Replies and routing: every reply to an owner
Every reply to every Play goes to one owner by title, with its next step and a deadline.
Replies and routing reads each reply, files it as one of seven kinds and hands it to one owner by title, with a deadline. It costs $0.01 a reply read and routed (sample).
You, to your agent
Route every reply to this week’s cold emails to its owner, and answer the ones our SDR agent can. Do not send.
curl -X POST "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/conversations/conversation_31/assign?mode=try" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"worker":"worker_3"}'
curl -X POST "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/conversations/conversation_34/escalate?mode=try" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"reason":"outOfScope"}'
curl -X POST "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/conversations/conversation_36/answer?mode=try" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $STARTUP_BUILDER_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"body":"If it does not work in 30 days, we refund you."}'import { $ } from 'startup-builder'
await $.Conversation.assign({ conversation: 'conversation_31', worker: 'worker_3' }, { mode: 'try' }) // Northgate Rentals:npx startup-builder do Conversation.assign --json '{"conversation":"conversation_31","worker":"worker_3"}' --try
npx startup-builder do Conversation.escalate --json '{"conversation":"conversation_34","reason":"outOfScope"}' --try
npx startup-builder do Conversation.answer --json '{"conversation":"conversation_36","body":"If it does not work in 30 days, we refund you."}' --try{
"name": "do",
"arguments": {
"code": "await $.Conversation.assign({ conversation: 'conversation_31', worker: 'worker_3' }, { mode: 'try' }) // Northgate Rentals: “Interested. Can you send times for Tuesday?” → the AE in 40 s\nawait $.Conversation.escalate({ conversation: 'conversation_34', reason: 'outOfScope' }, { mode: 'try' }) // “Do you sync with an accounting system?” → a person\nreturn await $.Conversation.answer({ conversation: 'conversation_36', body: 'If it does not work in 30 days, we refund you.' }, { mode: 'try' }) // Lakeside Rentals: “Is there a guarantee?”\n// 422 · The answer to Lakeside Rentals did not send: it promises money back that no Offer term grants.\n// claim: Cut the line, or cite the Offer term that grants it. · then Conversation.answer",
"mode": "try"
}
}Response422
application/json{
"type": "https:sampleWhat it does
| What you pay for | Price per unit (sample) | The call |
|---|---|---|
| A reply read, filed and routed | $0.01 | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/assign |
| An answer drafted and sent | $0.04 | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer |
| A hand-off to a person | $0 | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/escalate |
| When they write back | Fixture reply | What happens | Who answers | By when | Call |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interested | “Interested. Can you send times for Tuesday?” | books the call; the Handoff Brief goes to the AE with what they said, what it chose and why | AE · Priya Shah (person) | 60 min | POST /{namespace}/meetings/book |
| Send me pricing | “Send me pricing first.” | answers with the list Price from the Pricing Page and one next step | SDR · your agent | 5 min | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer |
| Not now | “Try us again in January.” | the follow-ups pause; a Trigger waits for the date they named | SDR · your agent | at once | POST /{namespace}/enrollments/{enrollment}/pause |
| Wrong person | “Sam, who runs operations, handles this.” | asks them to bring Sam in; it never writes to an address taken from their text | SDR · your agent | 1 business day | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer |
| Out of office | an auto-reply until Oct 28 | the next step waits for the return date | nobody | the return date | POST /{namespace}/messages/{message}/schedule |
| Question it can’t answer | “Do you sync with an accounting system?” | goes to a person, with the question in the Handoff Brief | AE · Priya Shah, or you | 60 min | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/escalate |
| Stop | “Please stop emailing me.” | nothing else sends, from any Play, on any channel | nobody | at once | POST /{namespace}/contacts/{contact}/unsubscribe |
Every reply is routed first with POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/assign, 40 s after it lands. The Handoff Brief rides on the AE’s Task.
Run it
| Step | Call | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/assign | Northgate Rentals: “Interested. Can you send times for Tuesday?” → the AE in 40 s |
| 2 | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/escalate | “Do you sync with an accounting system?” → a person |
| 3 | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer | Lakeside Rentals: “Is there a guarantee?” |
| Check | Fix | Then |
|---|---|---|
claim fail | Cut the line, or cite the Offer term that grants it. | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer |
JSON
{
"type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
"title": "Refused",
"status": 422,
"detail": "The answer to Lakeside Rentals did not send: it promises money back that no Offer term grants.",
"checks": [
{
"check": "claim",
"status": "fail",
"observed": "“If it does not work in 30 days, we refund you.”",
"doc": "/code/refusals#check-claim",
"fix": "Cut the line, or cite the Offer term that grants it.",
"then": "Conversation.answer"
}
]
}It says no, says why, and names the fix.
Set it up
| Check | On the day-0 Startup | Fix | Your time | Wait | Then |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
inbound-source | fail | forward replies to your inbound address | 5 min | none | POST /{namespace}/integrations/connect |
role-unstaffed | warn | staff the AE, or leave it: Interested replies come to you | 0 min | none | POST /{namespace}/roles/{role}/staff |
approved-pages | pass | your pricing Page is live, so Send me pricing answers from it | 0 min | none | POST /{namespace}/sites/{site}/publish |
Reference
The records
{
"conversation": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/conversations/conversation_31" ,
"$type": "Conversation",
"status": "open",
"respondBy": "2026-10-19T16:41:00Z" ,
"firstAnsweredAt": null
}
}{
"task": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/tasks/task_118" ,
"$type": "Task",
"assignee": "worker_3",
"due": "2026-10-19T16:41:00Z" ,
"on": "conversation_31",
"brief": {
"who": "Lee Park, Northgate Rentals" ,
"said": "Interested. Can you send times for Tuesday?" ,
"kind": "interested",
"next": "book the call"
}
}
}Calls
| Call | What it does | What else happens | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/assign | Assign routes a Conversation to the Worker holding the right Role, by topic, Customer tier and language. | — | Conversation.assigned |
POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/escalate | Escalate hands a Conversation and its summary to the Worker in the Role above, a Human only where one holds it. | A refund over a Limit is an Approval, not an escalation. | Conversation.escalated |
POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer | Answer replies in a Conversation through the Channel it arrived on and closes the reply Task it opened. | Runs the reply through every Guard before it leaves. | Conversation.answered |
POST /{namespace}/meetings/book | Book schedules a Meeting with a Contact at a time both calendars hold free. | — | Meeting.booked |
POST /{namespace}/enrollments/{enrollment}/pause | Pause stops one Contact’s run through a Sequence at its current step, without ending it. | — | Enrollment.paused |
POST /{namespace}/contacts/{contact}/unsubscribe | Unsubscribe stops commercial Messages to a Contact in one click, for one topic or all, honored at once. | Writes a Suppression when no topic is named. | Contact.unsubscribed |
Events
{
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1" ,
"$type": "Event",
"name": "Conversation.assigned",
"at": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z" ,
"seq": 1,
"data": {
"conversation": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/conversations/conversation_1" ,
"$type": "Conversation",
"subject": "Example subject",
"answeredAt": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z"
}
}
}{
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1" ,
"$type": "Event",
"name": "Conversation.escalated",
"at": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z" ,
"seq": 1,
"data": {
"conversation": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/conversations/conversation_1" ,
"$type": "Conversation",
"subject": "Example subject",
"answeredAt": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z"
}
}
}{
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1" ,
"$type": "Event",
"name": "Conversation.answered",
"at": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z" ,
"seq": 1,
"data": {
"conversation": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/conversations/conversation_1" ,
"$type": "Conversation",
"subject": "Example subject",
"answeredAt": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z"
}
}
}{
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1" ,
"$type": "Event",
"name": "Meeting.booked",
"at": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z" ,
"seq": 1,
"data": {
"meeting": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/meetings/meeting_1" ,
"$type": "Meeting",
"at": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z"
}
}
}{
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1" ,
"$type": "Event",
"name": "Enrollment.paused",
"at": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z" ,
"seq": 1,
"data": {
"enrollment": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/enrollments/enrollment_1" ,
"$type": "Enrollment",
"status": "active",
"step": "Example step"
}
}
}{
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_1" ,
"$type": "Event",
"name": "Contact.unsubscribed",
"at": "2026-10-22T12:00:00Z" ,
"seq": 1,
"data": {
"contact": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/contacts/contact_1" ,
"$type": "Contact",
"email": "dana@leaseline.app",
"phone": "Example phone"
}
}
}Refuses when
| Check | Refuses | Fix | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
claim | a term with no accepted terms Version, or money back that no Action keeps | Cut the line, or cite the Offer term that grants it. | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer |
owned-by-a-person Not live yet · gaps #8 · today: The dry run renders from the sample; each check names the call that clears it. | a send to a Contact whose Lead, open Deal or Conversation a person owns | Leave it to the person who owns it: the draft waits in their queue. | POST /{namespace}/tasks/{task}/assign |
suppressed-contact | a send or Sequence step to a Contact on a Suppression, from any Play | Leave them out: run the List again, which drops every suppressed Contact. | POST /{namespace}/collections/query |
| Check | Fix | Then |
|---|---|---|
claim fail | Cut the line, or cite the Offer term that grants it. | POST /{namespace}/conversations/{conversation}/answer |
JSON
{
"type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
"title": "Refused",
"status": 422,
"detail": "The answer to Lakeside Rentals did not send: it promises money back that no Offer term grants.",
"checks": [
{
"check": "claim",
"status": "fail",
"observed": "“If it does not work in 30 days, we refund you.”",
"doc": "/code/refusals#check-claim",
"fix": "Cut the line, or cite the Offer term that grants it.",
"then": "Conversation.answer"
}
]
}It says no, says why, and names the fix.
| Check | Fix | Then |
|---|---|---|
suppressed-contact fail | Leave them out: run the List again, which drops every suppressed Contact. | POST /{namespace}/collections/query |
JSON
{
"type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
"title": "Refused",
"status": 422,
"detail": "Step two to Lakeside Rentals’ owner did not send: they asked us to stop on Oct 12.",
"checks": [
{
"check": "suppressed-contact",
"status": "fail",
"observed": "Suppression suppression_6, unsubscribed 2026-10-12",
"doc": "/code/refusals#check-suppressed-contact",
"fix": "Leave them out: run the List again, which drops every suppressed Contact.",
"then": "Collection.query"
}
]
}It says no, says why, and names the fix.
| Check | Fix | Then |
|---|---|---|
suppressed-contact pass | — | POST /{namespace}/collections/query |
no-consent fail | Record the Contact’s yes, with where they gave it, before the first send. | POST /{namespace}/consents |
JSON
{
"type": "https://startupbuilder.dev/errors/refused",
"title": "Refused",
"status": 422,
"detail": "Pinecrest Homes’ second visitor was not enrolled: no Consent on record for sales email.",
"checks": [
{
"check": "suppressed-contact",
"status": "pass"
},
{
"check": "no-consent",
"status": "fail",
"observed": "no Consent for purpose sales-email",
"doc": "/code/refusals#check-no-consent",
"fix": "Record the Contact’s yes, with where they gave it, before the first send.",
"then": "Consent.create"
}
]
}It says no, says why, and names the fix.
Pauses when
| Stop | Pauses when | Fix | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
unanswered-positive | a reply asking to meet that waits 60 minutes for a person | Answer the reply, then approve the resume. | POST /{namespace}/approvals/{approval}/approve |
{
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/events/event_951" ,
"$type": "Event",
"name": "Campaign.paused",
"at": "2026-10-19T16:45:00Z" ,
"data": {
"campaign": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/campaigns/cold-email" ,
"$type": "Campaign"
},
"reason": {
"limit": "unanswered-positive",
"observed": "64m",
"bound": "60m",
"window": "60m"
},
"task": {
"$id": "https://api.sb/leaseline.app/tasks/task_88" ,
"$type": "Task"
}
}
}Plays that use it
| Play | What it does | Its Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Instant response | Answers every form and email within 5 minutes from your own pages, books the call, starts the trial or hands it to the right person. | inbound-meeting-rate |
| Cold email | Writes first to people at companies that showed two fresh public reasons to talk, three short emails at most, and answers every reply by kind. | positive-reply-rate |
| Warm intros | Finds who already knows each company you want, and that person asks them first, from their own account, before any introduction. | intro-acceptance-rate |
| Proof-of-work outreach | Sends each Prospect one finished piece of your product’s work, made from their own public data, in a plain email that asks for nothing. | proof-reply-rate |
| LinkedIn outbound | Picks each day’s People on LinkedIn, drafts the connection note and the Messages, and queues them in your send tray; you press every send. | linkedin-reply-rate |
| Outbound calling | A disclosed voice agent calls back anyone who asks within 60 seconds and answers your number; a person dials every cold call. | callback-meeting-rate |
| Gifting | Sends one gift the Person picks after two relevant touches at a live moment, with you approving each, and counts the Meetings it adds. | gift-meetings-per-100 |
| Lead reactivation | Writes once to each old Lead nobody works, only when something new answers what they asked, from their last contact at the Startup. | reactivated-pipeline |
| Lead nurture | Follows up each unbought Lead with notes keyed to what they did, most in month one, until they buy, reply or go quiet 90 days. | nurture-conversion |
| Account visits | Finds the fitting companies behind visits to your own buying pages and writes to the right person there, from facts, never from the visit. | visit-reply-lift |
| Product signals | Finds teams getting value on a free account and writes to the right person, citing only their own usage, after you approve the first send. | pql-deal-rate |
| Buying committee | Writes to 3 or more roles at each named company, one a week, and hands each engaged company to your AE within a day. | committee-deal-lift |
| Waitlist interviews | Interviews each Waitlist signup with your disclosed agent, admits by fit under a published cap, and sends a result built on their company. | interview-activation-rate |
Cost only: it moves no Metric itself, and what it costs counts against each Play that uses it.
Hub guides it deepens
| On startupbuilder.dev | Id | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | noun: | the record, its fields and every call on it |
| Inbound sales | process: | the Process, its steps and its Roles |
| AE | role: | the Role contract the seat fills |
Example
| Leaseline, when | What happened | Cost (sample) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-19 15:41 | Northgate Rentals writes “Interested. Can you send times for Tuesday?” | — |
| 15:41:40 | filed as Interested and routed to the AE, with the Handoff Brief | $0.01 of Worker cost |
| 16:12 | the AE books Tuesday 14:00 Central, inside the 60-minute window | $0 |
Compiled, not written: edit its page, 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.