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Automation Squad
You run thisWritten for Claude

Skim a contract for red flags before I sign

Robert MacKelfresh

By Robert MacKelfresh

Founder, Automation Squad

Most people either skip the contract entirely or read it start to finish without knowing what 'unusual' looks like — this triages severity so a lawyer's time gets spent on the 3s, not the 1s. The explicit ban on inventing legal terminology matters because a confidently wrong answer here is worse than no answer.

The prompt

I'm about to sign a contract and want a fast risk skim before I involve a lawyer — not a substitute for legal review, a first pass to know what to flag to counsel and what's probably fine.

Paste the full contract text below. Then:

1. List every clause that is unusual, one-sided, or worth a lawyer's eyes — auto-renewal terms, liability caps (or lack of one), termination notice periods, indemnification, exclusivity, IP assignment, anything with a dollar figure attached to a penalty
2. For each one: quote the actual clause, plain-English translation of what it means for me in practice, and a 1-3 severity rating (1 = standard, worth noting; 3 = do not sign without negotiating)
3. Anything genuinely missing that a contract like this should usually have (e.g. no data protection clause, no cap on liability at all)
4. One paragraph in plain language: if I only fixed one thing before signing, what should it be and why

State clearly at the top: this is not legal advice and does not replace review by a lawyer before signing anything material. Do not invent legal terminology or cite laws you're not certain apply — if you're unsure whether something is standard for this contract type, say so instead of asserting it.

Contract text:

[paste full contract text here]

Copy it, paste it, run it. Nothing here is gated.

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Written for Claude as of August 2026. Models change — if this stops working the way it should, that is worth telling us about.