/launch-tier

name: launch-tier
description: "Classify releases into launch tiers and plan go-to-market. Based on Lauchengco's Loved framework."
metadata:
  instruction_budget: "62"
  framework_dependency: "mycelium"
  framework_dependency_note: "This skill is designed to run within the Mycelium framework (https://github.com/haabe/mycelium). Standalone use will skip the canvas state, theory gates, and harness behavior the skill assumes. Install: /plugin install mycelium@haabe-mycelium."

Launch Tier Classification

Every release gets classified before planning begins. Source: Lauchengco (Loved).

Preflight: Read target canvas file(s) before any Write/Edit

**Hard rule.** Before issuing `Write` or `Edit` against any `.claude/canvas/*.yml`, use the **Read tool** on that file in this session. Claude Code's Read-before-Write check requires the `Read` tool specifically — `cat`/`head`/`grep` via Bash do NOT satisfy it.

**Edit vs Write — different cost profiles** (verified 2026-05-14):

• **`Edit`** (exact-string replacement): `Read` with `limit: 1` satisfies the check at ~50 tokens. State-tracking is per-file, not per-byte — subsequent `Edit` calls work anywhere in the file. Use this for partial updates against large canvas files (e.g., `purpose.yml` at 800+ lines).
• **`Write`** (full replacement): do a **full Read** first. Write obliterates the file; you should see what you're about to replace. The `limit:1` shortcut is *not* appropriate here.

**ID-bearing entries — scan the ID space before assigning** (added 2026-05-15, v0.23.19): When adding a new component, opportunity, solution, or any other ID-bearing entry to a canvas file, run a Bash grep first to confirm the next ID in your prefix sequence is actually free:

grep -o "<prefix>-[0-9][0-9]*" .claude/canvas/<file>.yml | sort -u -t- -k2 -n | tail -3

Replace `<prefix>` with the canvas's ID prefix (`comp` for landscape, `opp` for opportunities, `sol` for solutions, `ht` for human-tasks, etc.). Then pick the next free integer, **matching the zero-padding already used in that file**. The sort is NUMERIC (`-t- -k2 -n`) rather than lexical, and that is not pedantry: a plain `sort -u` orders `ht-1` after `ht-080`, so on a canvas with inconsistent padding it reports the wrong maximum and the next ID collides. Verified on the dogfood repo 2026-08-13, where lexical sort returned `ht-1` as the highest human-task ID against an actual `ht-080`. `grep -o` is also deliberate: it matches IDs wherever they appear, including cross-references and prose, so an ID that was promised somewhere but not yet defined is not handed out twice. `validate_canvas.py` has a duplicate-ID check (lines 230-239) that catches the failure on CI, but a duplicate can persist in the working tree for days if CI isn't run between edit and discovery — see roadmap-repo `corrections.md` 2026-05-15 "Duplicate canvas ID created in landscape.yml" for the worked example.

Original failure mode: anti-pattern #7 instance #5, 2026-05-09 — agent conflated Bash `head` with the Read tool, lost ~14k tokens to a Write-fail → remedial-full-Read → re-Write loop. The `limit:1` discipline (graduated 2026-05-14, v0.23.18) prevents the second-order cost where the agent *correctly* follows the rule but full-Reads every time. The ID-scan discipline (graduated 2026-05-15, v0.23.19) prevents the related class where the agent reads enough of the file to satisfy the Edit check but not enough to see existing ID assignments — kin to anti-pattern #8 (Stale State Read).

If this skill writes to multiple canvas files, register each one first (limit:1 for Edit-only paths; full Read for Write paths) AND ID-scan any prefix you intend to assign.

See `CLAUDE.md` *Canvas writes — Read before Write* for the canonical rule.

Tier Definitions

| Tier | Type | Effort | Examples | |------|------|--------|---------| | **1** | Major | Full cross-functional | New product, major pivot, category-defining | | **2** | Significant | Targeted campaigns | Feature launch, positioning reinforcement | | **3** | Incremental | Lightweight | Bug fixes, minor improvements, release notes |

Classification Criteria

• Does this change our positioning? -> Tier 1
• Does this strengthen existing positioning? -> Tier 2
• Is this an incremental improvement? -> Tier 3

Per-Tier Activities

Software (default)

**Tier 1**: Press, events, campaigns, sales enablement, analyst briefings, customer advisory **Tier 2**: Blog post, targeted campaigns, sales enablement update, in-product announcement **Tier 3**: Release notes, changelog, in-product notification, knowledge base update

Content Products (courses, publications, media) (v0.11.0)

**Tier 1**: Platform launch (new course on marketplace), PR/media coverage, launch webinar, guest appearances **Tier 2**: New module/section, cross-promotion, community announcement, guest post **Tier 3**: Content update, errata fix, supplementary material, minor revision

AI Tools (v0.11.0)

**Tier 1**: Public launch, ProductHunt/HackerNews, documentation site, demo video **Tier 2**: New capability/model, integration partnership, case study **Tier 3**: Prompt improvement, model update, bug fix, eval result improvement

Service Offerings (v0.11.0)

**Tier 1**: New service line launch, case study PR, conference talk, partnership announcement **Tier 2**: New package/tier, testimonial campaign, process improvement announcement **Tier 3**: Pricing update, workflow refinement, expanded availability

Behavioral Science in Positioning (Shotton)

Use biases ETHICALLY to help users understand value:

• **Social proof**: Reference customers, usage numbers (real, not inflated)
• **Anchoring**: Frame value relative to alternatives
• **Framing**: Position the benefit, not just the feature
• **Never**: Confirmshaming, hidden costs, forced continuity, misdirection

Canvas Output

Update `.claude/canvas/go-to-market.yml` with tier classification and launch plan.

Ethical Engagement Design (Eyal -- Ho