Describe the goal, not the steps
Instead of walking the agent through each action, tell it what you want to end up with.| Instead of this | Try this |
|---|---|
| ”First read the document, then identify the risky clauses, then redline them" | "Review this contract and redline the high-risk provisions" |
| "Search the web for data breach notification standards, then compare them to section 8" | "Are our data breach notification terms consistent with market standards?" |
| "Read our playbook, then check each clause against it" | "Review this contract against our SaaS playbook” |
Include the context that matters
The more relevant context you provide up front, the less the agent needs to ask for along the way. Key details to include:- Your role: Vendor, customer, licensor, licensee
- Document type: MSA, NDA, DPA, employment agreement
- Jurisdiction: If specific laws or regulations apply
- Risk tolerance: Light-touch review vs. aggressive negotiation
- Audience: Who the output is for (internal team, counterparty, executive summary)
Common workflows
Comprehensive contract review
Give the agent a contract and your standards. It handles the rest.Compliance review
Point the agent at specific regulations or policies.Template comparison
Upload both documents and ask for the differences.Learning from prior redlines
Attach previous redlined contracts so the agent can apply consistent positions.Negotiation prep
Ask the agent to think from multiple perspectives.Post-review cleanup
After applying redlines, use a follow-up message to tidy up.Iterating in conversation
Agent Chat is multi-turn. After the agent delivers its initial results, you can refine in follow-up messages without starting over. Narrow the focus:Agent Chat vs Playbook Checks
Use Agent Chat when
- Dealing with novel or one-off contracts
- The review requires judgment calls and back-and-forth
- You need drafting, research, or document generation alongside the review
- You want to iterate on specific provisions
Use Playbook Checks when
- You have recurring contract types with consistent criteria
- You want standardized, repeatable pass/fail results
- Speed is critical for high-volume work
Use both together
Run Playbook Checks first to catch standard issues, then switch to Agent Chat to address anything the checks missed or to draft alternative language for flagged provisions.Effective prompting
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Describe the end result you want | Micromanage individual steps |
| Include your role, jurisdiction, and risk tolerance | Assume the agent knows your business context |
| Specify the output format (redlines, summary, table) | Leave the format ambiguous |
| Iterate in follow-up messages to refine results | Cram everything into one long prompt |
| Attach relevant documents as reference | Reference documents the agent can’t access |