Playbooks: Apply Consistent Rules to Every Contract - Gavel

Built-in playbooks

Gavel Exec includes a library of built-in playbooks developed with expert attorneys in corporate and real estate law. You can run these immediately without any setup. Built-in playbooks cover:

• Market-standard benchmarks — Flag deviations from common market positions across standard agreement types.
• Client-favorable positions — Apply strong buyer or seller terms, depending on which side you represent.

Build your own playbook

You can create a custom playbook by adding rules manually or by generating rules from your existing documents, such as checklists, spreadsheet playbooks, or prior finalized agreements. Custom playbooks can include:

• Redlines
• Comments to opposing counsel
• Comments to your client for internal review

1. Open the Playbooks tab and create a new playbook
   Go to the Playbooks tab in the Gavel Exec panel and click + Create new.

2. Name your playbook
   Enter a name for your playbook and click +Create.

3. Add rules
   Choose one of two methods to populate your playbook:

   • Add rules manually
   • Generate from files

Click +Add rule. For each rule, enter a description with as much detail as needed, including specific guidance on how the AI should approach redlining for that issue.

Click Generate from Files to create rules automatically from your existing documents. You can upload docx, PDF, or csv files. From there, Gavel Exec will walk you through a short questionnaire:

1. Describe your goals
   Answer questions about what you want the playbook to accomplish.

2. Upload standards documents
   Upload the documents that define the standards your playbook should enforce — for example, a checklist, a policy memo, or a prior negotiated agreement.

3. Upload templates or finalized versions
   Upload template agreements or fully negotiated contracts you want the playbook to draw from when generating rules.

Gavel Exec converts the uploaded files into a set of reusable rules that apply consistent redlines across future deals.

Running a playbook

Once your playbook is ready, you have two options for how to run it:

• Run the entire playbook — Apply all rules at once to the open document. Gavel Exec works through each rule and surfaces the results in the chat panel.
• Run rules individually — Select a single rule and run only that rule against the document. Use this when you want to focus on a specific issue or test a new rule before running the full set.

Both options give you an opportunity to Run Playbook with Comments. This allows you to generate comments based on the redlines that apply when you accept the redline. You can further narrow down the scope of the comments by selecting the commenting style:

• Flag negotiation risks for my side
• Explain Key points/risks to my client
• Generate counterparty-facing negotiation comments

Playbooks vs. Projects

Playbooks work like a junior associate following a checklist: they enforce a consistent set of rules, flag deviations from preferred language, and apply the same positions across every contract. They are best for issue spotting and policy enforcement.

Projects work like a senior associate: they bring in broader deal context from multiple documents and standing instructions, and handle more complex judgment calls — such as negotiation strategy, multi-document review, and custom redlines informed by prior drafts. You can use both together. Run a Playbook for consistent rule enforcement, and use a Project in Chat Mode for the nuanced work that requires full deal context.