# Plain-English document summary prompt: free ChatGPT template > Paste a contract, lease or policy and get a plain-English summary with section numbers, every date and dollar amount, and questions for your lawyer. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/plain-english-document-summary-prompt · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Reports and planning](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-reports-and-planning) · [Law](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-law) · [Operations](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-operations) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this when a supplier agreement, lease, insurance policy or terms of service lands on your desk and you want to understand it before you talk to the person who advises you. The AI explains each part in plain words, cites the section, and pulls out the dates, money, renewal and cancellation terms that cause surprises later. It explains what the text says, not whether to sign it: whether a clause is fair, enforceable or normal is a question for a lawyer, or your agent for a policy. **Have a professional review it.** This prompt helps you draft, not decide. AI can get the law wrong and doesn’t know your jurisdiction or your facts, so have a licensed attorney review anything legal before you send or sign it. ## The prompt Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every `[BLANK]` with your own details. It uses the four parts from [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are helping a [READER] understand a document before they talk to their lawyer. You explain; you don't advise. Context: It is a [DOCUMENT TYPE] between [PARTIES]. My concerns: [MY QUESTIONS]. Work only from the text below. If something isn't there, say "Not in this document" instead of describing what such documents usually say. Task: Explain it in plain English, section by section. List every date, deadline, dollar amount, renewal, cancellation term and penalty with its section number. Answer my concerns by citing sections. List questions for my lawyer. Never say whether a term is fair, standard or enforceable. Format: Short headings, under 500 words, section numbers in parentheses after each point. Here is the document text: [DOCUMENT TEXT] ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[READER]`** Who you are, such as "small business owner." It sets how much the explanation assumes. **`[DOCUMENT TYPE]`** Supply agreement, commercial lease, service contract, insurance policy. **`[PARTIES]`** Who it's between, as named in the document. **`[MY QUESTIONS]`** The two or three things you most need to know, in your words. These turn a general summary into answers. **`[DOCUMENT TEXT]`** The full text or the sections you care about, with signatures and account numbers removed. Paste a long document in parts. ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Build an AI Vendor Follow-Up Agent in n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-vendor-follow-up-agent-n8n). Ridgeline Supply Co. is the made-up distributor in the operations AI agent lesson, where Tallpine Pallet Co. shipped PO 4471 five days late. Here the operations manager reads an excerpt of Tallpine's (made-up) supply agreement. Copy example ```text Role: You are helping an operations manager understand a document before they talk to their lawyer. You explain; you don't advise. Context: It is a pallet supply agreement between Tallpine Pallet Co. (Supplier) and Ridgeline Supply Co. (Buyer). My concerns: what happens when an order is late, like PO 4471, and whether we can stop buying if it keeps happening. Work only from the text below. If something isn't there, say "Not in this document" instead of describing what such documents usually say. Task: Explain it in plain English, section by section. List every date, deadline, dollar amount, renewal, cancellation term and penalty with its section number. Answer my concerns by citing sections. List questions for my lawyer. Never say whether a term is fair, standard or enforceable. Format: Short headings, under 500 words, section numbers in parentheses after each point. Here is the document text: 3.1 Delivery. Supplier will use reasonable efforts to deliver within 10 business days of a Purchase Order. Delivery dates are estimates. 7.1 Term. This Agreement runs 12 months and renews automatically for 12-month terms unless either party gives written notice at least 60 days before the term ends. 7.3 Minimum Purchase. Buyer will purchase at least 1,200 pallets per term. Any shortfall will be invoiced at $4.00 per pallet. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - Each point tied to a section number, so you can find it in the original in seconds. - Qualifiers kept: "reasonable efforts" and "Delivery dates are estimates" (3.1), not "Tallpine must deliver in 10 days." - "Not in this document" for any remedy for late delivery, since the excerpt has none. - The automatic renewal, 60-day notice window and $4.00 shortfall charge pulled out together, because they interact if you want to leave. ## How to check it before you use it An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the [Reply Faster lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Check every claim: confirm each cited section says what the summary says. Summaries tend to drop words like "estimates." - Make sure every section you pasted shows up. If one is missing, ask about it directly or paste in smaller parts. - Delete anything that sounds like advice ("this is standard," "you should negotiate"). - Follow your company's rules for confidential contracts in AI tools, and check your [data controls](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/chatgpt-data-controls). ## Why this prompt works "Not in this document" stops the model from filling gaps with what contracts usually say, and section numbers make every line checkable. That's [grounding](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/grounding) you can verify in a minute instead of rereading the whole contract. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format)**: Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/prompt-writing-101) Also useful: [Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript) ## Terms used here [AI summarization](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-summarization) · [Grounding](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/grounding) · [Context window](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/context-window) · [Delimiters](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/delimiters) ## Related prompts - [Engagement letter draft prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/engagement-letter-draft-prompt): Draft an engagement letter from your own approved terms: scope, exclusions, fees and client duties. Gaps get flagged for review… - [Policy summary for staff prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/policy-summary-for-staff-prompt): Turn a long internal policy into a plain staff summary: who it applies to, what to do, limits and deadlines, with unclear lines… - [Coverage question reply prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/coverage-question-reply-prompt): Answer a client's "am I covered?" email honestly: what the declarations page lists, who decides, and how to start a claim. It… - [Vendor onboarding checklist prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/vendor-onboarding-checklist-prompt): Turn your purchasing rules into a vendor onboarding checklist with owners and due dates, plus the email telling the new vendor… ## Frequently asked questions **Can I use this on my insurance policy?** Yes. The summary tells you what the wording says; only your agent and the insurance company can confirm what is covered for a specific loss. [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)