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

# Contracts

> Send NDAs and any other agreement for legally binding e-signature, with a Mutual NDA built in and ready to send

## What are Contracts?

Contracts lets you send an agreement to anyone for electronic signature without leaving Clarky. Pick a document, choose who signs, and send. The signer gets an email with a personal link, reviews the document, and signs by drawing or typing their name from any device. When everyone has signed, every party receives the completed PDF, and a copy is filed on the contact's record.

A standard **Mutual NDA** is built in, so you can send one to anybody without setting anything up. For your own agreements, write a template once with merge fields, or upload a PDF and send it as is.

Contracts live under **CRM > Contracts**. Each contact also has a **Contracts** tab.

<Info>
  **Plan availability:** Startup or higher. See [Plans & Billing](/features/settings/plans).
</Info>

## Sending an NDA

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Send NDA">
    From **CRM > Contracts**, or from the **Contracts** tab on a contact. The built-in Mutual NDA is preselected.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick who signs">
    Search your contacts or enter a name and email by hand. The first signer is the person the contract is filed under. Add more signers if several people need to sign.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the details">
    Your company name, the signer's name and company, and the effective date are filled in for you. Add the governing state and an optional message. Everything you type is remembered for next time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send for signature">
    The preview on the right is exactly what the signer sees. Click **Send for signature** and the signing email goes out.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  In a hurry? Tell [Ask Clarky](/features/crm/ask-clarky) "send Jim our NDA". It prepares the contract and shows a Send button; only you can click it. The same works over [Text Clarky](/features/crm/text-clarky) with a YES reply.
</Tip>

## Your own contracts

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Templates">
    Under **CRM > Contracts > Templates**, click **New template** or **Customize** next to the built-in NDA to start from its text. Templates are written in simple formatting (headings, paragraphs, bullet points, bold) with **merge fields** such as `{{company_name}}`, `{{signer_name}}`, and `{{effective_date}}`. Click a field chip to insert it. Any field you invent, for example `{{project_name}}`, becomes a fill-in box when you send. The preview shows the template with sample values.

    Each template carries defaults for how long links stay valid, whether and when you sign, and whether signers must verify their email.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Uploading a PDF">
    Choose **Upload a PDF** when picking a document (up to 4MB). The PDF is shown to signers exactly as uploaded; a signature page and the certificate of completion are added to the end of the signed copy.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Editing the text before it goes out">
    Click **Edit text** above the preview to change the merged document by hand. Once edited, the fill-in boxes no longer change it; **Reset to template** brings them back. After sending, an **Edit** button on the contract lets you fix the title, text, or message until anyone has signed.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Your signature

When sending, choose what happens with your own signature:

* **Not needed**: only the recipients sign.
* **I sign last**: you countersign after everyone else. You get an email when it is your turn, and the contract shows **Countersign now**.
* **I sign first**: nothing is emailed until you sign. Right after sending, click **Sign now to send**; recipients then get a copy that already carries your signature.

## What signers see

The signing page shows who sent the document, your message, and the full text. Signers confirm their legal name, add a title if they like, and sign by **drawing** with a finger or mouse or by **typing** their name. They must agree to sign electronically before the button activates, and they can decline with a reason instead. Nobody needs a Clarky account.

<Note>
  Turn on **Verify email** when sending for sensitive agreements. Signers then enter a 6 digit code emailed to them before the document is shown.
</Note>

If your workspace uses a [custom domain](/features/settings/custom-domains), signing links use it, and the Clarky branding is hidden on plans with branding removal.

## Tracking and reminders

The contract page shows each signer's status (not opened, viewed, signed, declined), their signing link to copy if you want to share it another way, and a full audit trail. The list under **CRM > Contracts** filters by what is out for signature, what needs your signature, and what is completed, declined, expired, or voided.

* **Remind** emails everyone who still needs to sign (you confirm first). Clarky also sends automatic reminders every few days.
* **Void** cancels a contract; its links stop working immediately.
* Links **expire** after the number of days you set when sending (30 by default).
* The contact's timeline logs when a contract was sent, signed, or declined, and Ask Clarky can answer "did Jim sign the NDA?".

## The signed document

When the last signature lands, Clarky produces the final PDF: the document, a signature page with every signature, and a **certificate of completion** listing each signer's name, email, signing method, IP address, and time, plus the full event history and a tamper-evident hash of the document. The PDF is emailed to every signer and to you, saved on the contact's **Files** tab, and available from the contract page.

<Info>
  Signatures collected through Clarky are intended to satisfy the US ESIGN Act and UETA, the laws that make electronic signatures legally binding: signers consent to sign electronically, are identified by the email the link was sent to, and affirmatively adopt their signature, all recorded on the certificate.
</Info>


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