How to find a clause across all your contracts

Some questions cover every contract at once. Which of our supplier agreements renew automatically? Where did we agree to uncapped liability? Which client contracts let them terminate on 30 days’ notice? The answer sits in a clause in each agreement, and each agreement phrases it its own way, under a different heading, on a different page.

This guide covers how people usually check a clause across a stack of contracts, and how to do it in Fabric with meaning-based search, exact matching, and an AI assistant that lists what it finds with links to each source.

How people usually check a clause across contracts

The manual route is to open each contract and use Ctrl+F for a likely word: “renew”, “terminate”, “liability”. It’s thorough for a handful of agreements. With forty, it takes an afternoon, and keyword search can miss a clause that says “shall continue for successive twelve-month periods” instead of “renews”.

Many teams keep a spreadsheet of key terms: counterparty, start date, renewal, notice period. That gives a quick overview when it’s maintained. It depends on someone reading each new contract and filling in the row, and on that person reading the clause the same way every time.

Larger organizations use contract management software, which is built for this and priced for legal teams. For a small business, a studio or a consultancy, the realistic alternative is often asking a lawyer to review the stack, which is the right call for decisions and an expensive way to answer “where is it?”.

Step 1: Put all the contracts in one folder

Upload signed PDFs and Word files by dragging them into Fabric or clicking Upload a file, which handles large batches. Forward contracts that arrive by email to your Fabric email address. Scanned paper agreements work too, since search reads text in photos and scanned pages.

Keeping them in one folder or space matters for this task, because the AI assistant can be limited to a folder. If they live in Google Drive, a two-way Google Drive connection brings them in and keeps them in sync; connections need a paid plan. Our Learn guide to organizing client files has ideas for structuring them by client.

Step 2: Search for the clause by meaning

Open search with the button or Cmd+F (Mac) / Ctrl+F (Windows) and describe the clause: “contract renews automatically unless canceled”, “cap on liability”, “client can terminate with notice”. Search is hybrid, matching by meaning as well as keyword, so it can surface a clause written as “successive twelve-month periods” for a query about auto-renewal.

Results open at the exact page in each contract, so you go straight to the clause instead of scrolling from the cover page. Filter by folder location to keep the search inside your contracts, or by tag if you’ve tagged them by client or year.

When you find a clause worth coming back to, highlight it and add a comment in the PDF. A note such as “30 days, must be in writing” sits on the clause itself, and it gives the next search something plain to match.

Step 3: Match exact wording with quotes

Standard clauses often reuse the same language, especially if your contracts started from one template. Put a phrase in quotes, such as “indemnify and hold harmless” or “governing law”, and search matches it strictly.

Using both kinds of search together works well. Quotes catch every contract built from your template. Meaning-based search catches the ones the other side drafted, where the same idea arrives in different words.

Quotes are also the quickest way to check a defined term across the stack. Searching “Confidential Information” in quotes shows every contract that uses that exact phrase, which is a fast first pass before reading how each one defines it. The same approach works for party names, product names and the titles of schedules or annexes that several agreements refer to.

Step 4: Ask the AI assistant to list every instance

Open the contracts folder and open the AI assistant, or right-click the folder and add it to the assistant’s context. It’s then limited to that folder and analyzes everything inside. Ask: “list every contract with an auto-renewal clause, with the notice period needed to cancel”. The answer includes clickable references to each source, so you can check every entry against the document.

Follow-up questions refine the list: “which of those renew in the next six months?” or “which ones don’t name a governing law?” One subscription covers models from several AI labs, including Gemini, OpenAI and Claude, if you want to compare how different models read the same set.

Treat the result as a finding aid. The assistant locates and quotes clauses; whether a clause protects you, or how it should be renegotiated, is a judgment for you and your legal advisers.

Step 5: Save the answer as a reference note

Save the assistant’s answer as a note and you have a clause summary that links back to each contract. Keep it in the contracts folder, add to it when new agreements arrive, and it becomes the lightweight version of the key-terms spreadsheet. How to keep track of renewal dates shows how to follow up on what you find.

If you want new contracts gathered automatically, a smart collection fills itself based on content.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search all my contracts for a specific clause?

Keep the contracts in Fabric and search for the clause by describing it, or put its exact wording in quotes. Results open at the page where the clause appears.

Can search find a clause that uses different wording?

Yes. Search matches by meaning as well as keyword, so a description of the clause can find versions phrased differently.

Can AI list every contract that has an auto-renewal clause?

Yes. Ask the AI assistant inside your contracts folder and it lists what it finds, with clickable references to each source.

Can I limit the AI to just my contracts?

Yes. Open the folder before opening the assistant, or right-click the folder and add it to the assistant’s context.

Does this work on scanned contracts?

Yes. Search covers text in images and scans, including photographed text.

Is this a replacement for legal review?

No. Fabric helps you find and quote clauses quickly. Interpreting them is a job for you and your lawyer.

Can I keep the results?

Yes. Save the assistant’s answer as a note, which keeps its links back to each contract.

Which plan do I need?

Uploading and limited AI use are on the free plan. Connecting Google Drive needs a paid plan. See pricing for what each plan includes.