Contracts API

Create, manage, and track contracts for signing.

Create Contract

Contract Creation Flows

APISign supports two distinct workflows for creating contracts:

Important Validation Rules:

• Template Contracts: Must provide template_id and variables. Must NOT provide content or fields.
• Non-Template Contracts: Must provide content and fields. Must NOT provide template_id or variables.

1. Template-Based Contract Creation

Create contracts from pre-existing templates with variable substitution:

{
  "name": "Service Agreement - John Smith",
  "template_id": "tmpl_abc123",
  "variables": {
    "company_name": "Acme Corporation", 
    "client_name": "John Smith",
    "hourly_rate": "$150"
  },
  "signers": [
    {
      "email": "john@example.com",
      "name": "John Smith",
      "signing_order": 1
    }
  ],
}

2. Blank Contract Creation

Create one-off contracts from scratch with custom content and field definitions:

{
  "name": "Custom NDA - Jane Doe",
  "content": "# Non-Disclosure Agreement\n\nThis agreement is between {{COMPANY_NAME}} and {{CLIENT_NAME}}.\n\n**Label:** {{SERVICE_LABEL}}\n**Client Signature:** {{CLIENT_SIGNATURE}}",
  "fields": [
    {
      "name": "COMPANY_NAME",
      "type": "text",
      "completedBy": "creator"
    },
    {
      "name": "CLIENT_NAME", 
      "type": "text",
      "completedBy": "creator"
    },
    {
      "name": "SERVICE_LABEL",
      "type": "label",
      "completedBy": "creator"
    },
    {
      "name": "CLIENT_SIGNATURE",
      "type": "signature",
      "completedBy": "signer"
    }
  ],
  "signers": [
    {
      "email": "jane@example.com",
      "name": "Jane Doe",
      "signing_order": 1
    }
  ]
}

Field Types

For blank contracts, you can specify the following field types:

Signer Object

Each signer in the signers array should include:

Signing order

signing_order is required and must be unique across the signers on a contract, but it only controls the order signers are stored and displayed in.

When you send a contract, every signer is emailed at the same time, and any signer can complete their signature at any point. A signer with signing_order: 3 can sign before the signer with signing_order: 1 has opened their email. The contract moves to signed once all signers have signed, regardless of the sequence.

Enforced sequential signing — where each signer is only notified after the previous one completes — is not implemented. If your workflow requires it, send separate contracts and trigger the next one from the contract_completed webhook.

Get Contract

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Contract Statuses

Send Contract

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Download Contract PDF