Contract analysis

Nodes used: Parse, Extract, Validate This example reads a contract, extracts its key terms and the clauses it contains, and then runs a set of rules over those terms. Deterministic rules catch a missing date or a short notice period for free; one AI rule judges whether the indemnification clause protects you.

The workflow

{
  "name": "Contract analysis",
  "description": "Extract key terms and clauses, then check them",
  "nodes": [
    { "id": "parse_1", "type": "parse" },
    {
      "id": "extract_1",
      "type": "extract",
      "extraction_schema": {
        "fields": [
          {
            "name": "contract_type",
            "description": "The type of legal agreement",
            "data_type": "enum",
            "enum_options": [
              { "name": "nda",               "description": "Non-disclosure agreement" },
              { "name": "service_agreement", "description": "Service or consulting agreement" },
              { "name": "employment",        "description": "Employment contract" },
              { "name": "lease",             "description": "Lease or rental agreement" },
              { "name": "licensing",         "description": "Licensing agreement" }
            ]
          },
          { "name": "effective_date",          "description": "Date the contract takes effect", "data_type": "date" },
          { "name": "expiration_date",         "description": "Date the contract expires or terminates", "data_type": "date" },
          { "name": "auto_renewal",            "description": "Whether the contract automatically renews at expiration", "data_type": "boolean" },
          { "name": "governing_law",           "description": "State or jurisdiction whose laws govern this contract", "data_type": "string" },
          { "name": "termination_notice_days", "description": "Number of days advance notice required to terminate", "data_type": "integer" },
          {
            "name": "key_clauses",
            "description": "Standard contract clauses that are present in this agreement",
            "data_type": "multi_select",
            "enum_options": [
              { "name": "confidentiality",         "description": "Confidentiality or NDA clause" },
              { "name": "non_compete",             "description": "Non-compete restriction" },
              { "name": "indemnification",         "description": "Indemnification or hold-harmless clause" },
              { "name": "limitation_of_liability", "description": "Cap on damages or liability" },
              { "name": "force_majeure",           "description": "Force majeure or act-of-God clause" },
              { "name": "arbitration",             "description": "Mandatory arbitration clause" },
              { "name": "intellectual_property",   "description": "IP ownership or assignment clause" }
            ]
          },
          { "name": "liability_cap", "description": "Maximum liability amount, if a cap is specified", "data_type": "float" }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "validate_1",
      "type": "validate",
      "rules": [
        { "id": "has-effective-date",       "kind": "deterministic", "severity": "error",
          "check": { "type": "required", "field": "effective_date" } },
        { "id": "term-is-ordered",          "kind": "deterministic", "severity": "error",
          "check": { "type": "comparison", "left": "expiration_date", "op": ">=", "right": { "source": "field", "field": "effective_date" } } },
        { "id": "notice-at-least-90-days",  "kind": "deterministic", "severity": "warning",
          "check": { "type": "range", "field": "termination_notice_days", "min": 90 } },
        { "id": "liability-is-capped",      "kind": "deterministic", "severity": "warning",
          "check": { "type": "required", "field": "liability_cap" } },
        { "id": "indemnification-protects-us", "kind": "ai", "severity": "warning",
          "description": "The indemnification clause protects the Client, not only the Provider." }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "edges": [
    { "source": "parse_1",   "target": "extract_1" },
    { "source": "extract_1", "target": "validate_1" }
  ]
}

import os
from anyformat.sdk import Client
from anyformat.workflow import ComparisonCheck, RangeCheck, RequiredCheck, Schema, ValidationRule

client = Client(api_key=os.environ["ANYFORMAT_API_KEY"])

workflow = (
    client.workflow("Contract analysis", "Extract key terms and clauses, then check them")
    .parse()
    .extract([
        Schema.enum("contract_type", "The type of legal agreement", options=[
            Schema.option("nda",               "Non-disclosure agreement"),
            Schema.option("service_agreement", "Service or consulting agreement"),
            Schema.option("employment",        "Employment contract"),
            Schema.option("lease",             "Lease or rental agreement"),
            Schema.option("licensing",         "Licensing agreement"),
        ]),
        Schema.date("effective_date",             "Date the contract takes effect"),
        Schema.date("expiration_date",            "Date the contract expires or terminates"),
        Schema.boolean("auto_renewal",            "Whether the contract automatically renews at expiration"),
        Schema.string("governing_law",            "State or jurisdiction whose laws govern this contract"),
        Schema.integer("termination_notice_days", "Number of days advance notice required to terminate"),
        Schema.multi_select("key_clauses", "Standard contract clauses that are present in this agreement", options=[
            Schema.option("confidentiality",         "Confidentiality or NDA clause"),
            Schema.option("non_compete",             "Non-compete restriction"),
            Schema.option("indemnification",         "Indemnification or hold-harmless clause"),
            Schema.option("limitation_of_liability", "Cap on damages or liability"),
            Schema.option("force_majeure",           "Force majeure or act-of-God clause"),
            Schema.option("arbitration",             "Mandatory arbitration clause"),
            Schema.option("intellectual_property",   "IP ownership or assignment clause"),
        ]),
        Schema.float("liability_cap", "Maximum liability amount, if a cap is specified"),
    ])
    .validate(
        ValidationRule(id="has-effective-date", kind="deterministic", severity="error",
            check=RequiredCheck(type="required", field="effective_date")),
        ValidationRule(id="term-is-ordered", kind="deterministic", severity="error",
            check=ComparisonCheck(type="comparison", left="expiration_date", op=">=",
                                  right={"source": "field", "field": "effective_date"})),
        ValidationRule(id="notice-at-least-90-days", kind="deterministic", severity="warning",
            check=RangeCheck(type="range", field="termination_notice_days", min=90)),
        ValidationRule(id="liability-is-capped", kind="deterministic", severity="warning",
            check=RequiredCheck(type="required", field="liability_cap")),
        ValidationRule(id="indemnification-protects-us", severity="warning",
            description="The indemnification clause protects the Client, not only the Provider."),
    )
    .create()
)

import { Anyformat, Schema } from "@anyformat/sdk";

const af = new Anyformat({ apiKey: process.env.ANYFORMAT_API_KEY! });

const workflow = await af
  .workflow("Contract analysis", "Extract key terms and clauses, then check them")
  .parse()
  .extract([
    Schema.enum("contract_type", "The type of legal agreement", [
      Schema.option("nda",               "Non-disclosure agreement"),
      Schema.option("service_agreement", "Service or consulting agreement"),
      Schema.option("employment",        "Employment contract"),
      Schema.option("lease",             "Lease or rental agreement"),
      Schema.option("licensing",         "Licensing agreement"),
    ]),
    Schema.date("effective_date",             "Date the contract takes effect"),
    Schema.date("expiration_date",            "Date the contract expires or terminates"),
    Schema.boolean("auto_renewal",            "Whether the contract automatically renews at expiration"),
    Schema.string("governing_law",            "State or jurisdiction whose laws govern this contract"),
    Schema.integer("termination_notice_days", "Number of days advance notice required to terminate"),
    Schema.multiSelect("key_clauses", "Standard contract clauses that are present in this agreement", [
      Schema.option("confidentiality",         "Confidentiality or NDA clause"),
      Schema.option("non_compete",             "Non-compete restriction"),
      Schema.option("indemnification",         "Indemnification or hold-harmless clause"),
      Schema.option("limitation_of_liability", "Cap on damages or liability"),
      Schema.option("force_majeure",           "Force majeure or act-of-God clause"),
      Schema.option("arbitration",             "Mandatory arbitration clause"),
      Schema.option("intellectual_property",   "IP ownership or assignment clause"),
    ]),
    Schema.float("liability_cap", "Maximum liability amount, if a cap is specified"),
  ])
  .validate([
    { id: "has-effective-date", kind: "deterministic", severity: "error",
      check: { type: "required", field: "effective_date" } },
    { id: "term-is-ordered", kind: "deterministic", severity: "error",
      check: { type: "comparison", left: "expiration_date", op: ">=", right: { source: "field", field: "effective_date" } } },
    { id: "notice-at-least-90-days", kind: "deterministic", severity: "warning",
      check: { type: "range", field: "termination_notice_days", min: 90 } },
    { id: "liability-is-capped", kind: "deterministic", severity: "warning",
      check: { type: "required", field: "liability_cap" } },
    { id: "indemnification-protects-us", kind: "ai", severity: "warning",
      description: "The indemnification clause protects the Client, not only the Provider." },
  ])
  .create();

Upload now, run later, poll

Contracts often arrive in batches and get reviewed later. Upload each one as a document packet as it arrives, and start the run when you are ready. Then poll GET /v3/runs/{run_id}/ until status is processed. error and cancelled are terminal too, so stop on those.

# 1. Upload the contract as a packet (no run yet)
curl -X POST "https://api.anyformat.ai/v3/workflows/$WORKFLOW_ID/upload/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANYFORMAT_API_KEY" \
  -F 'files=@contract.pdf'
# → 201 { "document_packet_id": "<packet_id>", ... }

# 2. Run the packet when ready (a fresh run each call)
curl -X POST "https://api.anyformat.ai/v3/document-packets/$PACKET_ID/run/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANYFORMAT_API_KEY"
# → 202 { "run_id": "<run_id>", "status": "queued" }

# 3. Poll until "status" is one of processed / error / cancelled
until curl -s "https://api.anyformat.ai/v3/runs/$RUN_ID/" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANYFORMAT_API_KEY" \
    | grep -qE '"status":"(processed|error|cancelled)"'; do
  sleep 5
done

import time

upload = workflow.upload("contract.pdf")      # packet only, no run
run = upload.run()                            # start it when ready

detail = client.get_run(run.id)
while detail.status not in ("processed", "error", "cancelled"):
    time.sleep(5)
    detail = client.get_run(run.id)
if detail.result is None:
    raise RuntimeError(f"run {run.id} ended in {detail.status}")

result = detail.result                        # or: upload.run().wait() to block instead
print(result.fields["contract_type"].value, result.fields["governing_law"].value)

# A multi_select value is one comma-separated string of option names.
clauses = (result.fields["key_clauses"].value or "").split(", ")
if "indemnification" not in clauses:
    print("WARNING: no indemnification clause")

import type { ExtractedField } from "@anyformat/sdk";

const file = new File([readFileSync("contract.pdf")], "contract.pdf", { type: "application/pdf" });
const upload = await workflow.upload(file);   // packet only, no run
const run = await upload.run();               // start it when ready

const result = await run.wait();              // polls until a terminal status
console.log((result.field("contract_type") as ExtractedField<string> | undefined)?.value, (result.field("governing_law") as ExtractedField<string> | undefined)?.value);

// A multi_select value is one comma-separated string of option names.
const clauses = ((result.field("key_clauses") as ExtractedField<string> | undefined)?.value ?? "").split(", ");
if (!clauses.includes("indemnification")) console.warn("no indemnification clause");

Response

The results envelope of a processed run, trimmed. Every value is a string on the wire: a multi_select is one comma-separated string of option names, with one evidence snippet per clause, and a boolean is "True" or "False".

{
  "status": "processed",
  "results": {
    "extractions": [
      {
        "split_name": null,
        "partition": null,
        "fields": {
          "contract_type": {
            "value": "service_agreement",
            "confidence": 96.0,
            "evidence": [{ "text": "MASTER SERVICES AGREEMENT", "page_number": 1 }],
            "verification_status": "not_verified",
            "value_override": null
          },
          "auto_renewal": {
            "value": "True",
            "confidence": 96.0,
            "evidence": [{ "text": "The Agreement automatically renews for successive one-year periods", "page_number": 1 }],
            "verification_status": "not_verified",
            "value_override": null
          },
          "termination_notice_days": {
            "value": "60",
            "confidence": 97.0,
            "evidence": [{ "text": "upon sixty (60) days prior written notice", "page_number": 1 }],
            "verification_status": "not_verified",
            "value_override": null
          },
          "key_clauses": {
            "value": "confidentiality, intellectual_property, limitation_of_liability, indemnification, force_majeure, arbitration",
            "confidence": 94.0,
            "evidence": [
              { "text": "3. CONFIDENTIALITY", "page_number": 1 },
              { "text": "4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY", "page_number": 1 },
              { "text": "5. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY", "page_number": 1 },
              { "text": "6. INDEMNIFICATION", "page_number": 1 },
              { "text": "7. FORCE MAJEURE", "page_number": 1 },
              { "text": "shall be finally settled by binding arbitration", "page_number": 1 }
            ],
            "verification_status": "not_verified",
            "value_override": null
          },
          "liability_cap": {
            "value": "250000",
            "confidence": 95.0,
            "evidence": [{ "text": "shall exceed USD 250,000", "page_number": 1 }],
            "verification_status": "not_verified",
            "value_override": null
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Rule outcomes (pass, fail, inconclusive) appear in the Validation tab of the run in Studio, next to the extracted values. On this contract notice-at-least-90-days fails, because the notice period is 60 days. To act on a failure automatically, route the run with an If/Else node and send a Slack alert or an email alert.

Tips

Use a deterministic rule for anything a calculator can check. It is instant, free and never flakes. Keep AI rules for judgement calls.
A required check on liability_cap is the cheapest way to flag an uncapped contract.
severity is a label. A failed error rule never blocks the run; it tells the reviewer where to look first.
Declare termination_notice_days as integer. A range rule and calendar math both work on it directly.
The multi_select for key_clauses gives you presence checks. Split its value on ", " to get the option names. Add string fields for the clauses whose wording you need to read.

Examples

Read only

Read, then pull out

Sort first, then pull out

Extract, then check

Operate at scale

The workflow

Upload now, run later, poll

Response

Tips

Next steps

Validate node

Run document packet

​The workflow

​Upload now, run later, poll

​Response

​Tips

​Next steps

Validate node

Run document packet

The workflow

Upload now, run later, poll

Response

Tips

Next steps