# Growth Cycle 01: Activation Before Amplification

Date: 2026-06-03

## Weekly bet

**Segment:** Solo developers and technical founders already using Claude Code, Codex, or both.

**Promise:** Crosscheck stops agent-written PRs from reaching merge too early by adding an independent Review -> Fix -> Recheck loop.

**Channel:** GitHub README, npm package page, one fixture/demo path, then narrow community posts only after proof is ready.

**Asset:** A first-run activation path that proves Crosscheck on one PR without risking a production repo.

**Conversion:** A new user installs `@humanbased/crosscheck` and completes one useful review verdict.

## Agent assignments

| Step | Builder agent | Evaluator agent | Artifact | Decision gate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. First-run activation | Onboarding Agent | Adoption Agent | Install-to-review guide and fixture PR path | User can complete one review in under 10 minutes |
| 2. Proof demo | Proof Agent | Trust Agent | Demo script showing PR -> finding -> fix -> recheck | Demo shows real value without overstating safety |
| 3. Narrow distribution | Distribution Agent | Community Agent | Channel-specific posts | Post asks for a concrete run, critique, or install |
| 4. Weekly review | Adoption Agent | Positioning Agent | Growth review log | One bottleneck and next experiment are clear |

## Execution order

### Day 1: Activation

Ship:

- Add a "try without production risk" guide.
- Identify or create a public fixture PR.
- Confirm the install and review command path.

Evaluate:

- Can a clean user answer "what do I run next?"
- Does setup fail with actionable diagnostics?
- Is the first successful result visible in GitHub?

Iteration rule:

- If users cannot complete a review, do not launch broadly. Fix docs, config, or diagnostics first.

### Day 2: Proof

Ship:

- One short demo script.
- One screenshot or terminal transcript plan.
- One evidence checklist.

Evaluate:

- Does the proof show a concrete bug or incomplete fix?
- Does it show the repair and recheck, not just a review comment?
- Does it avoid implying automatic merge or guaranteed correctness?

Iteration rule:

- If proof feels abstract, use a real PR with sensitive details removed.

### Day 3: Narrow distribution

Ship:

- GitHub pinned issue draft.
- HN/X/LinkedIn/Reddit-style post drafts.
- One clear user action per post.

Evaluate:

- Does each post drive to the fixture/demo path?
- Does it invite critique from builders instead of generic attention?
- Is the Humanbased mission present without crowding out the tool?

Iteration rule:

- If attention does not convert to completed reviews, narrow the audience and improve the first-run path.

### Day 4: Community response

Ship:

- Reply bank for common objections.
- Issue labels for onboarding, trust, docs, and distribution signals.

Evaluate:

- Which objections repeat?
- Which users are actually trying the tool?
- Which failure category blocks activation?

Iteration rule:

- Turn repeated objections into docs and repeated failures into product fixes.

### Day 5: Weekly review

Ship:

- Growth review log.
- Next experiment proposal.

Evaluate:

- Did the weekly bet produce activated usage?
- What is the single biggest bottleneck?
- Which agent owns the next fix?

Iteration rule:

- Double down only when reviews complete. Otherwise fix the bottleneck before increasing distribution.

## Initial success metrics

| Metric | Target for Cycle 01 | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fixture/demo review completed | 3 successful external or friendly-user runs | Proves first value |
| Time to first review verdict | Under 10 minutes after prerequisites | Proves activation |
| Top failure category identified | 1 clearly named category | Guides product/docs fix |
| Public proof asset ready | 1 launch-ready demo | Enables distribution |
| Qualified community replies | 5 specific objections/use cases | Improves positioning |

## Weekly review log

### Shipped

- Product marketing context for Crosscheck by Humanbased.
- Agent execution protocol with reusable builder/evaluator prompts.
- Cycle 01 activation-before-amplification runbook.
- Cycle 01 asset drafts for onboarding proof, demo proof, and narrow distribution.
- `crosscheck status` fix: webhook secret now reports as auto-managed instead of missing.
- README first screen now includes a one-shot "first useful review in 10 minutes" path.
- Get-started guide now leads with `status` and single-PR review before `watch`/`serve`.
- Proof demo and fixture PR docs.
- Public fixture repo created at `https://github.com/humanbased-ai/crosscheck-proof-fixture`.
- Fixture PR opened at `https://github.com/humanbased-ai/crosscheck-proof-fixture/pull/1` with secure `main` and buggy `add-transaction-pagination` branch.
- Humanbased field report published: `https://blog.humanbased.ai/posts/agentic-pr-quality-crosscheck/`.
- Fixture review completed with `VERDICT: BLOCK`: `https://github.com/humanbased-ai/crosscheck-proof-fixture/pull/1#issuecomment-4633226342`.
- Clone error redaction patched after a failed HTTPS clone exposed that authenticated clone URLs must be sanitized before printing.

### Evidence

- Installs: Pending.
- Onboard completed: Pending.
- Reviews completed: 1 fixture review completed with `BLOCK`.
- Fix loops completed: Pending.
- Rechecks completed: Pending.
- Weekly active repos: Pending.
- Top failure: Fix/recheck could not start because GitHub clone failed twice: HTTPS timed out, then SSH failed because this machine lacks GitHub SSH key access.
- Best user quote: Pending.

### Agent decisions

- Positioning Agent: Use Humanbased as the primary brand and tie Crosscheck to complete agentic software delivery.
- Onboarding Agent: Iterate. Lead with one-shot review, require only one AI CLI, clarify config path, and fix webhook-secret false failure.
- Proof Agent: Iterate. Use a public fixture PR plus 60-90 second video showing BLOCK -> fix -> recheck -> APPROVE.
- Content Agent: Use the published field report as proof-led top of funnel: blog -> README quick start -> fixture review -> first useful verdict.
- Distribution Agent: Hold broad launch. Start GitHub/X/Reddit/LinkedIn narrow wave only after 3 successful first-run reviews and public proof.
- Trust Agent: Pending full permissions/trust doc pass.
- Adoption Agent: Treat completed reviews as the activation metric; pause outreach if the same setup issue blocks two users.

### Decision

- Double down: First-run review path and fixture-backed proof.
- Iterate: Restore GitHub clone reliability, run fix/recheck on the public fixture PR, capture the BLOCK -> fix -> recheck proof, and update README with the proof asset once recorded.
- Stop: Do not run HN broad launch yet.
- Next experiment: Get three friendly users through `crosscheck status` -> `crosscheck review <fixture-pr>`.
