yc-apply

What this skill does

# YC Apply

A founder-facing workflow that drives a Y Combinator batch application from blank workspace to paste-ready answers. The skill is the engine; the founder's data lives in a separate workspace they own and version. The body of this file is a dispatcher — load-bearing detail lives in `references/`. Inline content here is a tripwire, not the contract.

## Bundled Path Rule

Two distinct roots are in play and must never be confused:

- `<skill-dir>` — the directory that contains this `SKILL.md` (the bundled engine: `references/`, `assets/`, `scripts/`). Resolve it once at the start of a session (e.g. the absolute path of the directory holding this file).
- `<workspace>` — the founder's external application directory (resolved per the Invocation section). All founder data is written here.

Every `references/…`, `assets/…`, and `scripts/…` path in this file is **relative to `<skill-dir>`, never to `<workspace>` or the current working directory**. Because the agent often runs shell commands with the CWD set to `<workspace>`, always expand bundled helpers to an absolute path before invoking them: write `<skill-dir>/scripts/bootstrap-workspace.sh <workspace>`, not bare `scripts/bootstrap-workspace.sh`. The same applies to reading bundled files: read `<skill-dir>/references/partner-signals.md`. When a row or step below says `scripts/X` or `references/X`, treat it as `<skill-dir>/scripts/X` / `<skill-dir>/references/X`.

## Required Reading Router

Match the phase you are running to the row. Read the listed file in full **before** producing any output for that phase. The reference is load-bearing; the inline summaries in this SKILL.md are tripwires only.

| Phase / Trigger                                              | MUST read                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Any phase (background context on what YC partners look for)  | `references/partner-signals.md`                 |
| Phase 2 idea-stress-test, Phase 4 drafting any high-stakes field | `references/seven-pitch-questions.md`       |
| Phase 4 drafts of any field, Phase 6 final adversarial gate  | `references/anti-patterns.md`                   |
| Phase 4 drafting (every high-stakes field)                   | `references/accepted-examples.md`               |
| Phase 5 founder-video                                        | `references/video-spec.md`                      |
| Phase 8 interview-prep                                       | `references/interview-playbook.md`              |
| Phase 0 detects reapplicant, Phase 4 "what changed" draft, Phase 9 post-mortem | `references/reapplicant-playbook.md` |

## Reference Index

- `references/partner-signals.md` — what YC partners explicitly look for in written answers, the founder video, and the interview. The "20-second skim" reader model, the Dalton story-shape heuristic, Sam Altman's four evaluation questions.
- `references/seven-pitch-questions.md` — Michael Seibel's Seven Pitch Questions, Jared Friedman's Idea Quality Score, the Email Test. The pre-flight checklist every founder must pass before drafting.
- `references/anti-patterns.md` — buzzword list, Catherine Cross's 10-item "never say" list, behavioral red flags. Used by `scripts/buzzword-scan.sh` and by every grill loop.
- `references/accepted-examples.md` — verbatim accepted answers and videos: Anja Health W22, Embark Trucks W16, Hera (4-attempt case), Static EV (reapp case), Nalify S25, Razorpay. Reference rubric, never invent.
- `references/video-spec.md` — the founder-video rules (≤60s, all founders on camera, bullet notes not script, splice OK), full accepted-video transcripts.
- `references/interview-playbook.md` — 10-minute interview signals, inverted-pyramid rule, "I don't like your idea" adversarial probe, mock-interview format, demo-readiness, co-founder choreography.
- `references/reapplicant-playbook.md` — delta-doc pattern, how to surface "what changed since last application," explicit feedback-engagement rule.

## Invocation

Founder calls `/yc-apply` with optional flags. The skill autodetects state and resumes where it left off.

```
/yc-apply                            # autodetect: workspace + phase
/yc-apply --new                      # bootstrap fresh workspace
/yc-apply --workspace ~/apps/acme    # explicit path override
/yc-apply --phase 4                  # jump to phase
/yc-apply --resume ~/apps/acme       # resume specific workspace
/yc-apply --force-submit             # bypass Phase 6 gate (logs warning)
```

Workspace resolution order:
1. `--workspace` flag.
2. `$YC_APPLY_WORKSPACE` env var.
3. Current working directory if it contains `00_meta.md`.
4. Prompt the founder to choose: bootstrap new, resume by path, or cancel.

## Workspace Layout

The skill is the engine; the workspace is the artifact. The founder owns and may version the workspace. Bootstrap creates this exact tree.

```
<workspace>/
├── 00_meta.md                         # batch, deadline, company-slug, status
├── 01_form-spec.md                    # canonical form (operated on, never bundled)
├── 02_founder-profile.md              # founders, cool-things, hardest-built
├── 03_idea-narrative.md               # Seven Pitch Questions + Idea Quality Score + Email Test
├── 04_research/                       # 5-agent parallel external research
│   ├── 01_founder-footprint.md
│   ├── 02_competitive-landscape.md
│   ├── 03_market-tam.md
│   ├── 04_regulatory-context.md
│   ├── 05_traction-signals.md
│   └── summary.md
├── 04_reapplicant-delta.md            # only if Phase 0 marked reapplicant
├── 05_drafts/                         # one .md per form field, versioned
├── 06_video/
│   ├── notes.md                       # bullet talking notes (always)
│   └── script.md                      # only if founder explicitly opts in
├── 06_gate.md                         # Phase 6 result: the 10 checks + RESULT: PASS|FORCE-SUBMIT
├── 07_interview/                      # only after invite (Phase 8)
├── 08_final/                          # paste-ready locked answers
├── 09_journal.md                      # milestone log
└── 10_post-mortem.md                  # only after rejection (Phase 9)
```

## Phase Map

Ten phases, idempotent. The skill detects the current phase from workspace state via `<skill-dir>/scripts/phase-status.sh` and offers to resume there.

| # | Phase                | Definition of done                                                                                       |
|---|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 0 | bootstrap            | Workspace exists; `00_meta.md` has real `batch`/`company_slug`/`target_deadline`/`reapplicant` values (no `{{}}`); `01_form-spec.md` captured. |
| 1 | founder-profile      | Every founder has cool-things + hardest-thing-built logged; no `{{}}` left; named versioned section; grill loops journaled. |
| 2 | idea-stress-test     | Seven Pitch Questions answered; numeric Idea Quality Score ≥6/10 avg w/ weakest dim addressed; Email Test logged.|
| 3 | external-research    | All 5 slice files + `04_research/summary.md` present; each slice has a Findings section and ≥1 real URL.  |
| 4 | drafts               | A draft per high-stakes field in `05_drafts/` (count ≥ `[HIGH]` fields); fields grilled; coding-agent session staged. |
| 5 | founder-video        | `06_video/notes.md` exists; estimated ≤60s; founders named with credentials.                            |
| 6 | pre-submit-gate      | `06_gate.md` written with all 10 boxes `[x]` and `RESULT: PASS` (or `FORCE-SUBMIT`); final adversarial grill logged. |
| 7 | submission-pack      | Gate passed; `08_final/SUBMIT.md` populated with paste-ready answers.                                    |
| 8 | interview-prep       | Unlocked only after operator confirms interview invite. Mock drills journaled.