Positioning tournament

# 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":"positioning-tournament"}'

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

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "return await $.Campaign.create({ play: 'positioning-tournament' }, { 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": "positioning-tournament can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 1 warns.",
 6  "checks": [
 7    {
 8      "check": "use-when",
 9      "status": "fail",
10      "observed": "the Story has its ICP and Problem; 22 quotes from 8 ICP members",
11      "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#check-use-when",
12      "fix": "Add 8 more quotes from 2 more ICP members; your interview notes hold them.",
13      "then": "Interview.create"
14    },
15  …

curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events?where=name%20in%20(%22Story.revised%22%2C%20%22PlayMix.compiled%22%2C%20%22Dashboard.scheduled%22%2C%20%22Monitor.checked%22%2C%20%22Conversation.closed%22%2C%20%22Lead.qualified%22%2C%20%22Metric.watched%22%2C%20%22Territory.requested%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_1418"}'

# Not live yet (gaps #7)
curl "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions?where=on%20%3D%20%22experiment_11%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%22experiment_11%22" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY"

 1import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
 2
 3const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in ("Story.revised", "PlayMix.compiled", "Dashboard.scheduled", "Monitor.checked", "Conversation.closed", "Lead.qualified", "Metric.watched", "Territory.requested")', 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 (\"Story.revised\", \"PlayMix.compiled\", \"Dashboard.scheduled\", \"Monitor.checked\", \"Conversation.closed\", \"Lead.qualified\", \"Metric.watched\", \"Territory.requested\")","limit":1}'
npx startup-builder do Trigger.fire --json '{"like":"event_1418"}' --try   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Decision.list --json '{"where":"on = \"experiment_11\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)
npx startup-builder do Action.list --json '{"where":"on = \"experiment_11\""}'   # Not live yet (gaps #7)

{
  "name": "do",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "const { events: [last] } = await $.Event.list({ where: 'name in (\"Story.revised\", \"PlayMix.compiled\", \"Dashboard.scheduled\", \"Monitor.checked\", \"Conversation.closed\", \"Lead.qualified\", \"Metric.watched\", \"Territory.requested\")', 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    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/decisions/decision_596",
 4    "$type": "Decision",
 5    "choice": "ask-for-the-pick",
 6    "reason": "the finals’ Readout is graded B: phrase 14 (“every owner’s renewal notice, 60 days out”) won on LinkedIn and on the Site split, 0.62 against the control’s 0.31 qualified signups per 1,000 impressions; phrases 3 and 22 trail it",
 7    "stakes": "high",
 8    "options": [
 9      "start-a-round",
10      "probe-instead",
11      "shift-budget",
12      "rerun-the-finalists",
13      "ask-for-the-pick",
14      "reopen"
15  …

action_2 is the pick card: the top three phrases with their evidence, and no click-through anywhere on it. action_3 hands it to you; the Story changes only on your pick (pick).

≈ +$1,300 ARR a month at 60,000 impressions

Worth

2 h week 1, then 30 min a week

Your time

$1,500 a round, about $930 a month

Spend

Day 5: first qualified signup from the screen

First signal

$1,500 a round, a Story with ICP and Problem, 30 quotes

Use it when

Under 30 quotes: signup-interviews · under $1,500: run the Site split (Flag.create)

Not yet when

Worth’s formula: about +0.31 qualified signups per 1,000 impressions (your finals, ■■□□ Early sign) × 60,000 impressions a month × 0.20 qualified signups to paid × $347 Pro ARR ≈ +$1,290, once the winning phrase runs on your ads and Site. Under First signal: A round takes 7 weeks: 4 days of equal budgets, the screen to day 28, then 21 days of finals; a signup counts 14 days after it lands.

Start it this weekCopy Anchor Link

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

# 2 · dry run; below, its 422 on 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":"positioning-tournament"}'

# 3 · keep it: you approve the slate and make the pick
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"play":"positioning-tournament"}'

# the round’s Limit
curl -X POST https://api.sb/leaseline.app/limits \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"positioning-round","amount":1500,"period":"round"}'

# off: every Ad and the Site Flag pause through the proxy
curl -X PATCH https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/positioning-tournament \
  -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": "positioning-tournament can’t start yet: 1 check fails and 1 warns.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "use-when",
      "status": "fail",
      "observed": "the Story has its ICP and Problem; 22 quotes from 8 ICP members",
      "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#check-use-when",
      "fix": "Add 8 more quotes from 2 more ICP members; your interview notes hold them.",
      "then": "Interview.create"
    },
    {
      "check": "baseline",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "the current headline: 0.30 qualified signups per 1,000 impressions, n 61,000",
      "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#check-baseline",
      "fix": "Nothing to do: your current headline becomes the control.",
      "then": "Metric.query"
    },
    {
      "check": "fact-check",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "the claims source holds 9 claims",
      "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#check-fact-check",
      "fix": "Nothing to do: every phrase must cite one of the 9.",
      "then": "Content.draft"
    },
    {
      "check": "price-split-by-buyer",
      "status": "pass",
      "observed": "one Offer and one Price on every Variant",
      "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#check-price-split-by-buyer",
      "fix": "Nothing to do: Variants differ only in the phrase.",
      "then": "Experiment.start"
    },
    {
      "check": "role-unstaffed",
      "status": "warn",
      "roles": [
        "marketing-lead"
      ],
      "owned": 0,
      "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#check-role-unstaffed",
      "fix": "Staff the Marketing Lead, or leave it: the slate and the pick come to you.",
      "then": "Role.staff"
    }
  ]
}

A round spends $1,500 of media under its Limit over 7 weeks, about $930 a month; the Evaluator, the claims check and the phrase slate cost about $4 a round (Worker cost). The Site headline split costs nothing. That comes to about $930 a month while a round runs, and $0 between rounds.

When it startsCopy Anchor Link

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1418",
  "$type": "Event",
  "name": "Lead.qualified",
  "at": "2026-10-19T09:00:03Z",
  "seq": 1418,
  "data": {
    "lead": {
      "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/leads/lead_47",
      "icp": true,
      "action": "first lease set up",
      "day": 14
    },
    "experiment": {
      "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/experiments/experiment_11",
      "variant": "phrase-14",
      "round": "finals"
    },
    "matured": {
      "finals": "all"
    }
  }
}

npx startup-builder trigger Lead.qualified --like event_1418   # replays the last matured signup in test
npx startup-builder clock advance --by 5bd   # checks for your pick (reopensWhen)
npx startup-builder listen Decision.created --forward-to http://localhost:3000/hook

Who runs itCopy Anchor Link

Marketing Lead · your agent (role:marketing-lead, worker_6) holds the Key Result: it scans rivals, mines Customer words, drafts the slate, runs the screen and the finals, and writes the pick card. You (Dana Okafor, person, worker_1) approve the slate, approve any rival’s name, and make the pick; the Story changes only on your pick. Your number links to Did it work.

What it reads · What it may call. It reads ICP-matched signups, their committed action at day 14 and spend, never click-through. Rival pages are read monthly and never quoted, and Customer words become phrases only when three or more people say them. Its tools are POST /{namespace}/content/draft, POST /{namespace}/experiments, POST /{namespace}/approvals, POST /{namespace}/flags, PATCH /{namespace}/ads/{id}, PATCH /{namespace}/flags/{id}, POST /{namespace}/experiments/{experiment}/start, POST /{namespace}/readouts, POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/assign, and any other call becomes an Approval under the Role’s Mandate.

You hold the Marketing Lead Key Result: 0.5 qualified signups per 1,000 impressions by 2026-12-31. ← worker, metric
On each matured signup, funding, scan or decay, choose one option and say why.   ← triggers, chooses
Variants differ in the phrase alone; image, Offer, Price and Page stay the same. ← copyRules 2
No phrase states a fact the claims source lacks; no superlative a fact doesn’t hold. ← copyRules 1, 6
Count a signup only if it fits the ICP and sets up a lease within 14 days.       ← your file, line 6
Never change the Story: hand Dana the pick card.                                 ← Pick gate, chooses.ask-for-the-pick

The slow loop, as a Change. decision_409 (2026-09-07, weekly) read the screen’s day-7 ranking by signups against its day-21 ranking by qualified signups: a rank correlation of 0.41, with 2 of the day-7 top 6 falling out. change_32 made allocation wait for ICP match at signup, not signups alone (your file, line 7), and Dana merged it with POST /{namespace}/changes/{change}/merge. Replayed on the screen, POST /{namespace}/changes/{change}/review put the correlation at 0.68; the finals read back at 0.71, n 7 phrases, ■□□□ Too early to tell (Example, day 49).

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; the pick stays yours either way.

npx startup-builder eval --scenario positioning-tournament-40 --agent "claude -p" --seat marketing-lead   # seated: 0 claims failed sent, rank correlation 0.68 · yours: 1 superlative passed → You approve each one

What it can do nextCopy Anchor Link

When it hands to youCopy Anchor Link

The slate, every rival’s name, every new round and the pick come to you: the Marketing Lead Role has no person, and the Story is yours. One Brief, as captured, then the Approval (brief, draft and checks are Not live yet, gaps #7).

[
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/tasks/task_481",
    "$type": "Task",
    "assignee": "worker_1",
    "due": "2026-10-20T17:00:00Z",
    "on": "experiment_11",
    "brief": {
      "what": "the round 1 pick card",
      "top": [
        "phrase 14: every owner’s renewal notice, 60 days out (0.62 per 1,000)",
        "phrase 3: renewals done in an afternoon (0.48)",
        "phrase 22: no lease renews late (0.44)"
      ],
      "control": "the current headline (0.31)",
      "grade": "B",
      "chose": "ask-for-the-pick",
      "never": [
        "click-through as a reason"
      ]
    }
  },
  {
    "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/approvals/approval_52",
    "$type": "Approval",
    "verdict": "approved",
    "deadline": "2026-08-27T17:00:00Z",
    "draft": "40 phrases over 3 stances: per-owner reliability (14), time saved (13), fewer late renewals (13)…",
    "route": "start-a-round",
    "checks": [
      {
        "check": "evaluator",
        "status": "pass"
      },
      {
        "check": "fact-check",
        "status": "pass"
      },
      {
        "check": "rival-name",
        "status": "pass"
      }
    ]
  }
]

You answer with POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/claim (Take this one), then POST /{namespace}/decisions for the pick, or POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/approve and POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/refuse for a slate, each a one-call window. With no pick in 5 business days, the Story keeps its stance and the round’s read waits; nothing is picked for you on a Startup with a person.

On time: you, 1 of 1 slates approved by its deadline, 38 of 40 phrases kept, n 1; the pick of Oct 19 waits for you, ■□□□ Too early to tell beside Other Startups’ 86 % on time. Your queue: counted by kind: the slate in week 1, a rival-name approval if one comes up, and the pick card at the end of each round.

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 ran is phrase 9 in Example.

{
  "type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
  "title": "Refused",
  "status": 422,
  "detail": "Phrase 9 did not enter the slate: it states a superlative no sourced fact holds.",
  "checks": [
    {
      "check": "fact-check",
      "status": "fail",
      "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#check-fact-check",
      "fix": "Cut the claim, or name the record that backs it.",
      "then": "Content.draft"
    },
    {
      "check": "price-split-by-buyer",
      "status": "pass"
    }
  ]
}

[
  {
    "reason": {
      "limit": "signup-quality",
      "observed": "34 % excluded (10 of 29 signups)",
      "bound": "30 %",
      "window": "1 day on Reddit, Sep 3"
    },
    "doc": "/plays/positioning-tournament#stop-signup-quality",
    "task": "task_402"
  }
]

Did it workCopy Anchor Link

Impressions were assigned at random across the finalists and the control (rule o); the winning phrase is read against the control from that assignment, on LinkedIn and on the Site split. Each figure’s call is POST /{namespace}/metrics/query by node and by arm; the parent field and every node above the leaf are Not live yet (gaps #4).

{
  "$id": "decisions/decision_596",
  "$type": "Decision",
  "choice": "ask-for-the-pick",
  "reason": "the finals’ Readout is graded B: phrase 14 (“every owner’s renewal notice, 60 days out”) won on LinkedIn and on the Site split, 0.62 against the control’s 0.31 qualified signups per 1,000 impressions; phrases 3 and 22 trail it",
  "stakes": "high",
  "options": [
    "start-a-round",
    "probe-instead",
    "shift-budget",
    "rerun-the-finalists",
    "ask-for-the-pick",
    "reopen"
  ],
  "by": "worker_6",
  "on": "experiment_11",
  "expected": "your pick written to the Story within 1 business day",
  "reopensWhen": "no Decision.created by worker_1 on experiment_11 within 5 business days: the Story keeps its stance"
}

The leaf counts signups who match the ICP and set up a first lease within 14 days, per 1,000 impressions, for each phrase; the screen ran 40 phrases on LinkedIn for 28 days, and the finals 6 phrases and the control for 21 days on Facebook and the Site headline split.

How it moves it: the phrase changed and nothing else: same image, Offer, Price and Page body, so the gap is the words (qualified-signup-rate by phrase).

Guardrails: treated against the control: trial to first lease set up, 57 % against 43 %, and comments calling an Ad misleading, 0 of 61 against a Stop at 5 %.

{
  "$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/positioning-tournament",
  "$type": "Campaign",
  "play": "play:positioning-tournament@1",
  "path": [
    "qualified-signup-rate",
    "new-leads",
    "new-arr",
    "net-new-arr",
    "arr"
  ],
  "experiment": {
    "metric": "qualified-signup-rate",
    "unit": "per-1000",
    "heldBack": 42000,
    "decision": null
  },
  "readout": {
    "value": 0.31,
    "n": 84000,
    "maturing": 0,
    "interval": [
      0.07,
      0.55
    ],
    "readability": "B",
    "basis": "held-back",
    "pooled": false
  },
  "ledger": {
    "spend": 1500,
    "workerCost": 4,
    "hours": 4.5,
    "pipelineArr": 0,
    "wonArr": 694,
    "projectedArr": 1290,
    "paybackDays": 420
  }
}

Outside benchmark: the catalog holds none for this Play yet, so Other Startups’ results stand in: +0.20 qualified signups per 1,000 impressions over the control, ■■■□ Likely, n 29 Startups.

Before it · After it. Before it: signup-interviews and objection-watch supply the Customer words it mines. After it: your pick writes the Story, and paid-social, paid-search, organic-social and cold-email open lines carry the winning phrase; the old control keeps 10 % of the Site Flag for 30 days.

ExampleCopy Anchor Link

Leaseline ran round 1 from 2026-08-24 to 2026-10-19 (56 days): 40 phrases in the screen, 6 finalists and the control in the finals, $1,500 spent, 214 signups, 71 of them qualified. The pick waits for Dana. Read every captured thread at ?threads=all; three follow the tables.

Phrase 14 on LinkedIn, Sep 30 · “Every owner’s renewal notice, 60 days out.”¹ The same image, Offer and Page as the other 39.

The signup, Oct 1, 10:20 · a 140-unit manager who fits the ICP; she set up her first lease on Oct 3 (qualified, day 2), replied to the welcome, and talked with Dana on Oct 9. Her words, “I just need every owner to get it on time”, joined the next phrase mine.²

- The fastest renewal software for landlords
+ Renewal notices sent 60 days out, for every owner

The round 1 slate, 2026-08-26 15:00 · 40 phrases, 2 refused by the Checks, and one naming a rival with a dated fact · the Approval went to Dana with a deadline of Aug 27 at 17:00 (approval_52).³ Dana approved 38 phrases on Aug 27 at 11:10, inside the deadline, and struck the rival phrase.

¹ Variants differ in this phrase alone. ² A Customer’s words become a phrase only when three or more people say them. ³ A slate and any rival’s name are yours to approve, on every rung.

Your settingsCopy Anchor Link

---
limit: 1500       # dollars a round
venues: [linkedin, facebook]
---
Run a round when the Story has no stance backed by behavior, and $1,500 is funded.
Count a signup only if it fits our ICP and sets up a lease within 14 days.
Shift budget only on ICP-matched signups.
Rerun the best 6 against our current headline.

$ npx startup-builder show plays/positioning-tournament
limit $1,500 a round · venues linkedin, facebook · a lease set up by day 14 · ICP-matched allocation · 6 finalists     your file  plays/positioning-tournament.mdx:2,3,5,6,7,8 (Ask 2026-08-24; line 7 by change_32, 2026-09-07)
family positioning · worker role:marketing-lead, owns never · chooses 6 (4 rule, 2 read) · sequence tournament-welcome · approval every-send · checks fact-check, price-split-by-buyer, evaluator, rival-name, coherence, status, allocation-fence, readability, pick · stops 8 · placements linkedin, facebook + the Site Flag    catalog  play:positioning-tournament@1 (Not live yet, gaps #5)

Every key from the catalogCopy Anchor Link

Compiled, not written: edit the Play record positioning-tournament 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.