Find the clauses in a contract

Your document stays in this browser. A PDF is read here with the PDF.js library, which loads from cdnjs only when you pick a PDF. Scanned PDFs have no text to read; run them through our OCR tool first.

How do I use it?

  1. Add the contract. Paste the text, or press “Upload a PDF or text file”. Include amendments and exhibits, because price lists and data terms often sit there.
  2. Press “Find the clauses”. Each topic opens with the clauses that matched, the keywords highlighted and the page number for PDFs.
  3. Check the quick facts. The rules pick out time periods and dollar amounts from the retention, term and fee clauses. They are quoted text, not conclusions.
  4. Read the “not found” list. A missing topic means the clause may be absent, worded in an unusual way, or in an attachment you did not add.
  5. Export. Copy a Markdown report or download a CSV to share with colleagues or attach to a records request follow-up.

Try the made-up example first. It is a fictional agreement written for practice.

What does it look for?

  • Data retention and deletion. How long images, reads and logs are kept, and who deletes them.
  • Who owns the data. Whether the vendor may keep, aggregate or reuse data, for example to train its systems.
  • Sharing and access. Other agencies, networks and third parties that can search or receive the data.
  • Audit logs and oversight. Whether searches are logged with a reason, and who can review the logs.
  • Term, renewal and ending. Length, automatic renewal, notice periods and termination for convenience.
  • Costs and price increases. Per-unit fees, installation charges, caps and yearly increases.
  • Liability, warranty and indemnity. Who pays when something goes wrong.
  • Subpoenas and public records. What happens when a court or a records request asks for the data.
  • Equipment and installation. Who owns, installs and removes the devices, and rights to poles and rights-of-way.
  • Security and breach notice. Encryption, certifications and how fast a breach must be reported.
  • Governing law and disputes. Which law applies, venue, arbitration and jury waivers.

Each match needs more than one clue, such as a retention word plus a time period, so a stray word does not count. The rules are tuned for city and agency contracts for cameras, software and data services.

How should I read the results?

Treat the matches as a map, not a verdict. The finder shows where to read, not what the contract means.

  • Keywords miss wording. A clause that says “kept” instead of “retained” may be missed. A clause can also match without being about what you expect.
  • The contract may point elsewhere. Many agreements refer to terms of service, a data policy or an order form. Ask for those documents too.
  • Numbers need context. “30 days” could be a retention period, a notice period or a payment term. Read the sentence.
  • Compare. Run two cities’ contracts and compare the retention, sharing and audit clauses side by side.

How does the optional AI explain clauses safely?

It reads one clause at a time, and anything it cannot prove from the clause is hidden. Chrome’s Prompt API lets a page use a model that Chrome runs on your device. It is listed from Chrome 148 for the web, on desktop only, and the first use downloads the model Chrome for Developers: Prompt API (read 22 Oct 2026).

  • Quote check. The model must copy each fact word for word from the clause. The page searches the clause for that text, ignoring spacing and curly quotes, and hides anything it cannot find.
  • Number check. If the summary contains a figure that is not in the clause, the whole summary is hidden and a warning is shown.
  • Limits. The model can still misread legal wording or miss a qualifier. Summaries are labelled unverified and sit under the original text.
  • Where it works. Desktop Chrome with enough disk and a capable GPU or 16 GB of RAM. Elsewhere the button explains why it is unavailable and the keyword results still work.

Where do I get a contract to check?

Ask the city clerk or purchasing office for the signed agreement, every amendment and each exhibit. Council meeting packets often already include the contract, so search the agenda for the vote that approved it.

If it is not posted, file a public records request. Our public records search guide covers how, and the surveillance mapping guide shows how we trace a camera network from contracts and council votes. To see what officials have said about their own plate-reader rules, use our police statements dataset.

Sources

  1. Chrome for Developers: Prompt API (read 22 Oct 2026)
  2. Max Intel, OCR text extractor, public records search and investigation mapping guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Contract Clause Finder do?

It reads a contract you paste or upload and highlights the clauses on 11 topics: data retention, data ownership, sharing, audit logs, term and renewal, fees, liability, subpoenas and public records, equipment, security and breach notice, and governing law. It also lists topics it found nothing on, which can be as telling as what it found.

Is my contract uploaded anywhere?

No. The text is read and searched in your browser. If you pick a PDF, the PDF.js library loads from cdnjs.cloudflare.com so the file can be read, but the file itself is not sent anywhere.

Which files can it read?

Pasted text, plain text and Markdown files, and PDFs that contain selectable text, up to 300 pages. A scanned PDF has no text, so run it through our OCR tool first. For a Word file, copy the text and paste it in.

Does it use AI?

The finding is rules-based and works in every browser. An optional button asks your browser’s built-in model, in desktop Chrome 148 or later, to explain each clause in plain English. That model runs on your device, and the clause text is not sent to us or to an AI company.

Can I trust the AI summaries?

Treat them as a reading aid. Any quote the model gives must appear word for word in the clause, or it is hidden. A summary that mentions a number the clause does not contain is hidden too. These checks catch invented details, not every misreading, so read the clause itself.

What should I look for in a surveillance vendor contract?

Start with how long data is kept, who owns it and whether the vendor may reuse it, who else can search it, whether searches are logged, how the contract renews and ends, and what the price does each year. The finder groups those clauses so you can compare them across cities.

Is this legal advice?

No. It finds and highlights text. It cannot tell you what a clause means in your state, whether it is enforceable, or what is missing. For a decision that matters, ask a lawyer or your city attorney.

Next step

Have a scanned contract? Run it through the OCR text extractor, then paste the text here. Need the contract itself? Start with the public records search guide.

OCR text extractor Public records search Mapping a surveillance network Flock Safety guide