## Overview

The **Contracts** area gathers every document in your account into a **list** you can filter and where
you follow each contract's **lifecycle** in real time. Each contract moves through well-defined states:

- **Draft** — the contract was generated from a template and can still be edited.
- **Sent / in signature** — the signing link was delivered and the document is awaiting the parties.
- **Partially signed** — at least one signer has signed; others are still pending.
- **Completed** — all signatures were collected and the **final signed PDF** was generated.
- **Voided** — the contract was irreversibly cancelled after being sent.
- **Expired** — the signing deadline passed without completion.
- **Rejected / cancelled** — a signer declined or the contract was closed with no effect.

From the list and the contract screen you run every management action (send, remind, void, duplicate,
download, share links) and inspect the immutable **audit trail**.

## Prerequisites

- The **Contracts** module must be **enabled** for your account. If you can't find the Contracts area,
  contact an administrator.
- Your user needs **permission** to access and manage Contracts. **Voiding** a contract is restricted
  to administrators.
- The contract must already have been **generated from a template** (with signers defined) before it
  can be sent for signature.

## Step by step

1. **Send for signature** — on a draft contract, use **Send for signature**. The platform freezes the
   document, generates a draft PDF, **automatically signs the issuing company's side**, and delivers
   the link to external signers as a **card with a button** in the linked conversation. At least one
   signer is required.
2. **Resend a reminder** — use **Remind** to re-post the signing card and button in the conversation
   and nudge the pending external signers. If there is no linked conversation, the action has no effect.
3. **Void / cancel** — use **Void** to **irreversibly** cancel a contract that was already sent. The
   status changes to **voided** and the document can no longer be signed. This action is restricted to
   administrators.
4. **Duplicate** — use **Duplicate** to clone the contract into a **fresh draft**. Signers and items
   are copied, a new verification code is generated and **no signatures are carried over**.
5. **Download the signed PDF** — use **Download** to get the signed URL of the most recent **final
   document** (falling back to the draft if there is no final yet). The download includes the
   **SHA-256 hash** so you can verify integrity.
6. **Copy / share the signing links** — use **Signing links** to get each **external signer's public
   URL**, in case you need to resend the link manually through another channel. Parties that sign
   automatically have no public link, and the signing token is never exposed in the list.

## Tracking and audit

- **Audit trail (events)**: every contract has a read-only **forensic timeline** with the signature
  lifecycle events — created, sent, viewed, OTP sent, OTP verified, signed, rejected, expired,
  downloaded and voided. Each event records the **IP**, **device**, **consent**, **authentication
  method** and the **document hash** at the moment of the event. The trail is **immutable**
  (append-only): no record can be changed after it is created.
- **Filter the list**: you can filter contracts by **status**, **signature level** and, most usefully,
  by the support links — **conversation**, **contact** and **CRM deal** — plus the issuing company.
  This lets you quickly find every contract for a given customer or a specific deal.

## Archive and restore contracts

- **Archive** removes the contract from the default list without deleting it — handy for tidying up old
  or closed documents.
- **Restore** returns an archived contract to the active list.
- A contract **with a real signature** (partially signed or completed) is a legal record and is **never
  deleted** — only archived. Permanent deletion is allowed only for a **draft that is already archived**.

## Integrations with Tasks and Follow-up

From the contract itself you can trigger other modules of the platform (when enabled):

- **Create a follow-up Task** — generates a **Task** already linked to the contract's conversation,
  contact and CRM deal. Requires the **Tasks** module enabled.
- **Enroll in a Follow-up sequence** — enrolls the contract's **contact** into a **follow-up sequence**
  (idempotently, with no duplicates). Requires the **Follow-up** module enabled and a contact linked to
  the contract.

## Use cases

- Close a deal in the CRM, **send the contract** in the same conversation and **create a task** to
  follow up on the signature.
- **Resend the reminder** to a customer who opened but hasn't signed the document yet.
- **Void** a contract sent by mistake and **duplicate** it to fix the details in a new draft.
- **Download the signed PDF** and archive the completed contract to keep the list clean.

## Tips, limits & best practices

- Use the **audit trail** to know exactly who viewed and who signed before chasing a pending signature.
- **Voiding is irreversible** — confirm before using it. To merely fix details, prefer to **duplicate**
  and send the new version.
- Always check the **SHA-256 hash** when downloading the final document if you need to prove integrity.
- Keep the list tidy by **archiving** completed and old contracts.

## Troubleshooting

- **The status is stuck on "partially signed"**: someone is still missing. Check the **audit trail** to
  see who has signed and use **Remind** or **Signing links** to chase the pending parties.
- **The signer didn't receive / didn't sign the link**: confirm the channel (WhatsApp/email) and the
  signer's contact details; resend with the **Remind** button or copy the signer's **signing URL** and
  send it through another channel.
- **The contract expired**: the signing deadline passed. **Duplicate** the contract to create a fresh
  draft and resend.
- **I can't void the contract**: voiding is restricted to administrators and applies only to contracts
  that were already sent.
- **I can't delete the contract**: contracts with a real signature are never deleted — **archive** it;
  permanent deletion is allowed only for a draft that is already archived.

## See also

- [Contracts and e-signature overview](/hc/ajuda/articles/contracts-esignature-overview-en)
- [Internal and external signing](/hc/ajuda/articles/contracts-esignature-assinatura-interna-externa-en)
- [Templates, variables and auto-fill](/hc/ajuda/articles/contracts-esignature-templates-variaveis-auto-fill-en)
- [Public contract page and validator](/hc/ajuda/articles/contracts-esignature-pagina-publica-e-validador-en)