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Simplify a complex taskGuide
Extract dates and obligations from a document
Create a source-linked checklist from a fictional agreement and keep legal judgments separate.
Illustrative resourceNot tool-testedAnyone preparing questions about a written agreement
What you’re working towards
A clause-linked obligations table and questions to raise with an appropriate professional. It does not assess legality, fairness, enforceability or whether you should sign.
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Make a start
One step at a time.
4 steps
Start with the synthetic worked example or other non-sensitive inputs. Run one prompt at a time in your chosen AI tool. Replace any bracketed placeholders with the requested material, check each reply, and supply the source or earlier outputs that step needs. Paste them again if the tool lacks that context.
Set up the worked example
Open
Open a chat AI that accepts pasted text and start a new conversation. Keep the full supplied extract visible in this guide or a document viewer for your own clause-by-clause check. This is text extraction, not a legal assessment.
Add the sample
In step 1, replace [paste an authorized safe extract] with the complete “The starting point” (Synthetic input), including “FICTIONAL EXTRACT — not a complete agreement; no jurisdiction supplied.” and all of Clauses 1–5. Keep clause numbers and every condition. Send later prompts in the same conversation after checking each reply. “The intended result” (Illustrative output) is only a comparison; do not paste it as source evidence.
Start with the synthetic example, then adapt each prompt to your task.
01
Define the narrow reading task
Document extraction is different from a legal assessment.
Your starting prompt
Use only the supplied document. Extract named duties, conditions, dates, amounts and referenced clauses. Quote a short supporting phrase for each. Label this as an extract if it is incomplete. Do not assess legal validity, fairness or whether I should sign.
DOCUMENT:
[paste an authorized safe extract]
Expect
A labeled extraction of the named parties, duties, conditions, dates, amounts and short supporting phrases from Clauses 1–5. It remains an incomplete fictional extract.
Check
Clause 1 links delivery by 2026-11-10 to approved data by 2026-11-03 and requires a revised written date if data is late. Clause 2 says 300 GBP within 14 calendar days after a valid invoice is received; receipt is not recorded.
If it differs
If a condition disappears or a missing fact is invented, send: “Restore the exact clause wording and conditions. Label missing facts not supplied and this document an incomplete extract. Do not assess legality or whether to sign.”
02
Build an obligations table
Conditional dates must remain conditional.
Your starting prompt
Create a table with clause, responsible party, obligation, trigger, deadline as written, evidence quote and missing facts. Do not turn an interval into a calendar date without its trigger date and counting convention. Keep rights or options separate from mandatory duties.
Expect
A table of mandatory duties with clause, party, trigger, deadline as written, evidence and missing facts, with rights or options kept separate. A trigger is the event that starts a period, such as invoice receipt.
Check
Neither the invoice due date nor the revision calendar deadline can be calculated here. Clause 3 includes one consolidated revision request received within seven calendar days after actual delivery; it does not say a request must be made. Clause 4 permits written termination before work begins; it does not require termination or describe post-start rights.
If it differs
If an allowance becomes a duty or a calendar deadline appears, send: “Keep optional rights separate from required duties. Preserve the invoice and revision intervals as written, with missing trigger dates and counting rules unresolved. Do not infer post-start termination rights.”
03
Verify each row in the source
A second AI pass cannot establish that the first pass was right. Read the source yourself.
Your starting prompt
Audit every row against the supplied clauses. Flag any missing condition, changed amount, invented right or omitted exception. Give the precise source location needed for a human check. Mark conflicts and incomplete cross-references unresolved.
Expect
An audit identifying each row’s precise clause and any changed condition, amount, exception or unsupported statement.
Check
Read every row against the source yourself, using the worked-example checks. Keep the 300 GBP amount, one consolidated revision request and conditional delivery unchanged. Clause 5’s no-renewal statement applies to this extract, not unseen terms. A second AI pass is not proof of accuracy.
If it differs
If a row does not match, copy that clause and send: “Correct this row using only the clause, retaining all conditions and missing facts. Keep uncertain references unresolved.” Compare the corrected row yourself before using it.
04
Prepare questions for the right person
The aim is to make a professional discussion better prepared, not replace it.
Your starting prompt
Create a short question list for the other party or an appropriately qualified adviser. Separate missing factual information from issues requiring professional interpretation. Do not predict enforceability, suggest a signature decision or promise reduced legal fees.
Expect
Questions separated into missing facts and issues for qualified interpretation, without a recommendation to sign or a legal judgment.
Check
Questions should retain the missing data receipt/approval details, invoice receipt and counting rules, actual draft delivery, meaning/status of work beginning and possible modifying clauses. No enforceability, fairness or legal-fee saving is established.
If it differs
If the reply answers a legal question or invents an unseen term, send: “Replace that conclusion with an unresolved question for an appropriately qualified adviser. Keep factual extraction separate from interpretation.” For a consequential decision, read the complete authoritative document and use a qualified professional.
Optional: improve the result
Compare revisions without silently choosing a version
Keep source versions and changes explicit.
Advanced prompt
Compare the two authorized versions clause by clause. Return exact old/new wording, added/deleted/changed status and any renumbering. Do not decide that a change is legally material or preferable. Mark uncertain matches for human comparison and retain both originals.
Optional: use your own input+
Extract a checklist from your own safe text
Open a fresh conversation in a text chat AI and keep the authoritative source open beside it. Use only an authorized non-sensitive extract; if you cannot remove confidential or sensitive material safely, stay with the fictional example. Do not upload a full agreement or hidden file content for this text exercise. Replace the bracketed section below with your own complete relevant clauses, labels, parties or consistent role labels, dates, amounts and conditions together. After checking the extraction, send: “Build a source-linked table of duties with party, trigger, deadline as written, evidence quote and missing facts. List rights and options separately. Do not calculate calendar deadlines without supplied trigger dates and counting rules.” “Audit each row against my supplied text and give its exact clause or location for my manual check. Correct changed conditions, amounts and exceptions. Leave conflicts and missing references unresolved.” “Prepare a short question list separating missing factual information from matters for qualified interpretation. Do not decide validity, fairness, enforceability or whether I should sign.” Read each cited passage yourself and consult the complete authoritative document before a consequential decision. Use these personal checks; the worked-example checks and original advanced extension are sample-only unless adapted to your own text and, for comparison, explicitly identified source versions.
Your own-input prompt
Help me extract a factual checklist from the text below. First list named duties, conditions, dates, amounts and source clauses, with a short exact supporting phrase for each. State whether I supplied a full document or an extract. Preserve source labels, parties or role labels and all qualifications. Mark absent information not supplied; do not use outside facts or infer unseen clauses. Wait for my next message before making the table. This is extraction only, not legal interpretation: do not assess validity, fairness, enforceability or whether to sign. Do not contact the other party, submit anything, sign or change a document.
AUTHORIZED NON-SENSITIVE TEXT
[State whether this is the complete document or an extract, identify its supplied version if known, and paste the complete relevant clauses with source labels. Include every condition and any provided referenced text. Mark absent references and missing facts not supplied.]
Check your own result
Every row has a source location and an exact supporting phrase that you have personally compared with the authoritative text.
Your parties, dates, amounts, conditions and exceptions remain intact; sample details are not carried over.
Rights and options are separate from mandatory duties, and missing trigger dates or counting rules do not become calendar deadlines.
Absent clauses, conflicts and legal questions remain unresolved; a factual extraction is not a judgment on signing, fairness or enforceability.
Show, then try
See the shape of the result.
This input is synthetic. The output is a written illustration of the intended result, not a verified AI-tool run.
01 / The starting point
Synthetic input
FICTIONAL EXTRACT — not a complete agreement; no jurisdiction supplied.
Clause 1: Example Studio supplies one editable draft report to Sample Co by 2026-11-10, provided Sample Co supplies approved data by 2026-11-03. If the data is late, both parties must agree a revised delivery date in writing.
Clause 2: Sample Co pays 300 GBP within 14 calendar days after receiving a valid invoice. No invoice receipt date is supplied.
Clause 3: The price includes one consolidated revision request received within seven calendar days after the draft is delivered. No delivery date is recorded.
Clause 4: Either party may end this project before work begins by written notice. This extract does not define when work begins or what happens after it begins.
Clause 5: No automatic renewal applies to this one-off project.
Copies text only. For image or file tasks, use the source files named in the steps too.
SOURCE-LINKED CHECKLIST
Clause 1 | Example Studio | deliver one editable draft by 2026-11-10 only if approved data arrives by 2026-11-03 | verify data receipt; if late, agree a new date in writing.
Clause 1 | Sample Co | supply approved data by 2026-11-03 | receipt not recorded.
Clause 2 | Sample Co | pay 300 GBP within 14 calendar days of a valid invoice’s receipt | calendar due date cannot be calculated without receipt date; counting convention not specified in extract.
Clause 3 | Sample Co | submit one consolidated revision request within seven calendar days after actual draft delivery | delivery date absent; calendar deadline unknown.
Clause 4 | Either party | may terminate by written notice before work begins | work-begun status/definition unknown; post-start rights not given.
Clause 5 | Project | no automatic renewal in this extract.
QUESTIONS TO RESOLVE
- What counts as approved data and who confirms receipt?
- What are the invoice receipt date and applicable deadline-counting rules?
- When was the draft delivered?
- What constitutes work beginning, and what terms apply afterwards?
- Are there other clauses or schedules modifying this extract?
No claim is made that clauses are unusual, favorable, enforceable or complete. Read the whole agreement and seek qualified advice before a consequential decision.
These checks use the worked example and its particular facts. With your own material, check your actual names, numbers, sources and rules; do not reuse the sample’s values as the answer.
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A few things to watch for.
Redaction of names does not remove commercially sensitive terms or hidden PDF content. Prefer the fictional example or an approved minimal extract.
A citation can be accurate while the overall interpretation is incomplete. Read the entire authoritative agreement.
For legal decisions, use a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction; this guide is not legal advice.
What has been checked?
Documentation
Reviewed 2026-10-14. Source review is not workflow execution.
Included files
No scoped artifact-check record.
AI workflow
Not run in a recorded consumer-AI workflow.
Time savings
Time savings not measured
For context and further reading
Official documentation
Documentation reviewed: 2026-10-14. Documentation review is not tool-execution evidence. This resource remains illustrative and not tool-tested.