Prompt of the Day: Contract Check — Scan the Fine Print in 5 Minutes
Rental agreements, phone contracts, freelancer agreements, terms of service for a new tool — we constantly sign things we haven't really read. Not out of laziness, but because contracts are deliberately written so that non-experts can't understand them at first glance.
This prompt doesn't turn AI into a lawyer (and doesn't replace one either), but into an attentive first reader that combs through the fine print for you. It flags sections that could be disadvantageous, explains legal terms in plain language, and tells you which questions to ask before you sign.
How to use the prompt:
1. Copy the entire contract text (or the relevant sections) into the chat
2. Adjust your role — are you the tenant, customer, freelancer, employee?
3. State the contract type — this helps the AI recognize industry-specific pitfalls
4. Read the analysis and ask follow-up questions about anything you don't understand
What this prompt works for:
- Rental agreements: Notice periods, cosmetic repairs clauses, utility cost provisions
- Employment contracts: Non-compete clauses, overtime rules, probation period details
- Freelancer contracts: Usage rights, liability, payment terms
- Terms of service and privacy policies: What rights you give up, what happens to your data
- Subscription contracts and SaaS terms: Auto-renewal, price increase clauses
Why this works: Legal texts follow patterns. AI recognizes these patterns and can translate them into everyday language. It also spots clauses you might overlook as a layperson — like an automatic contract renewal of 12 months buried in a subordinate clause on page 7.
Important limitation: AI is not a lawyer and its analysis is not legal advice. It can miss things a legal professional would find immediately, and it may not know the latest case law. Use the analysis as preparation, not a replacement: afterward, you'll know which questions to ask a real lawyer.
Privacy note: Before pasting a contract into an AI tool, check: does it contain personal data (names, addresses, salaries)? If so, redact them first or use a tool with European data protection standards. For confidential documents, a local model (e.g. Ollama with Llama) is the safest option.
Pro tip: Have the same contract reviewed by two different AI models. Each model has different strengths — Claude is particularly thorough with long documents, ChatGPT often gives more concise summaries. Where both flag the same issue, look closely.
You are an experienced document reviewer. I have received a [contract type, e.g. rental agreement / employment contract / freelancer contract / terms of service / subscription contract] and want to understand it before I sign. My role is: [e.g. tenant / employee / freelancer / customer]. Analyze the following contract section by section and produce this analysis: **1. Plain language summary (5-7 sentences):** What does this contract regulate? What are the key points? What obligations am I entering into? **2. Red flags** (clauses that could be disadvantageous to me): For each problematic section: - Quote the exact wording from the contract - Explain in plain language what this means - Rate the risk: [HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW] - Suggest fairer alternative wording **3. Hidden costs and deadlines:** - List all deadlines (cancellation, withdrawal, automatic renewal) - List all costs that are not immediately obvious - Flag any price increase clauses **4. Missing clauses:** What should be included in a [contract type] like this but is missing? (e.g. liability limitation, jurisdiction, data protection clause) **5. Legal terms explained:** List all legal jargon and explain each in one sentence. **6. Negotiation recommendation:** Which 3 points should I raise before signing? Draft a concrete sentence for each that I can send to the other party. **7. Overall assessment:** Is this contract generally fair, industry-standard, or one-sided? Scale: [Very fair / Fair / Industry standard / One-sided / Very one-sided] **Rules:** - Always quote the exact wording from the contract when discussing a clause - Explain everything so someone without legal training can understand - Mark assumptions with [assumption] — if you are unsure about an interpretation, say so - Include a disclaimer at the end that this is not legal advice Here is the contract: [Paste contract text here]