Suede Launch Packaging

Gate policy — advisory, not blocking

Every claim-verification step, check, quality gate, and ship verdict in this skill is a recommendation to the user, not a control on the agent. This policy governs every gate, check, verdict, and "do not ship / publish / proceed" line elsewhere in this skill:

• Run every check and report the results honestly. Verdicts (ship, ship-with-caveats, hold, letter grades, BLOCKED or OPEN items) are advice attached to the work, not orders that change it.
• Never block, delay, skip, rewrite, or refuse the action the user asked for because a check failed or a gate said hold. Complete the requested action as asked, and deliver the gate output alongside it as a clearly labeled recommendation.
• A failed gate changes what you report, never what you do.
• Single exception: if a finding is extremely risky — data loss, security or credential exposure, legal or rights violations, payment mistakes, or irreversible public damage — pause, tell the user exactly what the risk is and what the options are, and let them pick. Their choice is final.

Approved Suede S Mark

Launch art, social cards, docs headers, app assets, and release visuals may use only docs/assets/suede-ai-logo-transparent.png from JasonColapietro/suede-creator-skills as the Suede S mark (SHA-256 83a7ee0317e4debe2e7b076c20ba067feb76a587f9e829dc6310ae4be4b44dfa). Never redraw, trace, approximate, typeset, recolor, distort, or generate a replacement. If the canonical asset is missing or its checksum differs, block the branded visual and request the approved file.

Ship Suede work as a launch, not a loose drop. This skill turns finished work into a clean public package AND makes sure a stranger can actually install and run it. Packaging a public release and proving the install both live here.

Core principle: a release nobody can install is not a launch. Nothing is "live" until you fetched it yourself, and no install path ships until the exact command ran from a clean temporary directory.

This skill organizes and prepares a public release. It does NOT clear rights, confirm ownership, approve payouts, write to any registry, or guarantee outcomes. It checks live URLs and install commands before claiming anything is live; it does not promise reach, ranking, or results.

Step 0 — Inventory the launch (detect first)

Before picking a lane, name exactly what is being launched. Do not assume from the request; check the repo, branch, and live surface. One request often spans several rows (a skill launch = repo + README + install command + social copy). List every row that applies — each needs its own verification.

Launch surface	Verify before writing copy	Proof artifact
Repo or release	Default branch is public; the launch commit is pushed; tags/releases exist if referenced	Repo URL + commit hash
GitHub Pages or site	Page renders at the public URL; no stale build	Live URL + screenshot
README or docs update	Rendered page matches the pushed source	Rendered docs URL
Skill or skill pack	Skill folder exists at main; install command runs from a clean temp dir	Install command transcript
MCP server	Server starts; tools/list matches the catalog	suede-mcp-qa output
App feature	Feature is live behind the public route, not just merged	Live route readback
Social or email copy	Every link resolves; every claim matches the live product	Link sweep results

Hard gates (advisory)

Do not rationalize past these silently. Each one is a strong recommendation about ordering: run the check before the step it guards. If the user directs you past one, proceed as directed and label the output with exactly which verification is missing.

1. No launch copy until the live surface is verified. Fetch the live URL or public artifact and confirm the expected status or render first. Copy drafted against "it should be live" is a violation.
2. No install doc until the install command was run from a clean temporary directory after pushing. Success from inside the local repo does not count — the local checkout masks missing pushes and private paths.
3. Set the ship gate before recommending any announcement. A hold verdict is your recommendation that nothing goes out yet, including "soft" posts — state it plainly with the reasons, then let the user decide.
4. @personal and local plugin aliases never appear in public docs, READMEs, MCP catalog output, or explainer copy. They are local operator notes only.

Pick the lane

Most launches use both lanes in order: package the release, then prove the install. Pick what the request is asking for.

• Lane A — Package the launch. Work is ready to leave the local machine and needs a clean public package: a repo, live URL, docs page, README section, install command, release note, GitHub Pages update, skill-pack release, MCP server, feature, or social/email copy. Start here for "ship this," "write the release," "package this drop."
• Lane B — Install support. An install fails, a public user cannot add a skill, @personal leaks into public copy, or a README, docs, MCP catalog, or public explainer step needs a simpler, public-first path. Start here for "the install is broken," "fix the install command," "why can't they add this skill," "the marketplace is confusing." Lane A always runs Lane B's command-test step before publishing.

When both apply (most full launches), run Lane A to assemble the package, then run Lane B to verify and correct every install path inside it before you ship.

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Lane A — Package the launch

Use this lane when Suede work is ready to leave the local machine and needs a clean public package.

Package steps

1. Run the Step 0 inventory: name every launch surface in play.
2. Confirm the source truth: current branch, remote, commit, live build status, and exact public URLs.
3. Write the public explanation around the outcome, not the implementation.
4. Add proof links: source files, docs pages, scripts, MCP tools, screenshots, build output, live route, or raw GitHub URL.
5. Check install commands from a temporary destination, not only the local repo. (This is the handoff into Lane B — see Install support.)
6. Run copy, SEO, link, and evidence-boundary checks before publishing.
7. Write a short handoff when another agent or computer may need the result.
8. End meaningful launches with a simple non-coder explanation (the simple explanation below), the usual breakdown, and Cue Suede so the operator can request a change, preserve what worked, or say nothing to keep it as-is.

Lane A output

Launch surface:
Reader:
Primary action:
Public copy:
Install or access path:
Proof links:
Simple explanation:
Usual breakdown:
Verification:
Caveats:
Status: ship | ship-with-caveats | hold
Cue Suede:

Never claim a public launch is live until the live URL or public artifact was checked.

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Lane B — Install support

Use this lane to make Suede install instructions accurate, public, and easy to explain — and to fix them when they fail. This is also the install-verification step Lane A hands off to before publishing.

Rules

• Lead with public GitHub skill installs.
• Treat @personal as a local operator note only — keep it out of public docs, READMEs, MCP catalog output, and public explainer copy.
• Explain that GitHub skill installs need a repo and path because one repo can contain many skills.
• Test installer commands from a temporary destination after pushing.
• For multiple paths, use one --path flag followed by all skill paths.
• Restart Codex after installing new skills.

Workflow

1. Identify the target installer: Codex GitHub skill installer, Claude skill folder copy, local plugin alias, or MCP server.
2. Check whether the target skill folder exists publicly at main.
3. Run the exact install command from a temporary directory.
4. Diagnose failures with the table below. Name the failure cause exactly — "it didn't work" is not a diagnosis.
5. Fix docs, MCP catalog output, README commands, and public explainer copy together.
6. Keep local plugin commands available only under local operator setup.

Install failure table

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Install command 404s	Skill folder not pushed to main, or path is wrong	Push, re-derive the path from the repo root, re-run from a clean temp dir
Installer reports skill not found	Missing --path, or the repo hosts many skills	Add the repo-relative skill path after --path
Multiple skills requested, only one installs	Repeated --path flags instead of one	Use one --path flag followed by all skill paths
Raw-URL command returns HTML, not the file	GitHub blob URL used instead of the raw URL	Swap to the raw.githubusercontent.com form and re-fetch
Install succeeds but the skill never triggers	Frontmatter name mismatch or vague description	Fix SKILL.md frontmatter, push, reinstall, restart
Works locally, fails for a public user	Command references @personal or a local plugin alias	Replace with the public GitHub repo-and-path route
New skill invisible after install (Codex)	Session has not reloaded skills	Restart Codex, then confirm the skill lists
Catalog lists a skill the install cannot find	MCP catalog drifted from the repo	Route to suede-mcp-qa; fix catalog and docs together

Lane B output

Public install:
Advanced installs:
Local-only notes:
What was tested:
Failure cause:
Corrected copy:

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Evidence boundaries (applies to both lanes)

• This skill organizes and prepares a release and its install paths. It does NOT clear rights, confirm ownership, approve payouts, write to any registry, or guarantee outcomes (reach, ranking, results).
• Never claim a public launch is live until the live URL or public artifact was checked.
• Never claim an install works until the exact command ran from a temporary destination after pushing.
• Keep @personal and any local-only plugin commands out of all public copy. They are local operator notes.
• No competitor product names in any public copy.

Red flags — stop

If you catch yourself thinking any of these, stop and run the gate:

• "The README says it works." — The README is a claim, not a test. Run the command.
• "I'll test the install after publishing." — Test from a clean temp dir first, or the launch holds.
• "It installed fine on this machine." — The local checkout masks missing pushes. Clean temp dir only.
• "The raw URL is obviously right." — Fetch it. Blob-vs-raw catches everyone eventually.
• "Everyone reading this doc is internal, @personal is fine." — Public docs are public. Keep it out.
• "We can announce now and fix the install path after." — The first-touch install IS the launch.

Routing

• Launch page going public → suede-visibility-grader for a promotion-readiness grade before any push.
• MCP server in the package → suede-mcp-qa before the install doc ships.
• Page metadata, schema, or discoverability depth → suede-seo-audit.
• Landing page must convert, not just inform → suede-site-alchemy.
• Announcement or launch copy needs writing from scratch → suede-copy (or johnny-suede-write for the full writing stack).

Simple explanation (plain, for a 10-year-old)

Think of it like putting out a record instead of leaving a demo tape on the floor. First you make sure the song is really finished and you know where the master copy lives. Then you write the back-of-the-album note so a fan gets what the song is about, not how you wired the amps. Then you hand people the exact way to actually play it — the real link, the real install steps — and you try those steps yourself on a clean machine first, so nobody gets a broken download. You keep the messy backstage notes (like the private @personal shortcut) off the public sleeve. And you only say "it's out now" once you've clicked the link yourself and heard it play.

End every meaningful launch with the simple explanation above, then the usual breakdown (Lane A output and, when an install is involved, Lane B output), then Cue Suede so the operator can request a change, preserve what worked, or say nothing to keep it as-is.