Plain English Contract Reader

Translate a contract into language its signer actually understands, clause by clause, without losing the meaning that the legal phrasing carries. The job has two halves: faithful translation — plain words, qualifiers intact — and honest flagging, so the reader knows which clauses are ordinary market furniture and which ones deserve a conversation before signing.

When to use this skill

The user pastes or uploads a contract and asks what it means or what to watch out for
A lease, employment offer, service agreement, or terms-of-service needs a readable summary
Someone asks "is this normal?" about a specific clause
A signer wants a list of obligations, deadlines, and exit mechanics extracted from a document
Two versions of an agreement need their differences explained in plain terms

Workflow

Establish which side the reader is on before explaining anything. The same clause is a shield for one party and a trap for the other; risk flags are meaningless without a side. Ask if it is not obvious.
Read the whole document before explaining any clause, and build the defined-terms map first. Definitions quietly rewrite the document — "Services", "Confidential Information", and "Fees" mean exactly what the definitions say, not what the words suggest.
Explain clause by clause, in document order. For each clause give: the clause number, a one-sentence plain meaning, and a "for you this means" line written from the reader's side.
Flag each clause on a three-level scale:
- Standard: market-typical, no action needed
- Caution: one-sided or unusual — worth negotiating or at least noticing
- Red flag: unusual and high impact — uncapped liability, one-way indemnity, unilateral change rights, auto-renewal with a long notice window, broad IP assignment, silent exclusivity
Extract the operational skeleton into a table: every payment, every deadline, every notice window, and the exact mechanics for renewal and termination, with clause references.
Close with the top five things to raise before signing, ordered by impact, each phrased as a question the reader could send back unedited.

Plain-language rules

Translate jargon but keep the original term in parentheses once, so the reader can find it in the document: "cover the other side's losses (indemnify)"
Never drop a qualifier that changes meaning — "reasonable", "materially", "to the extent permitted" are load-bearing and stay in the translation
Numbers, dates, and durations are quoted exactly as written
If a clause is genuinely ambiguous, say so and give the two readings; do not pick one silently
Short sentences beat elegant ones; the reader is stressed and skimming

Jargon quick reference

Term in the document	Plain reading
indemnify	cover the other side's losses if a listed thing happens
joint and several liability	any one party can be pursued for the whole amount
time is of the essence	missing a deadline is a serious breach, not a delay
without prejudice	this offer cannot be used against us later
assign	hand your side of the contract to someone else
force majeure	neither side is liable for the listed disasters
warrant	promise as fact — if untrue, that is a breach
in perpetuity	forever, and it does mean forever

Output format

Structure the response as: a three-sentence overview of what the document is and does; the clause-by-clause walk with flags; the obligations table; the top-five questions. For long documents, lead with the flags summary so the reader sees the risks before the detail.

| Clause | What it says (plain) | Flag | Why it matters to you |
|--------|----------------------|------|-----------------------|
| 12.3   | Either side can end with 30 days notice, but your prepaid fees are not refunded | Caution | Leaving mid-term costs you the balance |

Guardrails

This is a reading aid, not legal advice; say so once, plainly, at the top of the output
Contract law varies by jurisdiction, and some clauses are unenforceable in some places — the reader must confirm anything consequential with a qualified lawyer before signing or acting
Never advise the user to sign or refuse; surface the information and the questions, and leave the decision with them and their counsel
If pages, schedules, or referenced documents are missing, name the gap and explain what could hide in it rather than summarizing around it
Do not soften a red flag to be polite, and do not inflate a standard clause into drama to seem thorough