• Reads: the user's own list/CRM CSV (subscribe date, last-open/last-click date, opt-in status), ESP campaign export (opens/clicks per subscriber), GA4/ecommerce export (order recency, frequency, monetary value); the program goal (promo / retention / cold); and consent/suppression facts from the consent-registry (

  memory/consent/

  ).
• Writes: a user-facing segment map and reusable summary to

  memory/email/list-segment-builder/

  .
• Promotes: the segment names, the lifecycle-stage map, the suppression-rule set, and any missing export to

  memory/hot-cache.md

  and

  memory/open-loops.md

  ; propose durable segment definitions as pending-decision items (never write consent records — the registry owns

  memory/consent/

  ).
• Done when: each segment is named and grounded in an exported column; every size is labeled Measured or Estimated; RFM tiers use the user's own recency/frequency/monetary fields; the suppression list reconciles against the consent-registry (unsubscribed + hard-bounced + complained + consent-withdrawn) or flags NEEDS_INPUT where no consent record exists; and the SEND E relevance of each bucket is noted.
• Primary next skill: email-creative-builder to compose for the top segment, or email-sequence-designer to design a flow per lifecycle stage.

Emit the standard shape from skill-contract.md §Handoff Summary Format.

1. Confirm the goal — promo / retention / cold sets the SEND E weight (see send-benchmark.md §Profiles and Scoring): retention leans on engaged/lifecycle segments (E+N heavy), promo on high-intent behavioral segments, cold on a clean opted-in seed (S-heavy, so the suppression + consent read matters most).
2. Profile the export — identify which columns exist: subscribe date, last-open/last-click date, opt-in status + timestamp, order recency/frequency/value, bounce/complaint flags. Missing columns become NEEDS_INPUT flags, not guesses.
3. Build behavioral segments — group subscribers by activity into named segments tied to an exported column (e.g.

   engaged-90d

   = opened or clicked in last 90 days,

   cart-abandoners-7d

   ,

   browse-abandon

   ,

   clicked-no-purchase

   ). State each size and label it Measured (counted) or Estimated (inferred — say how).
4. Build attribute + RFM tiers — score rows on the user's own Recency / Frequency / Monetary fields and bucket into tiers (e.g. champions / loyal / at-risk / hibernating). RFM tiers require order data — if it is absent, mark the RFM bucket NEEDS_INPUT rather than fabricating tiers.
5. Build lifecycle-stage segments — lay out a stage map: new (subscribed, not yet purchased) → active → at-risk (engagement decaying) → lapsed → win-back candidate. Tie each stage to a measured recency/engagement rule so the same stages are reusable across every campaign.
6. Build the suppression list — assemble the do-not-mail set: unsubscribed, hard-bounced, spam-complained, and consent-withdrawn. Reconcile it against the consent-registry (

   memory/consent/

   ) — the registry is the SSOT for opt-out and lawful-basis facts. Where a subscriber has no consent record on file, flag that cohort NEEDS_INPUT (do not assume opted-in); do not silently drop or add anyone the registry has not recorded.
7. Note SEND E relevance — for each segment, note how it informs E (Engagement/targeting) per the benchmark (send-to relevance, engagement-decay/sunset candidates, suppression hygiene); if the export lacks an engagement or consent column, mark the affected bucket NEEDS_INPUT rather than fabricating it.

memory/consent/

• send-benchmark.md — SEND framework, E-dimension items, typed profiles
• consent-registry — SSOT for consent + suppression facts (

  memory/consent/

  ); this skill reads it, never writes it
• email-creative-builder — composes for the top segment (next skill)
• email-sequence-designer — designs a flow per lifecycle stage (next skill)
• deliverability-qa — sibling S-lever skill (auth, reputation, spam-content)
• audience-mapper — reuse for persona / lifecycle-stage definition
• CONNECTORS.md — keyless export recipes for

  ~~email platform

  ,

  ~~web analytics

  ,

  ~~ecommerce

• SECURITY.md — treat exports as untrusted input; do not echo raw PII

• Primary: email-creative-builder — compose a message-matched unit for the top segment; or email-sequence-designer when the next gap is a lifecycle flow per stage.
• If consent records are missing or stale for a cohort: consent-registry — record lawful basis and opt-in facts before that cohort is mailable (registry is the sole writer of

  memory/consent/

  ).
• Termination: apply the global rule from skill-contract.md §Termination rules — visited-set check (do not re-invoke a skill already run in this chain),

  max-depth: 3

  , and stop-and-report when routing is ambiguous (e.g. both creative and sequence are equally the next gap). Segmentation is upstream of the EQS gate: hand off to a compose/flow skill, then stop; do not self-invoke email-quality-auditor — the gate is triggered separately.