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.

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 Playbooks

Lane A (package the launch) and Lane B (install support) are in references/lanes.md. Pick the lane above, then read it. Lane A also needs Lane B's command-test step before publishing, so a Lane A run reads both. The evidence boundaries below and the Suede S mark rules apply to either lane.

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). Live-URL and clean-temp-dir install verification are governed by Hard gates 1 and 2 above, which carry the required ordering.
• 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).
• Product, course, coaching, or artist campaign launch → suede-campaign-in-a-box (creator/artist) or suede-marketing-plan (product/service); this skill packages software releases and their install paths only.

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.