A twelve-page lease, a service's terms of use, a loan agreement — the custom is to sign without reading: the manager is rushing you, the text is set in fine print, and the clauses that will cost you the most — penalties, auto-renewal, unilateral changes of terms — sit buried in the middle, between the party details and the annexes. Reading it all takes long, and picking out what matters is hard without a habit for legal language.
The "Contract check before signing" skill reads the document for you: it collects the risky clauses with quotes and clause numbers, verifies the most questionable ones against the law — opening the primary source rather than citing from memory — and notes what the contract is missing though it shouldn't be. The result is a one-line verdict: sign with a clear head, negotiate specific points, or don't sign without a lawyer.
What it does
From a link to a contract, an offer or service terms — or from text pasted straight into the chat — the skill finds the clauses that could cost you dearly, explains what each one threatens, and checks the questionable spots against the rules in force. If your side of the deal isn't clear from the text, it asks one short question.
How it works
- The skill reads the document in full — from a link via page loading, or straight from the chat. If a captcha or an empty page came back instead of the contract, it says so honestly rather than reviewing the document "from memory".
- It then walks the text and collects the risky clauses: penalties and forfeits, auto-renewal, unilateral changes of terms, hidden fees and surcharges, limits on the other side's liability, inconvenient jurisdiction, punishing termination terms. Each comes with the clause number and a quote.
- For the one to three most questionable clauses the skill checks what the law says: it finds the applicable rule, opens the primary source and takes the exact wording with the article number. Sometimes a clause plainly contradicts the law — which changes the conversation with the seller.
- Separately, the skill notes what the contract lacks though it shouldn't: delivery deadlines, the refund procedure, the other side's liability.
What you get
The chat returns a review: a one-line verdict — sign with a clear head, negotiate specific points, or don't sign without a lawyer — then the risky clauses listed with quotes, an explanation of what each one threatens, and a suggestion of what to ask to change. Clauses that contradict the law are set apart with the article reference. This is not legal advice: for a large amount or a non-standard deal the skill itself advises showing the contract to a lawyer — with a ready list of questions for them.
When to use it
Before signing anything you'd hate to lose money on: an apartment lease, a loan or installment plan, a contract with a renovation crew or a car dealer. It's just as useful for the terms everyone "accepts without reading" — paid subscriptions and services with auto-renewal and a tricky cancellation procedure. And as preparation for the conversation: negotiating amendments is much easier with a list of specific clauses and a reference to the law than with a vague feeling that something is off.