signal-scanner

name	signal-scanner
description	Scan for buying signals across ICP companies using Exa and social listening. Detects 7 signal types (hiring, funding, pain language, competitor mentions, tech stack changes, content, news), scores them, and routes to pipeline-manager. Run as daily cron or on-demand. For manual prospect research, see exa-company-research.
user-invocable	true

Context

Before scanning, read MEMORY.md for: current ICP, wedge, competitors. Read memory/pipeline.json to avoid re-detecting known prospects. Follow output preferences from USER.md. For chat platforms: compact signal list, max 15 lines.

Signal Scanner

Automated buying signal detection for your ICP. Scans multiple sources, scores signals, and feeds qualified prospects into the pipeline.

Signal Types (7)

Tier 1: High-Value (7-9 pts, respond in 24-48h)

1. Leadership Changes / Job Moves (9 pts)

exa-search__web_search_advanced_exa \
  query="new CTO OR new VP Engineering OR Head of Engineering hired" \
  category=company \
  numResults=20 \
  startPublishedDate="YYYY-MM-DD"

Window: 2-4 weeks after announcement.

2. Funding Rounds (9 pts)

exa-search__web_search_advanced_exa \
  query="series A OR series B OR funding round developer tools OR engineering platform" \
  category=news \
  numResults=20 \
  startPublishedDate="YYYY-MM-DD"

Window: 2-6 weeks post-announcement.

3. Hiring Surge — Target Roles (8 pts)

exa-search__web_search_advanced_exa \
  query="hiring [TARGET_ROLE] OR [TARGET_TEAM] expansion [YOUR_DOMAIN_KEYWORDS]" \
  category=company \
  numResults=20

Window: Active while postings live.

Tier 2: Medium-Value (6-7 pts, respond in 1-2 weeks)

4. Competitor Mentions (7 pts)

exa-search__web_search_advanced_exa \
  query="[COMPETITOR_A] OR [COMPETITOR_B] OR [COMPETITOR_C] OR [COMPETITOR_D] review evaluation" \
  category=tweet \
  numResults=20 \
  startPublishedDate="YYYY-MM-DD"

5. Tech Stack Changes (7 pts)

exa-search__web_search_advanced_exa \
  query="[TECH_MIGRATION_KEYWORDS related to your wedge — e.g. migrating to X, modernizing Y, adopting Z]" \
  numResults=20 \
  startPublishedDate="YYYY-MM-DD"

6. Published Content on Pain (6 pts)

exa-search__web_search_advanced_exa \
  query="[PAIN_KEYWORDS your buyers complain about publicly]" \
  numResults=20 \
  startPublishedDate="YYYY-MM-DD"

7. Company News / Expansion (6 pts)

exa-search__web_search_advanced_exa \
  query="[TARGET_TEAM] expansion OR new [TARGET_LOCATION] office OR [JTBD_KEYWORDS]" \
  category=news \
  numResults=20 \
  startPublishedDate="YYYY-MM-DD"

Scan Workflow

Daily Cron Mode

1. Set date range — startPublishedDate = yesterday's date (YYYY-MM-DD)
2. Run Tier 1 scans (3 queries) — highest value signals first
3. Run Tier 2 scans (4 queries) — if Tier 1 yields <3 results
4. Deduplicate — Match against existing pipeline.json prospects by domain
5. Score each signal — Assign points based on signal type
6. ICP filter — Quick check against ICP criteria from MEMORY.md
7. Route to pipeline-manager:
   • New prospects: Add with stage signal_detected
   • Existing prospects: Update signals array, re-score
8. Report to chat — Summary of new signals detected

On-Demand Mode

When CEO asks "scan for signals" or "find new prospects":

1. Ask for focus (or use default ICP from MEMORY.md)
2. Run all 7 signal scans with wider date range (7-14 days)
3. Present top 10 signals ranked by score
4. Ask which to add to pipeline

ICP Quick Filter

Before adding to pipeline, verify against ICP criteria from MEMORY.md. Typical filter slots:

• Must have: [must-have buyer attributes]
• Must have: [must-have company attributes]
• Nice to have: [intent signals]
• Disqualify: [auto-reject patterns]

Output Format (Chat)

Signal Scan [date]:
[N] new signals detected

Tier 1 (respond today):
1. [Company] — [signal type] — [detail snippet]
   Score: [N] | Size: [N] [headcount metric]

Tier 2 (respond this week):
2. [Company] — [signal type] — [detail snippet]
   ...

Already in pipeline: [N] updated
Next scan: [tomorrow date]

Cost Management

• Each Exa search: ~$0.01-0.05
• Daily scan (7 queries): ~$0.15-0.35
• Monthly: ~$3-7
• Use startPublishedDate to avoid re-scanning old content
• Skip Tier 2 if Tier 1 yields enough (>5 new signals)

Related Skills

• pipeline-manager — receives and stores detected signals
• exa-company-research — deeper research on a specific company
• exa-people-research — find contacts at detected companies
• social-listening — deeper social media monitoring
• competitor-research — competitor-specific intelligence
• lead-enrichment — enrich detected prospects
• company-intel — full company dossier