# Cast And Connect > Cast a brief into a ranked shortlist AND reach the top-N creators in one move — find creators, you pick who to reach, then Creatorland's matchmaker runs a 3-touch sequence that stops on reply. Use when the user says "cast and reach", "find creators and connect", "shortlist then reach out", or "cast this brief and connect with the top N". Deliverable is the shortlist PLUS a "Reached" section (conn_ref + status). Reaching costs 10 credits/creator; outcomes are the creator's — never a promised yes. - Skill: `creatorland/cast-and-connect` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add creatorland/cast-and-connect` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/creatorland/cast-and-connect/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: creatorland (https://skillmd.com/u/creatorland) - Updated: 2026-09-21 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/creatorland/cast-and-connect --- # Cast-and-Connect The casting-to-outreach skill. It runs the full `brief-to-shortlist` casting flow to produce a ranked, enriched shortlist, lets the user pick the top-N to reach, then asks Creatorland's matchmaker to reach each chosen creator on the brand's behalf and run a polite 3-touch sequence (day 0 / 3 / 7, auto-stops on reply, double-opt-in intro on a yes). For brand-side managers and agency casting directors who want discovery and first contact in one move. The deliverable is the shortlist plus a "Reached" section — a launchpad into `connection-pipeline-tracker` and `reply-triage`. Read first: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/conventions.md (tool schemas, credit prices, the nine conventions) and ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/connection-flow.md (THE connection contract — the 3 tool schemas, the mandatory pre-flight, graceful degradation, privacy invariants). This skill honors thrifty/thorough credit modes (${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/credit-modes.md), Refusal Recovery (${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/refusal-recovery.md), and the Freshness Gate (${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/freshness-gate.md). > This skill **composes** `brief-to-shortlist` by reference — it runs that > skill's casting flow verbatim to build the shortlist, then acts on it. It > never restates or modifies that skill's internals. If the user only wants the > shortlist (no outreach), use `brief-to-shortlist`. If outreach has already > happened and they want to track it, use `connection-pipeline-tracker`; to > triage replies, `reply-triage`. ## Inputs to collect - **The brief** (required) — any written format. Passed straight into the `brief-to-shortlist` flow; do not make the user restructure it. - **How many to reach** — default: **ask** after the shortlist is on screen ("Which of these should I reach — top 3, top 5, all 8, or named picks?"). Don't pre-commit a count before the user sees the ranking. - **Opportunity fields** for the outreach — `campaign_type` is **required** (e.g. "paid IG Reel + Story", "UGC licensing", "event appearance"); ask for it if the brief doesn't state it. Optional: `deliverables`, `comp_tags`, `timeline`, `brief_context`, and a brand-authored `personal_message`. `budget_band` is **auto-filled** from a corpus rate band (step 5 below) — do not ask the user for it unless they want to override. For a promo/gifting/event/collab (not a plain casting), also collect the **structured brief** — `archetype` (`casting|product_gift|partner_promo|event_invite|paid_collab`), an `offer` (`{what, value, expiry, redemption}`), and the on-behalf-of `brand` (`{name, represented_by}`) — per the schema and required-field rules in `connection-flow.md` (the new archetypes require `brand` + `offer.what`; don't restate the schema here, reference it). - **Credit mode** — default `thorough`; switch to `thrifty` on the trigger phrases in the credit-modes module. Never ask twice for anything the brief already states — quote it back instead. ## Flow **Step A — Build the shortlist via `brief-to-shortlist` (compose by reference).** Run the `brief-to-shortlist` casting flow exactly as that skill defines it — normalize the brief, search, profile fan-out, Freshness Gate, optional conflict check, one slate-level rate call (Refusal-Recovery-wrapped), rank, and produce its client-ready shortlist deliverable. Honor the same credit mode. Do not restate or alter its steps here; that skill owns the casting contract. The output of Step A is the ranked shortlist plus the slate's inferred **vertical** and **rate band** — both of which this skill reuses below (so no extra rate call is needed for the budget band). **Step B — Show the shortlist and ask who to reach.** Present the full `brief-to-shortlist` deliverable first. Then ask which creators to reach (default: ask — top-N or named picks). The shortlist is the floor of this skill's value: even if outreach never happens, the user keeps it. **Step C — Entitlement probe + graceful degradation.** Before any pre-flight, do a single cheap entitlement check via `list_connections` `{ "limit": 1 }` (free). If the connection layer returns a **refused / not-entitled envelope** (non-pro, or no `creator_connections` entitlement), do NOT error: deliver the **full shortlist** plus one line — _"Connections aren't on your plan — here's the casting, and you can reach these creators by upgrading to Creatorland Pro (connections)."_ Stop here; the run still succeeded. Only continue to the pre-flight when the connection layer is live. **Step D — Mandatory pre-flight (before any `request_creator_connection`).** Per `connection-flow.md`, all three gates, in order: 1. **Suppression / active-sequence pre-screen.** Call `list_connections` and drop from the reach set (a) anyone already in an ACTIVE sequence for this brand (a repeat would be refused + is a harassment risk) and (b) anyone who previously opted out. Report who was skipped and why. ```json list_connections { "limit": 100 } ``` (Free. Match each shortlist pick against returned `conn_ref` entries by the identifier/campaign you reached them under; treat `queued|sending|delivered|replied_*` as active, `opted_out` as suppressed.) 2. **Auto-fill `budget_band` from the corpus rate band.** Reuse the rate band `brief-to-shortlist` already produced in Step A so the pitch is market-credible, not a lowball. If Step A had no rate call (e.g. thrifty dropped it), make **one** `query_market_intelligence` rate call now, wrapped in Refusal Recovery: ```json query_market_intelligence { "mode": "rate", "vertical": "", "deal_type": "", "creator_tier": "" } ``` Express `budget_band` as a market range (e.g. `"$2k–$5k (market p25–p75, Beauty vertical)"`), never as a single number or a per-creator quote. If the slate clusters at a creator tier, carry `creator_tier` (emerging <1k / nano 1k-10k / micro 10k-100k / mid 100k-500k / macro 500k-1M / mega 1M+) through so the band is size-scoped like the shortlist's; otherwise leave it off for the vertical-wide band. Disclose any Refusal-Recovery broadening (or a too-thin-tier auto-broaden) at the clearance level. 3. **Credit estimate + explicit confirm.** Reaching N creators = **10×N credits**. State it and get an explicit yes before firing **any** `request_creator_connection`: > Reaching these creators costs ~<10×N> credits (~$<0.25×N>). The > shortlist is already yours; this starts a 3-touch sequence per creator > that auto-stops on reply. Proceed? Never fire a batch without confirmation. (Reuse `credit-budget-guardian` framing if the user wants a ledger.) **Step E — Reach each chosen creator.** One `request_creator_connection` per confirmed creator, all sharing the same `opportunity`: ```json request_creator_connection { "creator": { "type": "creatorland_user_id", "creatorland_user_id": "", "display_name": "" }, "opportunity": { "campaign_type": "", "deliverables": "", "comp_tags": [""], "budget_band": "", "timeline": "", "brief_context": "", "personal_message": "" }, "send_connection_request": true } ``` Use whichever `creator` identifier type the shortlist row carries (`creatorland_user_id` preferred; else `social_handle` with `platform`; `email` only if the brand supplied the address, with a required `display_name`). Capture each returned `conn_ref` + status. If a single creator comes back refused (already-active, not charged), note it and continue with the rest — never abort the batch. **Step F — Write the deliverable.** The shortlist (from Step A) PLUS a "Reached" section (each `conn_ref` + status) PLUS a "Next" pointer into the tracker / triage skills. ## Deliverable Client-ready markdown — the shortlist, then the outreach record: ```markdown # Cast & Reach — _Cast from your brief, · creators shortlisted · reached · Creatorland Data_ ## Shortlist (ranked) ## Reached Outreach started via Creatorland's matchmaker — a 3-touch sequence (day 0 / 3 / 7) that auto-stops on reply, with a double-opt-in intro only if the creator says yes. No creator contact details are shared with you through this; the matchmaker holds them. Opportunity sent: ****<, deliverables, timeline if set> · budget band **** (market p25–p75, ; framing only, not a per-creator quote). | # | Creator | conn_ref | Status | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | @ | | queued | | 2 | @ | | queued | **Skipped in pre-screen:** ; · or "None — all picks were clear to reach (in our records)." ## Next: track + triage - Track the sequence (touches sent, replies) with **connection-pipeline-tracker** — it reads `get_connection_status` / `list_connections` (free). - When replies land, sort interested / question / declined with **reply-triage**. - A status here is the start of a sequence, **not** a booking — outcomes are the creator's. --- Data freshness: / creators synced within the last sync window; flagged for re-verification. Provenance: Creatorland Data MCP · cast via brief-to-shortlist (search + profiles + 1 rate benchmark, ) + connection requests · . Credits used this run: ~ (cast: ~ · reach: × 10 = <10R>). ``` If the entitlement probe (Step C) returned not-entitled, the deliverable is the **Shortlist** section + Caveats only, with the "Reached" and pre-screen sections replaced by the single upgrade line — and a credit tally that reflects the cast only (no reach charges). ## Honesty rules - **Never promise a reply or a yes.** Frame every reach as "we'll reach them and run a 3-touch sequence that stops on reply" — outcomes are the creator's. A `queued`/`delivered` status is contact made, not a booking. - **Privacy floor (conventions 7 + connection-flow).** No creator contact info appears anywhere — not in the shortlist, not in the Reached table. The reveal is the matchmaker's double-opt-in only. `conn_ref` and status are brand-safe; a creator's address is not, and is never returned or inferred. - **`budget_band` is a market band, never a per-creator quote** — auto-filled from the corpus rate band, expressed as p25–p75 for the vertical/tier. Disclose any Refusal-Recovery broadening at the clearance level. - **`personal_message` is brand-authored only.** Never invent a quote, a tone, or a promise on the brand's behalf — omit it if the brand gave none. - **Suppression pre-screen is "in our records,"** never an absolute guarantee the creator isn't being contacted elsewhere. - **Always show the credit cost of reaching before reaching, and the actual tally after.** The shortlist is delivered regardless of whether outreach runs. - All `brief-to-shortlist` honesty rules (vertical-level rate framing, provenance never stripped, stale data never silently mixed) carry through the composed shortlist unchanged. ## Credit footprint thorough: ~31 cast credits (brief-to-shortlist: 1 search ×2 + ~24 profiles + 1 rate call ×5; +5 per refusal-ladder rung) **+ 10 × (creators reached)**; `list_connections` pre-screen is free. Reaching 5 ≈ 31 + 50 = ~81 credits (~$2.03). · thrifty: ~17 cast credits (1 search ×2 + ~10 profiles + 1 rate call ×5, max 2 ladder rungs) **+ 10 × (creators reached)**; reach only the count the user confirms. Not-entitled plans incur cast credits only (no reach charges).