Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Amendment History Tracer agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The amendment-history skill is an add-on for Claude-based agents that reads a base contract together with its amendments, puts them in order, and reports what changed. It is aimed at in-house legal teams and contract managers who work with agreements that have been amended several times. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and what to check before relying on its output.
Amendment History Traceranthropics/claude-for-legal · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the amendment-history ZIP file from this page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
- 3Or upload it in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Gather the documents. Collect the base agreement and every amendment as PDF or text files.
- 5Ask in plain language. Request a summary of changes or name a clause, such as indemnity or liability.
- 6Answer any clarifying question. If the order is unclear or a term matches several provisions, reply to the question the skill asks.
- 7Check the output with a lawyer. Verify the section references and the controlling wording with a qualified lawyer before relying on it.
What the amendment-history skill makes the agent do
Contracts pick up amendments over time, and by the third one it can be unclear what the original said or which wording controls. This skill has the agent read the base agreement and every amendment in chronological order, then do one of two things: summarize every change across the agreement, or follow one clause, such as indemnity or liability, through each version to identify the current controlling wording.
The approach is plain: read the documents in order and report what changed. In summary mode, each finding is tied to a section reference so you can check it against the source document.
- Summary mode: lists changes amendment by amendment, with the purpose of each amendment where the documents state it.
- Provision trace mode: follows one clause through every version and points to the language that currently applies.
- Input today is uploaded files (PDF or text). CLM and repository lookups are marked coming soon and are not yet available.
Install the amendment-history skill
You can install the skill in one of two ways. Download the ZIP file from this page. Then either unzip it into your personal skills folder, ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want the skill available only in that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead of Claude Code, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal use across projects: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/.
- Single project only: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- Claude apps: upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Check what you need before you start
The skill needs Claude Code or a compatible agent with the claude-for-legal commercial-legal plugin context. Your input must be the contract files themselves, in PDF or text form. The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, so the documents are processed only in the agent session.
Keep the CLM and repository options in mind. Their entries are marked coming soon, so for now you should upload the files yourself.
- Claude Code or a compatible agent with the commercial-legal plugin context.
- The base agreement and each amendment as PDF or text files.
- No scripts are run and no network access is used, according to the skill's listing.
Ask for the amendment history with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill triggers on everyday wording. Phrases such as "what changed in this contract over time", "show me the amendment history", "where's the latest indemnity clause", or "how has the termination provision evolved" are all matched. Uploading several versions of one agreement and asking what changed also triggers it.
If your request names a specific clause, the skill goes straight to a provision trace. If it names no clause, it produces a full summary. It asks you a question only when the request is genuinely unclear.
- Full summary: "Show me the amendment history for these files."
- Single clause: "Where's the latest limitation of liability language?"
- Ambiguous term: if a word such as "indemnity" matches more than one provision, the skill lists the candidates and asks which one you mean.
/commercial-legal:amendment-history acme-msa.pdf amendment-1.pdf amendment-2.pdfExamples of what to ask and what you get back
A summary run returns the base agreement date, the number of amendments and the date range, then a chronological list of changes. Each change looks like: termination for convenience (section reference): added, with a plain-English description of what it does.
A provision trace names the clause, shows how it changed across versions, and states which wording controls now. The skill also flags any party that was added or renamed between documents.
- Summary example: "Summarize the amendments to the Acme agreement."
- Provision example: "How has the indemnity clause changed across these amendments?"
- Quick-command example: /commercial-legal:amendment-history --provision indemnity
/commercial-legal:amendment-history --provision indemnitySafety, privilege and review
The output is a working analysis, not final legal advice. Misreading an amendment can change obligations, so have a qualified lawyer check the result before you act on it.
The output inherits the privilege and confidentiality status of the source documents. Do not paste confidential or privileged contracts into a tool that has not been approved for that purpose. Handle outputs within the privilege circle, and remove the work-product header before any external delivery.
- Treat the result as a draft analysis for lawyer review.
- Use only approved tools for privileged or confidential contracts.
- If the order of amendments cannot be determined from titles or dates, expect the skill to ask you to confirm.
Tips for better results
Name amendments clearly in your filenames, such as Amendment No. 1 or Second Amendment, and keep the base agreement's date visible. The skill orders documents from titles and dates, and generic names such as agreement-final.pdf or agreement-v2.pdf force it to ask for confirmation.
Upload every amendment, not only the latest one. A trace is only as complete as the set of documents it reads.
- Use descriptive filenames or titles that show sequence.
- Include all amendments in one request.
- Ask for one provision at a time for the most focused answer.
What people use it for
- An in-house legal team checking which indemnity wording applies after several amendments.
- A contract manager confirming the current renewal or termination terms for a long-running agreement.
- Reviewing a stack of uploaded agreement versions to see what changed over time.
- Preparing a list of changes to pass to a stakeholder, followed by a separate review of the current agreement.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the amendment-history skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for a single project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need to run the amendment-history skill?
You need Claude Code or a compatible agent with the claude-for-legal commercial-legal plugin context. Your contract and amendment files should be PDF or text. The CLM and repository options are marked coming soon and are not yet available.
Is the amendment-history skill free to use?
The source material for this page does not state pricing or licence terms beyond the listed licence, Apache-2.0. Check the licence text yourself before using or redistributing it.
Does the skill run scripts or access the internet?
According to the listing, it does not run scripts and does not use the network. It works from the files you provide during the agent session.
Can the skill give me final legal advice on a contract?
No. The output is a working analysis, and misreading an amendment can change obligations. A qualified lawyer should check the results before you act on them.
What should I do if the skill says it cannot determine the amendment order?
Give it clearer information, such as renaming the files to show sequence like Amendment No. 1 and Second Amendment, or confirm the order when it asks. Generic names such as agreement-final.pdf make ordering harder.
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Our verdict
This skill suits in-house legal teams and contract managers who regularly handle agreements amended several times and want a clear, ordered view of what changed. It is not a substitute for a lawyer's review, and it is a poor fit for privileged contracts pasted into tools you have not approved. If you need live connections to a CLM or document repository, wait until those integrations are available, or upload the files yourself.
Download the skill