals/deal_21",
      "company": "Larkfield Communities",
      "units": 640,
      "owner": "worker_3"
    },
    "contact": "contact_14",
    "text": "Can we test it on our own leases before we sign?",
    "check": {
      "run": "runs/run_33",
      "renewalDates": {
        "right": 48,
        "of": 50
      }
    }
  }
}

npx startup-builder trigger Quote.requested --like event_1394   # replays the delivery in test
npx startup-builder clock advance --by 10d   # checks the proposal for a signature (reopensWhen)
npx startup-builder listen Agreement.signed --forward-to http://localhost:3000/hook

Who runs itCopy Anchor Link

SE · your agent (role:sales-engineer, worker_8) holds the Key Result: it runs the free check, drafts the pass sheet, runs the pilot and scores it. AE · Priya Shah (person) (role:sales-lead, worker_3) owns every Deal and sends every Deal-thread Message from its draft; you (Dana Okafor, person, worker_1) write to the budget holder. Your number links to Did it work.

What it reads · What it may call. It reads the buyer’s own items, the pinned Evaluator and the signed pass sheet. A readout Page view never appears in a Message, and a pilot company never appears as a Customer or a reference until it pays a first term and says yes in writing. Its tools are POST /{namespace}/actions/{action}/evaluate, POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/assign, POST /{namespace}/quotes, POST /{namespace}/agreements, POST /{namespace}/content/draft, POST /{namespace}/quotes/{quote}/send, POST /{namespace}/invoices/{invoice}/refund, POST /{namespace}/agreements/{agreement}/terminate, and any other call becomes an Approval under the Role’s Mandate.

You hold the SE Key Result: 70 technical wins per 100 pilots by 2026-12-31.      ← worker, metric
On each pilot ask, sample, score or date, choose one option and say why.         ← triggers, chooses
Every number comes from an Evaluator run on this buyer’s items, with n and the date. ← copyRules 1
No pass mark above what the free check showed them.                              ← copyRules 2, Mark cap
A miss readout states the miss in its first sentence.                            ← copyRules 3
The AE owns the Deal: draft every Deal-thread Message into her queue.            ← worker.owns, owned-by-a-person

The slow loop, as a Change. decision_412 (2026-09-07, weekly) read 2 pilots whose pass sheets had 4 deciding lines, 1 passed, and 2 with 2 lines, both passed. change_25 capped pass sheets at 3 deciding lines (your file, line 7), and Dana merged it with POST /{namespace}/changes/{change}/merge. Replayed on past pilots, POST /{namespace}/changes/{change}/review passed 3 of 4; read back at +30d, 2 of 2 completed, n 2, ■□□□ Too early to tell (Example, day 98).

Bring your own agent (folded) starts at It does it, you can stop it when it matches or beats the seated agent on the eval suite, and at You approve each one when it does not; POST /{namespace}/roles/{role}/staff seats it.

npx startup-builder eval --scenario paid-pilot-9 --agent "claude -p" --seat sales-engineer   # seated: 0 numbers corrected, 0 Checks failed sent, 7 % of fee spent · yours: 1 mark over the check → You approve each one

What it can do nextCopy Anchor Link

When it hands to youCopy Anchor Link

Every Deal-thread Message drafts into AE · Priya Shah (person)’s queue, because she owns the Deal; budget-holder notes come to you. One Brief per Role, as captured, then the Approval (brief, draft and checks are Not live yet, gaps #7).

[
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/tasks/task_477",
    "$type": "Task",
    "assignee": "worker_3",
    "due": "2026-10-20T15:48:00Z",
    "on": "deal_21",
    "brief": {
      "who": "Owen Hale, Larkfield Communities (640 units)",
      "said": "Can we test it on our own leases before we sign?",
      "chose": "propose-a-pilot",
      "why": "the free check read 48 of 50 renewal dates right; at the median",
      "attached": [
        "quotes/quote_58",
        "agreements/agreement_19"
      ],
      "never": [
        "a mark over 96 %",
        "a rescue discount"
      ]
    }
  },
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/tasks/task_429",
    "$type": "Task",
    "assignee": "worker_1",
    "due": "2026-09-25T17:00:00Z",
    "on": "deal_17",
    "brief": {
      "who": "Greystone Residential: champion silent 14 days, day 12 of the pilot",
      "chose": "ask-the-budget-holder",
      "why": "a silent champion pauses the run",
      "to": "the budget holder, Marcus Webb, VP of Finance"
    }
  },
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/approvals/approval_93",
    "$type": "Approval",
    "verdict": null,
    "deadline": "2026-10-20T17:00:00Z",
    "draft": "Pass sheet, Larkfield: renewal dates read right ≥ 96 %; notice dates computed right ≥ 95 %; owner statements match ≥ 94 %…",
    "route": "propose-a-pilot",
    "checks": [
      {
        "check": "mark-cap",
        "status": "pass"
      },
      {
        "check": "price",
        "status": "pass"
      }
    ]
  }
]

Priya answers with POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/claim (Take this one), POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/return with a reason, or POST /{namespace}/actions/{action}/redirect, and you with POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/approve or POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/refuse, each a one-call window. 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 her name. A Task nobody claims by its due time goes up a Role through POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/escalate (AE to you), and person-promise fires.

On time: AE · Priya Shah, 11 of 11 drafts claimed within 1 business day, median 2 h 40 min, n 11; you, 4 of 4 pass sheets approved by their deadline, n 4, ■□□□ Too early to tell beside Other Startups’ 94 % on time. Your queue: counted by kind: in week 1, 2 free-check summaries; during a pilot, about 1 pass sheet, 1 progress draft every 5 business days, and the readout.

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 rewrite that went out is the Northgate pass sheet in Example.

{
  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
  "title": "Refused",
  "status": 422,
  "detail": "The Northgate pass sheet did not go out: one mark is above what the free check showed them.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "mark-cap",
      "status": "fail",
      "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#check-mark-cap",
      "fix": "Set the mark at or below what the free check showed them.",
      "then": "Agreement.update"
    },
    {
      "check": "price",
      "status": "pass"
    }
  ]
}

[
  {
    "reason": {
      "limit": "label-hold",
      "observed": "3 of 20 items disagree",
      "bound": "2 of 20",
      "window": "the day-4 hand-check, Greystone"
    },
    "doc": "/plays/paid-pilot#stop-label-hold",
    "task": "task_421"
  }
]

Did it workCopy Anchor Link

At 2 pilots a month, no held-back half reads, so the basis is before-after (rule o): the columns read Now and Before, and nothing prints as Added. The pass-line experiment draws each eligible Deal into a buyer-sample or a seller-set Variant and pools it across Other Startups. Each figure’s call is POST /{namespace}/metrics/query by node, and every node above the leaf is Not live yet (gaps #4).

{
  "$id": "decisions/decision_574",
  "$type": "Decision",
  "choice": "propose-a-pilot",
  "reason": "the free check on 50 of Larkfield’s leases read renewal dates right on 48 (96 %) on Oct 12; $2,400 a year is at your median won Deal; Owen named the CFO, Hana Ito, as budget holder; 3 pilots are open, under the cap of 5",
  "stakes": "medium",
  "options": [
    "check-their-sample",
    "propose-a-pilot",
    "check-only",
    "start-the-term",
    "end-on-the-miss",
    "ask-the-budget-holder"
  ],
  "by": "worker_8",
  "on": "deal_21",
  "expected": "the pilot Agreement signed and the $400 fee paid within 10 business days",
  "reopensWhen": "no Agreement.signed for deal_21 within 10 business days of the proposal"
}

Before against after reads completed pilots in this window against the free proofs of the 90 days before it; it is not proof. Technical win counts a pilot whose every deciding line met its mark on the pass date.

How it moves it: each buyer saw your product score their own leases against marks no higher than the free check, and a miss ended the pilot that day; before, a free proof ran on your demo data (technical-win-rate by Variant).

Guardrails: before against after: passed pilots that started a first term, 2 of 3 against a floor of 5 of 10, and miss refunds, 1 of 4 against a floor of 25 % over 90 days.

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/paid-pilot",
  "$type": "Campaign",
  "play": "play:paid-pilot@1",
  "path": [
    "technical-win-rate",
    "new-paying-customers",
    "new-arr",
    "net-new-arr",
    "arr"
  ],
  "experiment": {
    "metric": "technical-win-rate",
    "unit": "per-100",
    "heldBack": 0,
    "decision": null
  },
  "readout": {
    "value": null,
    "n": 4,
    "maturing": 1,
    "interval": null,
    "readability": "inadmissible",
    "basis": "before-after",
    "pooled": true
  },
  "ledger": {
    "spend": 126,
    "workerCost": 6,
    "hours": 7.2,
    "pipelineArr": 2400,
    "wonArr": 4786,
    "projectedArr": 431,
    "paybackDays": 9
  }
}

Outside benchmark: the catalog holds none for this Play yet, so Other Startups’ results stand in: +15 technical wins per 100 pilots, ■■■□ Likely, n 380 pilots.

Before it · After it. Before it: instant-response, moment-outreach and buying-committee open the Deals whose buyers ask to test. After it: a passed pilot’s first term carries its Tenant into onboarding, a miss reaches objection-watch as a dated no, and run-beside reports a side-by-side on the buyer’s own items.

ExampleCopy Anchor Link

Leaseline ran it from 2026-07-06 to 2026-10-19 (105 days): 9 Decisions on 7 open Deals, 7 free checks and 5 pilots proposed, 4 signed. 4 pilots completed: 3 passed and 1 missed. Read every captured thread at ?threads=all; three follow the tables.

Priya Shah → Rosa, Harborview Living, Jul 29, from the agent’s draft · Your pilot passed on all 3 lines.¹ Renewal dates read right: 97.2 % (243 of 250, mark 96 %). Notice dates computed right: 98.0 % (mark 95 %). Owner statements match: 96.4 % (mark 94 %), scored Jul 28.² Your first term starts Aug 5 at $2,400 a year, less your $400 credit, unless you cancel before then on the same Page.³

Rosa, Jul 29, 16:20 · “Great. Go ahead.” POST /{namespace}/quotes/{quote}/accept, and the first term started on Aug 5.

- Scanned leases read right: 98 % or better.
+ Scanned leases read right: 94 % or better (the free check read 47 of 50 on Sep 11).

Greystone Residential pilot, 2026-09-24 · the champion silent 14 days on day 12 · the run paused (silence-hold), and the Brief went to Dana (task_429). Dana wrote to the budget holder, Marcus Webb, on Sep 25 at 10:15, inside the due time; he confirmed the pilot the same afternoon and the run resumed.

¹ The verdict first, as the readout requires. ² Every number from the pinned Evaluator on their own 250 leases, with n and the date. ³ The contingent start date and its cancel action in one sentence.

Your settingsCopy Anchor Link

---
fee: 400          # credited to the first term
refund: full-on-miss
---
Over 300 units and at our median Deal, propose the pilot after the free check.
Any fit doubt gets the free check on 50 of their items first.
At most 3 deciding lines on a pass sheet.
Priya owns the Deal and sends every message; I write to the budget holder.

$ npx startup-builder show plays/paid-pilot
fee $400 credited · refund in full on a miss · pilot over 300 units after the free check · 3 lines at most · the AE sends     your file  plays/paid-pilot.mdx:2,3,5,6,7,8 (Ask 2026-07-06; line 7 by change_25, 2026-09-07)
family conversion · worker role:sales-engineer, owns never · chooses 6 (4 rule, 2 read) · sequences pilot-proposal, pilot-run-updates, pilot-decision, pilot-founder-notes, pilot-miss-notice · approval every-send · checks owned-by-a-person, mark-cap, pass-sheet-lock, re-run-cap, pilot-cap, price · stops 11    catalog  play:paid-pilot@1 (Not live yet, gaps #5)

Every key from the catalogCopy Anchor Link

Compiled, not written: edit the Play record paid-pilot 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.