Invite workers on an approval-only basis

A regular Gigdesk invite is an open door — anyone with the link joins and lands in your workspace. Sometimes you don't want that. You want people to apply first, so you can look them over and only hand your real invite to the ones you like. Gigdesk has a clean way to do this: stand up a single inbound-proof gig as an application inbox, share its submit link as the "apply here" URL, and keep your actual project invite private until you've picked.

The trick: one inbound-proof gig as an inbox

On Dollar Platoon a gig's distribution mode decides how work flows. Most queues use queue — you fund them and they hand out paid tasks. But there's another mode, inbound_proof, that distributes no tasks at all. Instead it just collects proofs that people submit to it. That's exactly the shape of an application inbox: nobody gets assigned anything, they simply submit themselves.

• It's a funnel, not a payroll. An inbound-proof gig doesn't need to pay anyone. Leave it unfunded (or at $0) — it exists only to catch applications.
• The submit link is public. Every mailbox on the gig carries a share link (dollarplatoon.com/submit/…) that lets someone submit a proof without logging in or having an account. That link becomes your "Apply here."
• Your real invite stays private. The open Gigdesk project invite from the last chapter is the thing you guard. You only send it to applicants you've approved.

Set up the application inbox

1. 1

   Create a gig in inbound-proof mode

   On Dollar Platoon, Create Gig and set Distribution to inbound_proof. Name it something like "Applications — <your project>". Because it distributes no tasks, you can leave Available Funds at $0 — it's a collection box, not a payroll.

2. 2

   Grab the mailbox submit link

   Open the gig's mailbox and copy its share link — the dollarplatoon.com/submit/<token> URL. Anyone who opens it can submit a proof (their application) with no account. This is the only link you hand out publicly.

3. 3

   Post it as "Apply here"

   Drop the submit link wherever you're sourcing people — a job post, a DM, a community thread. Tell applicants what to include in their proof: a portfolio link, a short pitch, relevant avatars or accounts, whatever you'll judge them on.

4. 4

   Review the applications as they land

   Every submission shows up as an inbound proof on the gig's timeline. Read through them the same way you'd review any proof of work — the pitch, the links, the quality of what they sent.

5. 5

   Send your real invite only to the ones you like

   For each applicant you approve, send them your project's open Gigdesk invite (the reusable link from Invite a gigworker). Accepting it spins up their workspace and puts them on your real, funded queues. Everyone else simply never gets that link.