> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.soundchecklive.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Draft and publish

> Prepare a gig before it goes live — the event-level Draft state, publishing to Active, and staging crew invitations as a draft before sending.

"Draft" means two related things in Soundcheck, and it helps to keep them straight:

* A **draft gig** — the event-level [Draft state](/reference/event-lifecycle#draft), where the whole gig is still being prepared and hasn't gone live.
* **Draft invitations** — a staging step for the crew invitations *within* a gig, so you can build the lineup and send it all at once.

This page covers both.

## Draft gigs

A **draft gig** is one that isn't live yet. Because a draft doesn't send invitations or notifications on its own, it's the safe place to work while details are still moving.

Use a draft when:

* Date, time, or venue aren't confirmed
* You created the gig from a [template](/features/gigs/templates-and-duplication) and want to review what copied over
* Crew, pay, tasks, or setlists aren't ready
* You don't want anything reaching the team yet

<Note>
  The [create-gig form](/features/gigs/creating-gigs) makes an **Active** gig. Draft gigs come primarily from **templates** — using a template creates a new draft for you to review before publishing.
</Note>

### Publish a gig

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the draft">
    Review its details, team, tasks, and payments.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set it to Active">
    From the status pill in the gig header, choose **Set to Active**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Publishing **sends invites and notifies your team**, so Soundcheck confirms first. It's a one-way step — an active gig can't return to Draft.
  </Step>
</Steps>

After publishing, the full set of active-gig workflows — invitations, notifications, and the rest — become available.

<Warning>
  Publishing is irreversible: a gig can't go back to Draft once it's Active. Make sure the lineup and details are right before you set it live.
</Warning>

## Draft invitations

Separately from the gig's own state, the crew **invitations** you build can be staged as a draft before they're sent — so you can assemble the whole lineup quietly and release it in one go.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Build the team as a draft">
    Add positions and assign people in the gig's **Team** section, saving the lineup as a draft. A **Draft** badge shows while any invitations are still unsent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send when ready">
    Choose **Activate Invites** (or **Save & Send**). Soundcheck confirms — *"Send N invite(s)?"* — and sends the unsent drafts together.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The invitation-draft stage is all-or-nothing for the whole team and is available only until the first invitation goes out; after that, you send new invitations as you add them. Full detail is in [building teams](/features/gigs/team-building#invitations-build-as-a-draft-then-send).

<Note>
  Publishing a **draft gig** to Active can send its staged invitations. It does not, by itself, force out every possible notification — use the normal invite and notification actions once the gig is active.
</Note>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Event lifecycle" icon="diagram-project" href="/reference/event-lifecycle">
    Draft, Active, and every other state.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Templates and duplication" icon="copy" href="/features/gigs/templates-and-duplication">
    Where most draft gigs come from.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>