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Read the contract for me

⏱ 40 min8 steps

A lease for the van, the card reader, the store's alarm, a software plan: each one has a date when it renews by itself, and a last day to say no. You'll have Claude pull out the , the renewal, the fees and the way out, with the exact words and section number for each, and you'll check every quote. You need one signed contract. Copying text out of a PDF can be fiddly, and Step 2 covers the usual hitches.

notice period How long before a date you must tell the other side, often in writing, that you're leaving or not renewing. All words
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  1. Pick one contract to read

    Start with the one that would hurt most if it renewed without warning. For a contractor that might be a van lease or a tool rental agreement. A store might pick the card reader agreement or the store lease. An office might pick the copier lease or the phone plan, and a one-person service the booking app's terms.

    1. Find your own signed copy, as a PDF or on paper.
    2. Open it and check it's the latest version, with the date you signed.
    That's not what I see
    I can't find my copy.
    Sign in to the supplier's website yourself and look for a page called documents, agreements or your plan. If it isn't there, email the supplier and ask for a copy of the agreement you signed.
    I only have it on paper.
    Keep it on paper. In Step 2 you'll type the sections you need into a note instead of copying them.

  2. Copy the contract's text into a note, without the private parts

    A contract often names the other company and the people who signed, and it can hold your account number or bank details for automatic payments. Those don't need to go into the chat.

    A black box or a highlight drawn over text in PreviewEdge, or in most PDF apps, only covers it. The words are still in the , and anyone can copy them out. Preview does have a Redact tool that removes text, but a line can slip past. So copy only the text you need into a note, and take the private parts out there.

    1. Open the contract in PreviewMicrosoft Edge or the PDF app you use, and open the Notes app. In Notes, make a new note calledNotepad. Save the empty page as Contract for Claude.
    2. In PreviewEdge, drag across the text of the first numbered section, with its number and heading, and press Command-CCtrl+C.
    3. Click in the note and press Command-VCtrl+V. Do the same for every numbered section, from the first to the last. Copy the cover page, any order form and any schedule too, because the start date, the term and the fees are often there. Skip the signature page and any bank or automatic payment form.
    4. In the note, replace the other company's name with a role, like the supplier or the landlord, and your business name with my business.
    5. Delete every person's name, signature line, address, phone number, account number and bank detail.
    6. Read the note from top to bottom once more, looking for long strings of digits.
    file One document on your computer, like a letter or a photo. Files live inside folders. All words
    That's not what I see
    The text won't select. The pointer only draws a box.The text won't select.
    The file is probably a scan, which is a picture of the pages. Type the sections you need into the note instead: how long it runs, renewal, notice, fees and price changes, and ending early. Keep each section's number. If you typed only some sections, "not in the contract" in Step 3 means "not in what I typed", so read the rest of the contract yourself.
    I'd rather attach the PDF.
    Only attach your own copy, and only if no page shows bank, card or account details, including the last pages and any automatic payment form. Covering them with a box doesn't remove them, and the file still has every name and signature in it. Click the + button in the lower-left corner of the message box, then Add files or photos, and pick the file. You can also drag it into the chat. Check the name before you click Open. Then replace the last line of the Step 3 with The contract is attached.prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words
    The contract says other terms are on their website.
    Those terms count too. Open the link, copy the parts on renewal, notice, fees and leaving into the note, and write the date you copied them.

  3. Start a new chat and ask for the summary

    This prompt asks for the parts of a contract that cost money or tie you in, with the exact words and section number for each.

    drafts and sorts; a person approves anything with a price, a date or your name on it. A contract has all three. Claude summarizes and flags. You check every quote, and you decide.

    This isn't legal advice, and Claude isn't a lawyer. It can misread a or miss one. If a contract involves real money, like a long lease or a big fee to leave, or you're already in a dispute, take it to a lawyer.

    1. Open the or claude.ai and start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    I own a small business, [what you do]. Below is the text of a contract I've signed, with names and account details taken out. Summarize it for me. This is not legal advice, and I won't use it as legal advice. Tell me what the contract says on each of these: how long it runs and when it started; whether it renews by itself, and for how long; how much notice I must give to cancel or not renew, and how I must give it; every fee and charge, including fees for ending early, late fees and price increases; and how I can end it early. For every point, quote the exact words and give the section number. If the contract doesn't cover a point, write NOT IN THE CONTRACT. Never guess a date, an amount or a notice period, and never fill one in from what's usual. If the words are unclear, write UNCLEAR and quote them. Put it in a table with these columns: point, what it says, quote, section. The contract: [paste the text from your note]
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the first part in square brackets with what you do, like landscaping, a gift shop or a small accounting firm.
    2. Replace the last part in square brackets with the text from your note.
    3. Send it.
    AI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsclause One numbered part of a contract that covers one thing, like renewal or fees. All wordsClaude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words

    You should see:

    A table with one row for each point, each with a quote and a section number, and NOT IN THE CONTRACT or UNCLEAR where the text doesn't say.

    That's not what I see
    A row has no quote or no section number.
    Reply: For that row, quote the exact words and give the section number, or write NOT IN THE CONTRACT.
    Claude wrote something like "usually 30 days" or "typically".
    Reply: Use only what this contract says. If it doesn't say, write NOT IN THE CONTRACT. Then check that row again in Step 4.

  4. Check each quote against the contract

    Claude can copy a quote slightly wrong, or put it under the wrong section number. This check is how you know the summary is right.

    1. In PreviewEdge, press Command-FCtrl+F and type a few words from the first quote.
    2. Read the quote in place, and check the section number matches.
    3. Check off the row when it matches. If it doesn't, cross out the row and write what the contract really says.
    4. Do the same for every row.
    5. For each NOT IN THE CONTRACT row, skim the contract for that point yourself. Look for words like term, renew and notice.
    That's not what I see
    Search can't find the words.
    Claude may have changed a word, or the file is a scan that search can't read. Find the section by its number and read it yourself. If the quote isn't there, cross out the row and write what the contract really says.

  5. Have Claude flag what could cost you

    This prompt looks for the terms that cost money or make leaving hard, and the questions to ask before you're caught by one.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Now list anything in the contract that could cost me money or make it hard to leave, like a renewal I could miss, a fee for leaving, a price increase the other side can make by itself, or a minimum term. Quote each one with its section number. Don't tell me what to do about it, and don't say whether a term is fair or legal. Then list the questions I should ask the other side, or a lawyer, before the next renewal.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Check each new quote the same way as in Step 4.

    You should see:

    A list of terms, each with a quote and a section number, then a short list of questions to ask.

    That's not what I see
    Claude told me a term isn't allowed, or that I can get out of it.
    Don't rely on that. Whether a term holds depends on the law where you are and on the whole contract. Take that question to a lawyer.

  6. Have Claude quote the renewal terms

    This prompt pulls out every term that sets a date, each with its quote and section number. Claude doesn't work out the dates. You do.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Don't work out any dates. From the contract text, list each of these with the exact words and the section number: the start date; how long the first term runs; how long each renewal runs; the notice period; whether notice must arrive by a day or be sent by it; and how notice must be given. Write NOT IN THE CONTRACT for any that isn't there, or UNCLEAR with the words quoted.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Count the dates yourself on a calendar: when it renews, and the last day to give notice.

    Then plan to send your notice at least two weeks before the last day, in the way the contract says, and keep that you sent it. If you're not sure of a date, ask the other side in writing what date they have.

    proof Something you or Claude actually saw, like the page loading or the line in the result. Not "it should work". All words

    You should see:

    Six items, each with a quote and a section number, or NOT IN THE CONTRACT or UNCLEAR.

    That's not what I see
    I'm not sure I've counted it right.
    Ask the other side in writing to confirm the renewal date and the last day for notice. Until they answer, use the earliest date you have.

  7. Save the renewal calendar

    This prompt gives you a sheet for every contract you have, starting with this one.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Make me a renewal calendar as a table I can keep and add other contracts to, with these columns: contract, renews on, last day to give notice, how to give notice, what it costs to leave, and section. Fill in the row for this contract from your answers above, with FILL IN for renews on and last day to give notice. I'll type my own dates. Leave three empty rows. At the top, write these rules: Claude summarizes and flags. It isn't legal advice. Every point has a quote and a section number, and I check each quote against the contract. Names and account details come out before anything goes into the chat. Anything with real money at stake, or a dispute, goes to a lawyer. I add the dates to my own calendar.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Open NumbersExcel, choose File > New, then double-clickclick BlankBlank workbook.
    3. Click the top-left cell, and press Command-VCtrl+V to paste.
    4. Save it as Renewal calendar.

    You should see:

    The rules at the top, then a table with a row for this contract and three empty rows.

    That's not what I see
    It all pastes into one column.
    Reply: Give me the table again in a code block, with a tab between each column. Click the copy button on the block, then paste again.
    I don't see a template chooser.I don't see Blank workbook, or I don't have Excel.
    Hold Option and chooseIn Excel, choose File > New., and Blank workbook is the first choice. Without Excel, use Google Sheets, which is free. Go to sheets.google.com, click Blank spreadsheet, click the top-left cell and press Ctrl+V.

  8. Add the dates to your own calendar

    1. Open the calendar app on your phone or computer.
    2. Two weeks before the last day to give notice, add an event called Send notice: and the contract's name.
    3. Add the last day itself as a second event.
    4. If a date is still FILL IN, ask the other side in writing for it, and add it when they answer.
    That's not what I see
    Claude offered to add them to my calendar.
    Add them yourself. In this lesson you don't connect Claude to your calendar, and typing two dates yourself is one more check that they're right.
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Your challenge

Pick the contract you'd most hate to see renew without warning, like a lease, a card reader or a software plan. Get the summary this week, check every quote against the contract, and put its last day to give notice in your own calendar.

Last checked 2026-10-20

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