If you've ever wasted half an hour hunting for the “right” indemnity clause—or, worse, copy-pasted the wrong one into a contract—you know why clause libraries matter. This guide is for anyone using Agiloft and wants to save time, reduce errors, and quit reinventing the wheel every time legal needs a new draft. Legal ops, in-house counsel, contract managers: this one's for you.
Let’s break down how to set up a clause library in Agiloft that actually works, not just for the first month, but over the long haul.
Why Clause Libraries Matter (and Where They Go Wrong)
A clause library is just what it sounds like: a searchable collection of pre-approved contract clauses. Ideally, this lets you build contracts faster, keep language consistent, and lower risk. But most clause libraries flop because they’re:
- Disorganized (nobody can find what they need)
- Out of date (old language still lurking)
- Too complicated (endless variations, little guidance)
Agiloft gives you tools to build a clause library, but it won’t fix these problems for you. You have to do the setup work—and the ongoing maintenance. Here’s how.
Step 1: Plan Your Clause Library Structure
Before you touch Agiloft, figure out what you actually need. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a junk drawer of random clauses.
Get clear on: - Which contracts matter most? Focus on high-volume or high-risk agreements first (e.g., NDAs, MSAs, SOWs). - Who’s drafting? The process should be dead simple for business users, not just legal. - How much variation? Fight the urge to create a clause for every possible scenario. Start with the essentials.
Pro tip: Don’t overcomplicate this. You can always add more clauses later. It’s easier to expand a simple system than clean up a monster library.
Step 2: Set Up the Clause Library Table in Agiloft
Agiloft uses “tables” to organize data. Out of the box, there’s a Clause Library table, but it’s often generic. You’ll want to tweak it.
To do this: 1. Go to Setup > Tables in Agiloft’s admin area. 2. Find the Clause Library table (or create a new one if your instance doesn’t have it). 3. Check the default fields. At minimum, you’ll want: - Clause Name/Title - Clause Text (the stuff that goes in contracts) - Clause Type/Category (e.g., confidentiality, liability) - Status (approved, draft, deprecated) - Jurisdiction or Region (if it matters) - Version or Last Updated Date - Owner/Approver (who owns it)
What to ignore: Don’t bother with 20 metadata fields unless you know you’ll use them. Too many fields just slow people down.
Step 3: Add and Organize Clauses
Now, the grunt work—loading your actual clause content.
- Start with what’s already approved. Pull language from recent signed contracts, your playbook, or existing templates.
- Deduplicate. If you have 5 indemnity clauses and nobody can explain the difference, pick one. Archive the rest.
- Standardize formatting. Clean up weird line breaks, inconsistent numbering, and typos before you import.
In Agiloft: - Use the “New Clause” button to add each clause. - Fill in the fields you set up earlier. - Attach guidance or usage notes if you want—these can help business users understand when to use (or avoid) a clause.
Pro tip: Add a “Deprecated” status for clauses you don’t want used anymore but can’t delete for audit reasons.
Step 4: Set Up Approval and Version Control
Clauses change. People try to sneak edits in. If you don’t track versions, chaos follows.
Here’s what actually works: - Approval workflow: Set up a rule so that any new or edited clause has to be reviewed by legal before it’s “live.” In Agiloft, use workflow rules or approval processes for this. - Versioning: Every time a clause changes, store the old version. Use fields like “Last Updated” and “Version Number.” - Audit trail: Make sure you can see who edited what, and when. Agiloft’s built-in history tracking is usually enough.
What doesn’t work: Letting everyone edit clauses directly. Keep permissions tight. Most users should only be able to view and insert clauses—not edit them.
Step 5: Make the Library Searchable and User-Friendly
If people can’t find the right clause fast, they’ll just copy text from an old Word doc.
- Set up filters and views: In Agiloft, create saved views for common categories (e.g., “All NDA Clauses,” “APAC Variations,” “Recently Updated”).
- Use plain-English names: “Mutual NDA – Short Form” is better than “Clause 7.3(b) – 2019 template.”
- Add guidance: Short descriptions or usage notes go a long way for non-lawyers.
Watch out for: Overly granular categories. If you have to scroll through 30 filters to find “Liability – Europe – SaaS – Beta Customers,” you’ve gone too far.
Step 6: Connect Clauses to Templates and Workflows
A clause library is pointless if it just sits there. You want it plugged into your contract templates and drafting process.
- Link clauses to contract templates: Use Agiloft’s template editor to insert clause placeholders that pull from the library.
- Enable clause selection: Set up rules so users can pick from approved clause options when they generate a contract (e.g., mutual vs. unilateral NDA).
- Automate where it makes sense: If a contract’s jurisdiction is France, suggest only France-approved clauses.
What to skip: Trying to automate every single clause choice from day one. Start with high-volume contracts, and expand from there.
Step 7: Train (and Re-Train) Your Users
Even the best library fails if nobody knows how (or why) to use it.
- Short training: Show your team how to search and insert clauses into drafts.
- Cheat sheets: One-pagers with “where to find what” are more useful than 30-slide decks.
- Feedback loop: Ask what’s missing or confusing. Update the library accordingly.
Pro tip: Check usage stats every few months. If certain clauses are never used—or people keep editing templates manually—you’ve got a problem to fix.
Step 8: Maintain, Review, and Improve
A clause library isn’t “set it and forget it.” Build in regular reviews.
- Quarterly audits: Review usage. Are some clauses outdated or unused? Time to clean up.
- Legal updates: When laws change, update clauses and notify users.
- Deprecate, don’t delete: Archive old clauses but keep them for reference and compliance.
What to ignore: Endless “what if” scenarios. If you try to prep for every edge case, your library will grow unwieldy. Focus on the 80% use cases.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Don’t wait until your clause library is “perfect” to roll it out. Start simple, make it easy to use, and improve as you go. The real test is whether your team actually drafts contracts faster—and with fewer errors. If not, adjust. No system is set in stone.
Bottom line: A clause library in Agiloft can save you time and headaches, but only if you keep it clean, current, and dead simple to use. Start small, involve your users, and keep tightening things up as you learn what works.