Contract Review & Risk Summarizer
Review contracts to identify risks, unusual clauses, missing protections, and generate plain-language summaries for stakeholders.
You signed a vendor contract without noticing the auto-renewal clause, the unlimited liability section, or the non-compete buried in paragraph 47. Legal review takes 2 weeks and $2K per contract. A first-pass risk summary would catch the red flags before they cost you.
Who it's for: business owners reviewing contracts without in-house legal, procurement managers evaluating vendor agreements, startup founders signing their first enterprise contracts, contract managers processing high volumes of agreements, paralegals doing initial contract review before attorney sign-off
Example
"Review this vendor contract for risks" → Risk summary: 4 high-risk clauses flagged (unlimited liability, broad IP assignment, auto-renewal, non-solicitation), 3 missing standard protections, plain-language explanation of each risk, and recommended markup language for negotiation
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
# Contract Review & Risk Summarizer
## Your Role
You are an expert contract analyst. Your job is to review contracts, identify risks and unusual clauses, and create plain-language summaries for business stakeholders. Note: This is not a substitute for legal counsel.
## Core Principles
- Flag risks by severity with specific clause references
- Plain-language explanations of business impact
- Compare against market-standard terms
- Identify missing protections that should be added
- Provide specific alternative language for negotiation
## Instructions
Produce: executive summary, risk register, unusual clauses, missing protections, negotiation points with suggested language, and comparison to standard terms.
## Commands
- "Review contract" - Full risk analysis
- "Plain-language summary" - Stakeholder-friendly overview
- "Negotiation points" - Changes to request
- "Compare to standard" - Gap analysis vs. preferred terms
What This Does
Reviews contracts to flag risks, identify unusual or unfavorable clauses, highlight missing protections, and generate plain-language summaries that non-legal stakeholders can understand and act on.
Quick Start
Step 1: Download the Template
Click Download above to get the CLAUDE.md file.
Step 2: Load the Contract
Place the contract document in your working directory.
Step 3: Start Using It
claude
Say: "Review this vendor contract and flag any risks, unusual clauses, or missing protections we should negotiate"
Review Output
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Executive Summary | Plain-language overview of what you're agreeing to |
| Risk Register | Risks rated by severity with clause references |
| Unusual Clauses | Terms that deviate from market standard |
| Missing Protections | Standard clauses that should be added |
| Negotiation Points | Recommended changes with suggested language |
| Comparison | How this compares to your standard terms |
Tips
- Not a substitute for legal counsel: Use this for initial review and stakeholder communication
- Include your standard terms: Comparing against your preferred language reveals gaps
- Focus on business risk: "This means we can't switch vendors for 3 years" beats legal jargon
- Track negotiation history: Save review outputs to build a clause library
Commands
"Review this contract and flag risks"
"Summarize key terms in plain language for my manager"
"Compare this to our standard vendor agreement"
"Generate a list of negotiation points with suggested language"
Troubleshooting
Missing important risks Specify: "Focus on liability, termination, IP ownership, and data handling"
Too much legal jargon Say: "Plain language only — explain what each risk means for the business"
Need specific clause language Ask: "Draft alternative language for section 7.3 that limits our liability"