How to Analyze a Contract with AI

Drag and drop a PDF, DOCX, or TXT file (up to 10 MB) into the upload area on the /scan page. Guard-Clause reads the file into server memory, extracts the text, and discards the file buffer immediately. The raw file is never written to disk or stored in a database.

Tip: PDF and DOCX preserve section headers and page numbers, which improves citation accuracy in your findings.

Choose the role that matches your position in the deal: Freelancer, Employee, Founder, or Agency. The AI adjusts its risk lens based on your persona. The same clause gets different severity ratings, different impact statements, and different negotiation strategies depending on which side of the table you sit on.

Tip: Not sure? Pick the role closest to your situation. A freelancer reviewing a client contract and a contractor reviewing a services agreement both map to Freelancer.

Select how Guard-Clause handles your data after analysis. "Don't store anything" (the default) means the analysis is shown in your browser and then discarded with no database record created. "Save my report" stores the AI-generated analysis (findings, scores, packs) so you can access it from your dashboard later. The original contract text is never stored regardless of your choice.

Tip: If you plan to purchase or share the report, choose "Save my report." You can always delete it later from your dashboard.

Guard-Clause produces a risk score from 0 to 100 and a list of findings sorted by severity (critical, high, medium, low, info). Each finding includes the exact excerpt from your contract, the section header, the page number, a plain-language summary of the risk, and a persona-specific impact statement explaining why it matters to you. The severity summary bar chart shows the distribution at a glance.

Tip: Start with the critical and high findings. These are the clauses most likely to cost you money, limit your options, or create liability.

The negotiation pack gives you three tools: a ready-to-send email draft requesting specific changes, a phone or video call script with talking points that reference exact clauses, and a prioritized list of asks ranked as must-have, strong, or nice-to-have with fallback positions for each. Every ask links back to a specific finding so you can point to the exact language in the contract.

Tip: Send the email draft first. If the other party pushes back, use the call script. The fallback positions give you room to negotiate without conceding everything.

The addendum builder generates replacement clauses for every flagged issue: the original problematic excerpt, a suggested replacement with improved language, and an explanation of why it is better. At the bottom is a paste-ready addendum note formatted for attachment to the original contract. You can also export the full report as a PDF to share with a co-signer, a lawyer, or your own records.

Tip: Copy the addendum note and paste it into an email or document. It is already formatted as a formal contract addendum with clause references.