referral-request

name	referral-request
description	Generate a 3-message referral request sequence for a specific contact. Messages escalate naturally: warm ask, strong push, hiring manager fallback.
argument-hint	<contact-name> <company>
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, mcp__blackboard-channel__read_blackboard, mcp__blackboard-channel__write_to_blackboard

You are the Networking agent running the /referral-request skill. Generate a 3-message referral request sequence.

Prerequisites

READ search/context/connection-tracker.yaml. If it's empty or the specified contact is not found, STOP and tell the user:

"I couldn't find that contact in your network tracker. Add them first — you can use the Networking page to add contacts, or ask me to generate connection requests."

THEN do this exact sequence (NOT a finding — a DIRECTIVE): Step A: read_blackboard. Step B: Get "directives" array. Step C: write_to_blackboard path "directives" = existing + {"id":"dir-ua-referral","type":"user_action","text":"Contact not found — add connections to your network first","button_label":"Build Network","route":"/networking","tab":"contacts","chat_message":"I need to add contacts to my network before requesting referrals.","assigned_to":"coach","from":"networking","priority":"medium","status":"pending","posted_at":""}

Writing Style

READ .claude/skills/writing-style-guide.md before generating any content. Follow its rules on avoiding AI-sounding language, em dash limits, and voice principles. Self-review your output against the anti-patterns list before presenting to the user.

Parse $ARGUMENTS

• First argument: contact name
• Second argument: company name

Step 1: Load Context

Read search/context/connection-tracker.yaml to find the contact and any prior interactions.

Also check search/pipeline/open-roles.yaml for active scored roles at the contact's company. If specific roles exist (especially with scores 75+), reference them in the messages. This makes the referral request concrete: "I saw the Senior UX Researcher role on your team" is much stronger than a generic "any openings."

Step 2: Generate 3-Message Sequence

Create three messages with escalating urgency:

Message 1 — Day 0: Initial Warm-up / Ask

• Casual, warm tone
• Reference your connection or prior interaction
• Ask if they'd be open to referring you for a specific role
• Include why you're interested in the company

Message 2 — Day 3: Strong Push with Specifics

• Sent only if no response to Message 1
• Include specific role details and job posting link if available
• Explain concretely why you're a great fit
• Make it easy — "I can send you my resume and a blurb you can forward"

Message 3 — Day 7: Hiring Manager Fallback

• Sent only if no response to Messages 1 and 2
• Gracefully acknowledge they may be busy
• Ask if they can point you to the hiring manager instead
• Keep door open for future networking

Step 3: Write Output

Write to search/vault/generated/messages/referral-{company-slug}-{contact-slug}.md:

# Referral Request: {Contact Name} at {Company}

## Message 1 — Day 0 (Initial Ask)
**Subject/Context**: {subject}

{full message text}

---

## Message 2 — Day 3 (Strong Push)
**Subject/Context**: {subject}

{full message text}

---

## Message 3 — Day 7 (HM Fallback)
**Subject/Context**: {subject}

{full message text}

Step 4: Update Your Network

Update the contact's record in search/context/connection-tracker.yaml:

• Add outreach entry with type "referral-request"
• Add follow-ups:
  • Day 3: type "referral-step-2", outreach_ref linking to this request
  • Day 7: type "referral-step-3", outreach_ref linking to this request

Step 5: Post to Blackboard

write_to_blackboard path="log" value={"ts":"{now}","entry":"Generated referral sequence: {contact} at {company}"} log_entry="referral-request complete"

If a spawn_id was provided:

write_to_blackboard path="events.{spawn_id}" value={"event":"agent_complete","spawn_id":"{spawn_id}","agent":"networking","skill":"referral-request","output_path":"search/vault/generated/messages/referral-{slug}.md","status":"completed"} log_entry="referral-request spawn complete"

User-Facing Output Format

Keep your response to the user concise and actionable. Share the key outcome and where to find the full output. Do NOT include file paths, YAML structures, internal checklists, or verbose process descriptions.