Overview
In PlaybookOS (PbOS), Topics are the heartbeat of your playbook. They define what you care about in a contract and set the stage for how AI interprets and acts on clauses. Every outcome, position, or scenario flows from the foundation a topic creates.
Think of topics as the chapters of your negotiation playbook—each one focused on a specific contractual issue (e.g., Limitation of Liability, Payment Terms, or Governing Law). Well-designed topics don’t just surface clauses—they give reviewers context, guidance, and direction, transforming contract review into a structured, intelligent workflow.
Topic
Topics
Description: Briefly explains its purpose or relevance
Category: Playbook group (e.g., Confidentiality). While multiple categories can be added, using more than one may duplicate tasks in the worklist so we typically just keep it to one
Criteria: Defines how to locate the topic in a contract (e.g., Locate the clause that defines Confidential Information)
Outcomes: Specifies the action to take when the topic is found vs. not found (e.g., If "Confidential Information" is found, Review; if not, Add)
Positions: Optional deeper analysis when the topic needs detailed review
What Is a Topic?
A Topic in PbOS represents a single legal or business issue that matters to your organization. Each topic captures three core elements:
| Element | Purpose |
| Title | The short, clear name of the provision being analyzed. Example: “Confidentiality,” “Term & Termination.” |
| Description | A concise explanation of why this issue matters—covering its business purpose, associated risk, or key negotiation points. |
| Category (Optional) | Logical grouping used to organize related topics for easier navigation (e.g., “Data Privacy,” “Commercial Terms”). |
Together, these fields create the semantic foundation that AI and human reviewers rely on to interpret a contract’s contents.
Why Topics Matter
🧠 Topics Teach the AI What’s Important
PbOS Topics aren’t just labels—they define the scope of what the AI is trained to look for.
When you create a topic, you’re effectively teaching the system “This is a key concept—find it, evaluate it, and act on it.”
The Search Criteria attached to a topic (PROMPT, EDITED, or TERMS & CONNECTORS) guide the AI to locate relevant clauses. For example:
“Find any clause that limits a party’s liability.”
This natural-language approach ensures the AI’s focus mirrors your business priorities, rather than relying on rigid keyword matching.
🎯 Topics Drive the Review Workflow
Every task the reviewer sees in the Contract Analyzer originates from a topic.
When PbOS detects a clause under a given topic, it generates actions—such as Accept, Edit, Add, or Escalate—based on your defined Outcomes.
In other words:
- Topics define the questions. Outcomes define the answers.
- Without clearly written topics, your review tasks risk being incomplete or misaligned with your company’s actual risk framework.
⚖️ Topics Anchor Business Logic and Consistency
For organizations managing multiple playbooks (e.g., NDAs, MSAs, SaaS Agreements), consistency is key.
Well-structured topics ensure that every reviewer—regardless of team or region—sees the same guidance and decision logic.
By standardizing the way you name, describe, and categorize topics, you:
- Eliminate subjective interpretations of key issues.
- Reduce training time for new reviewers.
- Make playbook updates scalable across templates and teams.
🚀 Topics Enable Layered Analysis Through Positions and Scenarios
Topics form the gateway to deeper logic within PbOS:
- When an Outcome uses PROCEED, the system moves into Positions for sub-analysis.
- Each Scenario within an outcome tailors guidance for unique contexts (e.g., jurisdiction, counterparty type, or deal size).
Without a solid topic foundation, these advanced layers can’t function effectively.
Strong topic design keeps your playbook flexible yet controlled—broad enough for general detection, specific enough for nuanced decision-making.
Best Practices for Designing Effective Topics
Start Simple
Begin with your top 5–10 contract issues before scaling up. Complex logic can always be added later using Scenarios and Positions.
Be Descriptive but Concise
Limit topic descriptions to 2–4 sentences. These explanations appear in the reviewer’s task list—brevity improves clarity.
Use Categories Thoughtfully
Organize topics by business function (e.g., Risk, Finance, Data Privacy) to simplify navigation and filtering.
Write Search Criteria in Plain Language
PbOS interprets prompts naturally. Example:
“Locate clauses that describe how the customer must pay invoices.”
Avoid technical phrasing—simple language leads to better detection and easier human validation.
Iterate with Real Contracts
Test topics in the Analyzer. If results are too broad or narrow, refine your criteria using MUST, MAY, and MUST NOT operators.
Common Pitfalls
| Mistake | Why It’s Problematic | Fix |
| Too many topics | Overwhelms reviewers with unnecessary detail. | Consolidate related issues under one topic; use Positions for variations. |
| Overly broad prompts | Causes false positives or irrelevant matches. | Narrow your Criteria with “MUST NOT” or specific phrasing. |
| Vague descriptions | Reviewers can’t understand intent. | Add clear rationale—why does this issue matter? |
| Duplicated topics across playbooks | Creates inconsistencies in logic. | Maintain a shared topic library for reusability. |
Example: Topic in Action
Topic: Limitation of Liability
Description: This clause limits a party’s financial exposure. It’s critical to ensure caps are reasonable and exceptions (like confidentiality or IP breaches) are included.
Criteria: “Find any clause that limits a party’s liability.”
Outcomes:
- Found → Review or Edit to confirm liability cap and carve-outs.
- Not Found → Add standard limitation clause.
This single topic drives AI detection, reviewer tasks, and redline actions—all from one source of truth.
Key Takeaway
Topics are the cornerstone of PlaybookOS. They bridge business priorities and AI logic, ensuring every clause detection leads to meaningful action. A well-crafted topic doesn’t just make your playbook functional—it makes it intelligent.
When building your next playbook, start here. Define the issues that matter most, write clear descriptions, and let Topics set the standard for everything that follows.