Ready
Every required step and the first governed receipt completed.
Cast — create your durable Sam
Cast your Sam.
Sam starts with your calendar. Connect more when Sam has earned it.
Dependencies and cost
Sam is free; some of what it plugs into is not.
Minimum required subscription cost: $20/mo. Everything else is optional or free.
| Dependency | Place in the stack | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Pro | Required | From $20/mo | Sam's runtime. |
| OpenAI/ChatGPT subscription | Optional, recommended | From $20/mo | Adds worker capacity. |
| GitHub account | Required | Free tier suffices | Created for you during Cast if you don't have one. This is the Genome's home. |
| Notion | Optional | Free tier works; paid from ~$10/mo | A surface for the second brain. |
| Supabase (Mission Control) | Ships in v1 | $0 at typical single-user volume | Customer-owned and provisioned during Cast on the free tier. |
What you are about to create
Your own governed AI chief of staff.
The Cast creates a durable Sam with a private Genome — the private repository that holds your Sam's durable memory, decisions, settings, and operating record.
It includes the complete free Anatomy, supervised authority, a visible gate list, the Morning Brief, the descriptive second-brain surface, and the path to extend it.
Evidence exhibit in preparation.The Cast, step by step
Seven steps from nothing to a governed first act.
- 01
Choose where Sam starts
Cloud, Forge, or Combined.
- 02
Create your Sam
The Cast creates the durable Genome for your Sam.
- 03
Name your Sam
The principal gives the Cast its maker's mark.
- 04
Preflight
Sam reports: Genome intact; memory online; connected services visible; consequential actions awaiting your yes.
- 05
Write the first decision
Sam records who the principal is.
- 06
Review your gate list
The default gate list defines which actions require approval.
- 07
Complete the first governed act
Sam proposes one bounded action, you approve it, Sam executes it, and the result is receipted.
The earned connect ramp
Sam starts with your calendar. Connect more when Sam has earned it.
- 01
Calendar first
Start with the lowest-sensitivity connection and an immediate view of conflicts.
- 02
Then email
Connect the inbox after the calendar has already delivered something useful.
- 03
Then files
Bring in more context only after Sam has earned the next connection.
The arc
Useful first. Deep when earned.
- Day one: see your day clearly — conflicts, waiting-fors, your brief.
- Week two: Sam notices — the commitment that was about to slip.
- As the Genome deepens: Sam knows your world — the "you promised Sarah, and the pricing decision affects Section 4" moment, when it's earned.
- From there: Sam handles it, and trusted routines transfer one at a time.
Imported history narrows the gap, but depth is bought with compute and time. Timing claims remain absent until the launch paths are measured.
Usage transparency
What $20/mo actually buys
Measured answers — briefs per day, routine runs, project sessions, and the Claude × OpenAI scaling matrix — publish here after the measurement runs complete. No throughput or tier-experience claims until then. Plan limits are the providers' and change; last verified August 24, 2026.
A Cast reports its state
Partial setup is not a completed Sam.
Waiting
A provider or approval is temporarily outstanding.
Blocked
A required account, plan capability, or quota is unavailable.
Incomplete
Part of the Cast completed, but Sam is not presented as ready.