Your AI assistant — what it can do
ContractShield ships a built-in assistant that doesn't just answer questions — it can quote, schedule, log time, send change orders, and message clients for you. Same data your dashboard uses, talked to in plain language.
Why use it
Most ContractShield workflows are 4-6 clicks across multiple screens — open project, find the right tab, fill the form, confirm, save. The assistant collapses those into one sentence. You stay in flow, the assistant handles the navigation.
Where to find it
The assistant lives behind the chat icon in the bottom-right of every dashboard page. Click to open, type your request, hit enter. It remembers your context within a single conversation but starts fresh each session — no lingering state to manage.
What it can do
Six categories of capability. Each card shows what the assistant can do, what to say to trigger it, and the underlying tool name (handy if you're filing a bug report).
Look up information (read tools)
Ask the assistant about your business state — projects, quotes, invoices, payments, team. The assistant pulls the answer live from your data instead of you clicking through screens.
Try saying:
- "What's the status of my Smith bathroom remodel?"
- "Show me unpaid invoices over $1,000"
- "Which quotes haven't been responded to in a week?"
- "Are there any new jobs near me?"
- "How much did I bill last month?"
Tools used:
- list_projects, get_project, list_clients, list_quotes, get_quote
- list_invoices, list_contracts, list_work_orders, list_payments
- list_tasks, get_schedule, get_dashboard_summary
- search_available_jobs, list_subcontractors
- get_user_location, get_current_user
Quote actions
Draft new quotes, send them to clients, or accept incoming quotes — all from chat. The assistant always shows you the details first and waits for your okay before sending.
Try saying:
- "Draft a quote for the Henderson kitchen — $4,500 labor, $2,800 materials"
- "Send the Henderson quote to Sarah for review"
- "Accept the Maple St. plumbing quote from Mike's Plumbing"
- "What pricing should I suggest for these line items?"
Tools used:
- draft_quote — contractor
- send_quote_to_client — contractor
- accept_quote — client
- suggest_quote_pricing — contractor
- assess_project_risk — contractor
Project management
Move projects through their lifecycle without opening the UI. Update status, mark milestones, log time — the assistant writes to the same tables your dashboard reads from.
Try saying:
- "Mark the Maple Street project as completed"
- "Put the Henderson kitchen on hold — waiting on tile delivery"
- "Mark Milestone 2 done on the Roberts addition"
- "Log 4.5 hours on the Roberts addition — finished framing today"
Tools used:
- update_project_status
- mark_milestone_complete
- log_time_entry
Communication
Message clients on a quote thread or schedule a calendar event for a project — the assistant prepares the wording and confirms before posting. Anything visible to the client gets a confirmation step.
Try saying:
- "Tell Sarah we'll be there Wednesday at 9am"
- "Schedule a walkthrough Friday 2-3pm at 142 Maple Street"
- "Send the Henderson client a check-in — let them know we hit Milestone 1"
Tools used:
- send_message_to_client
- schedule_event
Change orders
File change orders mid-project for additional scope, materials, or schedule changes. The assistant captures the amount and reason, the client approves on their side.
Try saying:
- "File a change order on the Henderson kitchen — $1,200 extra for the upgraded hood vent"
- "Add a change order for the Roberts addition — found rotted joists, +$2,400 and +3 days"
Tools used:
- create_change_order
Invoicing
Draft invoices from your quote totals or from milestone-based billing. The assistant pulls the line items, you review, then send.
Try saying:
- "Create an invoice for Milestone 1 on the Henderson kitchen — $5,400"
- "Draft an invoice for the completed Maple Street project"
Tools used:
- create_invoice
What it can't do (and why)
Four guardrails the assistant always follows. These are deliberate — they're what makes it safe to give the assistant write access to your business.
Confirms before sending anything visible to the client
Quote sends, client messages, and quote acceptances always show the full details first and wait for your explicit okay. The assistant never posts to a client without your confirmation.
Verifies you own what you're acting on
Every action checks that the project, quote, or work order belongs to you. You can't accidentally update someone else's data, and the assistant won't try.
Refuses to act on stale or invalid data
If you ask the assistant to send a quote that's already been sent, accept a quote that's expired, or mark a completed milestone done, it pushes back instead of silently doing nothing.
Echoes a one-line summary after every action
After each action the assistant gives you a tight summary like "Quote ab12cd34 sent to Sarah" so you have a record of what it actually did, not just what it intended.
Capabilities by role
Contractors and clients get different tool sets — the assistant only offers actions that make sense for your role on the marketplace.
Contractors
Run your business from chat — quote, schedule, log time, send change orders, invoice clients.
- Read everything (projects, quotes, invoices, jobs, payments, team)
- Draft and send quotes
- Update project status and mark milestones complete
- Log time entries (billable or non-billable)
- Send messages to clients on quote threads
- Schedule calendar events on projects
- Create change orders for scope changes
- Draft invoices
- Search the job-board for new work
- Get AI risk assessments and pricing suggestions
Clients
Track your projects, accept quotes, post work orders — without hunting through the UI.
- Read your projects, quotes, invoices, contracts, work orders
- Post new work orders
- Accept quotes submitted by contractors
- Send messages on quote threads
- Schedule calendar events on your projects
- Update project status (e.g. close out a finished project)
- Mark milestones complete
- Get help and support links
Tips for getting the best answers
Be specific with names
If you have two Henderson projects, say which one — kitchen vs. addition. The assistant will ask for clarification if it's ambiguous, but specifics save a round trip.
Skip the formality
It works the same whether you write "please draft a quote for..." or "quote: 4500 labor, 2800 materials, henderson kitchen." The assistant is good at parsing both.
Confirm with one word
When the assistant proposes an action ("Ready to send this quote to Sarah?"), "yes" or "send it" both work. You don't have to repeat the details.
Stop or correct mid-flow
If the assistant misunderstood, say "wait, no — different project" or "actually the labor is $5,200 not $4,500" and it will adjust.
Ask for analysis, not just data
Beyond "show me invoices", try "which clients are slowest to pay?" or "what's my margin trend this quarter?" The assistant can synthesize, not just retrieve.
Built for the way contractors work
The assistant runs on the same data your dashboard does. Anything you can do by clicking, you can do by typing. Anything that's visible to a client always asks first.