credits-inventory

name	credits-inventory
description	Find startup credits, perks, and offers you may have but aren't using. Use when: (1) User wants to inventory available credits/perks across accounts, (2) User asks 'do I have a deal for X?' when signing up for something new, (3) User mentions banking, cloud, or VC relationships. Searches known programs + email for forgotten offers.

Credits & Perks Inventory

Surface forgotten credits, discounts, and perks across startup programs, banking relationships, corporate cards, VC portfolios, and email offers.

State Files

This skill maintains two living documents:

File	Purpose
references/your-context-template.md	Inputs - User's accounts, relationships, subscriptions
my-inventory.md	Outputs - Available perks organized by service/tool, with usage tracking

Both live in ~/.claude/skills/credits-inventory/. Read them at skill start; update them as you discover new information.

Usage Tracking

The inventory tracks the full lifecycle of each perk:

Status	Meaning
Available	Not yet claimed, can be activated
Claimed [DATE]	Activated on date, now in use
Active	Currently being used (for ongoing subscriptions)
Expiring [DATE]	Has a known expiration date
Depleted	Credits fully used
Expired	Past expiration, no longer available
Verify	Needs manual verification of status

Track for metered credits (API credits, cloud credits):

• Original value
• Remaining balance (when known)
• Burn rate (if trackable)

Track for time-limited perks (free subscriptions):

• Claim date
• Expiration date
• Auto-renewal status

Two Modes

Mode 1: Full Inventory ("What do I have?")

Comprehensive scan of all accounts to surface available credits and perks.

Mode 2: Specific Lookup ("Do I have a deal for X?")

User is signing up for a specific service - check if they have a discount.

---

Workflow

1. Load Context

Read: ~/.claude/skills/credits-inventory/my-context.md
Read: ~/.claude/skills/credits-inventory/my-inventory.md

If context file is empty or outdated, ask user to update their accounts.

2. For Full Inventory: Scan All Sources

For each account type in context:

A. Check known programs (see reference database below)

B. Search email via gscli

# Search for perks from known sources
gscli gmail search "from:[source] perks OR credits OR offer" -l 20

# Search for specific services
gscli gmail search "[service] free OR credits OR discount" -l 10

# Search for expiring offers
gscli gmail search "expires OR expiring credits OR offer" -l 15

C. Read promising emails

gscli gmail read [message-id]

Look for:

• Claim links/URLs
• Promo codes
• Expiration dates
• Specific values

3. For Specific Lookup: Check for Service

When user asks "do I have a deal for [SERVICE]?":

1. Check my-inventory.md for existing entries
2. Search email: gscli gmail search "[SERVICE] free OR credits OR discount OR offer" -l 15
3. Check if any of user's accounts (VCs, banking, subscriptions) offer it
4. Report findings with claim instructions

4. Update Inventory

After discovery, update my-inventory.md with findings organized by service.

Inventory organization:

• Group by SERVICE/TOOL name (alphabetical)
• Under each service, list all available offers
• Include: value, source, claimed date, expiration, remaining, status

5. Track Usage (When User Claims or Updates)

When user says "I claimed [perk]" or "update [perk] status":

1. Find the perk in my-inventory.md
2. Update the row:
   • Set Claimed to today's date
   • Set Expires if known (often 1 year from claim)
   • Set Status to Active or Claimed YYYY-MM-DD
3. Add to "Recently Claimed" section in Dashboard
4. Recalculate Dashboard totals

For balance updates ("I have $X left on [perk]"):

1. Update the Remaining column
2. If low or depleted, flag in Dashboard

6. Expiration Monitoring

When running inventory checks:

1. Scan all items with Expires dates
2. Flag anything expiring within 90 days
3. Update "Expiring Soon" section in Dashboard
4. Alert user to time-sensitive items

Expiration actions:

• 90 days out: Add to "Expiring Soon"
• 30 days out: Highlight as urgent
• Expired: Move status to Expired, keep in inventory for reference

---

Email Search Patterns

gscli Commands

# VC portfolio perks (replace with actual investor names from context)
gscli gmail search "from:usv perks OR credits OR offer" -l 20
gscli gmail search "from:getproven" -l 10

# Banking perks
gscli gmail search "from:brex perks OR credits" -l 15
gscli gmail search "from:mercury perks OR partner" -l 15

# Newsletter perks
gscli gmail search "from:lenny product pass OR perks" -l 10

# Service-specific (when doing lookups)
gscli gmail search "[servicename] free OR credits OR startup" -l 15

# Catch expiring offers
gscli gmail search "expires soon OR expiring credits" -l 20
gscli gmail search "activate your OR claim your" -l 15

Reading Emails

When you find a promising email:

gscli gmail read [message-id]

Extract:

• Claim URL - The link to activate the offer
• Promo code - If applicable
• Value - Dollar amount or description
• Expiration - When it expires
• Requirements - Any eligibility criteria

If you find a claim URL but can't access it directly, provide clear instructions:

**How to claim:**
1. Go to: [URL]
2. Log in with your [account type] credentials
3. Look for [specific button/section]
4. Apply code: [CODE] (if applicable)

---

Inventory File Format

my-inventory.md should be organized BY SERVICE with usage tracking:

# Credits & Perks Inventory

Last updated: YYYY-MM-DD

## Dashboard

| Metric                      | Value   |
| --------------------------- | ------- |
| Total available (unclaimed) | $X,XXX  |
| Total claimed (active)      | $X,XXX  |
| Total remaining balance     | $X,XXX  |
| Expiring within 90 days     | [count] |

### Expiring Soon

| Service     | Source | Expires    | Value            | Action      |
| ----------- | ------ | ---------- | ---------------- | ----------- |
| AWS credits | Brex   | 2026-03-15 | $2,340 remaining | Use or lose |

### Recently Claimed

| Service | Source  | Claimed    | Value   |
| ------- | ------- | ---------- | ------- |
| PostHog | Lenny's | 2026-01-15 | $16,500 |

---

## A

### Anthropic (Claude API)

| Source     | Value   | Claimed    | Expires    | Remaining | Status    |
| ---------- | ------- | ---------- | ---------- | --------- | --------- |
| Brex Perks | $500    | —          | —          | —         | Available |
| Your VC Perk | $X,XXX | YYYY-MM-DD | YYYY-MM-DD | $X,XXX | Active |

### AWS

| Source          | Value   | Claimed    | Expires    | Remaining | Status           |
| --------------- | ------- | ---------- | ---------- | --------- | ---------------- |
| Brex Perks      | $5,000  | 2025-06-01 | 2027-06-01 | $2,340    | Expiring 2027-06 |
| Pump.co savings | $7,870+ | Active     | —          | Ongoing   | Active           |

---

## P

### PostHog

| Source  | Value   | Claimed    | Expires    | Remaining | Status |
| ------- | ------- | ---------- | ---------- | --------- | ------ |
| Lenny's | $16,500 | 2026-01-15 | 2027-01-15 | Active    | Active |

---

[Continue alphabetically...]

Table Columns

Column	Required	Description
Source	Yes	Where the perk comes from
Value	Yes	Original dollar value or description
Claimed	If claimed	Date claimed (YYYY-MM-DD) or "—"
Expires	If known	Expiration date or "—"
Remaining	If metered	Current balance for credits, "Active" for subscriptions
Status	Yes	Current state (see Usage Tracking above)

---

Context File Format

references/your-context-template.md should list user's accounts:

# My Accounts & Relationships

Last updated: YYYY-MM-DD

## Investors & Accelerators

- [Your VC] - [perks platform URL]
- [Other investor]
- [Accelerator]



## Banking & Cards

- Mercury (business banking)
- Brex (corporate card)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve (personal)
- Delta Amex Gold (personal)

## Subscriptions

- Lenny's Newsletter (annual) - lennysproductpass.com
- LinkedIn Premium
- X Premium
- Costco Executive

## Equity & HR

- Carta

## Cloud & Hosting

- [Current providers]

## Notes

- [Any special relationships or programs]

---

Reference: Known Programs

VC Portfolio Platforms

VC/Accelerator	Perks Platform	How to Access
USV	Proven	usv.getproven.com
YC	YC Deals	bookface.ycombinator.com
a16z	Portfolio Resources	Via portfolio contact
Sequoia	Arc benefits	Via portfolio contact
Most VCs	Various	Email your investor contact

Banking Perks

Bank/Card	Perks Page	Notable Offers
Brex	brex.com/perks	$350K+ total (AWS, OpenAI, Retool, etc.)
Mercury	mercury.com/perks	Various partner discounts
Chase Sapphire Reserve	chase.com/benefits	$300 travel, DoorDash, Lyft, lounges
Amex Platinum	amex.com/benefits	Dell, airline, wireless credits

Newsletter/Subscription Perks

Subscription	Perks Page	Notable Offers
Lenny's Newsletter	lennysproductpass.com	$25K+ (PostHog, Notion, etc.)

Direct Startup Programs

Service	Program	Value	Link
AWS	Activate	Up to $100K	aws.amazon.com/activate
Google Cloud	Startups	Up to $350K	cloud.google.com/startup
Microsoft	Startups	Up to $150K	startups.microsoft.com
HubSpot	Startups	Up to 90% off	hubspot.com/startups
Intercom	Early Stage	$49/mo for 1yr	intercom.com/early-stage
Segment	Startup Program	$25K value	segment.com/startup
Mixpanel	Startups	$50K credits	mixpanel.com/startups

---

Conversation Flow

Starting a Session

"Let me check your credits inventory.

[Read context and inventory files]

Current status:

• Last updated: [date]
• Total available: ~$X value
• [N] items expiring soon

Want me to:

1. Do a fresh scan for new offers?
2. Look up a specific service?
3. Update your account list?"

After Discovery

"Found [N] new perks. Updating your inventory...

New additions:

• [Service]: $X via [Source]
• [Service]: $X via [Source]

Action items:

1. [Highest priority - include exact steps]
2. [Second priority]

Your inventory has been updated at ~/.claude/skills/credits-inventory/my-inventory.md"

For Specific Lookup

"Looking for deals on [SERVICE]...

Found:

• [Source 1]: [Value] - [How to claim]
• [Source 2]: [Value] - [How to claim]

Not found in:

• [Sources checked that didn't have it]

Want me to add this to your inventory watchlist?"

---

Tips for Claude

Discovery

• Always read state files first - Don't ask for info you already have
• Search email proactively - Many offers are buried in newsletters
• Try to follow links - If you can fetch a URL, do it to get specifics
• When links require auth - Give clear step-by-step instructions
• Think laterally - VC relationships unlock indirect perks

Inventory Management

• Update inventory after every discovery - Keep it current
• Be specific with claim instructions - URLs, steps, codes
• Prioritize by value - Lead with high-value items
• Flag expirations - Surface time-sensitive offers prominently

Usage Tracking

• Ask about claimed status - When showing perks, ask "have you claimed any of these?"
• Prompt for updates - "Let me know when you claim this so I can track it"
• Track remaining balances - For API credits, ask periodically about usage
• Monitor expirations - Start each session by checking what's expiring soon
• Keep Dashboard current - Update totals when status changes

Session Flow

1. Read inventory → Check expiring items → Alert user
2. Handle user request (discovery or lookup)
3. Update inventory with findings
4. Prompt user to report any claims
5. Update Dashboard if needed

The goal: Be the knowledgeable assistant who knows all the programs AND keeps a running tally of what's available, claimed, and expiring.