Guide · Agent skill
How to use the oc-status agent skill for outside counsel emails
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The oc-status skill is a set of instructions that lets an AI agent (in this case Claude Code or a compatible agent) draft a weekly status-request email to each outside counsel firm handling your active matters. It is written for in-house legal teams, legal operations staff and attorneys who send regular check-ins. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and what it needs before it will work.
Outside Counsel Status Emailsanthropics/claude-for-legal · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the oc-status ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- 2Set up your config folder. Make sure matters/_log.yaml, per-matter matter.md and history.md files, and CLAUDE.md exist under the litigation-legal config folder.
- 3Check the log fields. Confirm each matter has status, outside_counsel firm, lead and email, and next_deadline where relevant, since the filter depends on them.
- 4Run a single-matter test. Ask for a draft for one matter, or run /oc-status --slug=foo, and read the markdown output before running a full batch.
- 5Run the full weekly batch. Ask for the weekly OC status requests or run /oc-status to draft every qualifying matter.
- 6Review and send. Open the drafts or Gmail drafts, strip the send-gate note, check privilege and facts, then send them yourself.
What is an agent skill, and what does oc-status do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an AI agent how to perform a specific task. When the agent recognises a matching request, it follows those instructions. The oc-status skill is one of these, in the litigation-legal part of the claude-for-legal collection, and its only bundled file is SKILL.md.
Once installed, the agent reads your matter log (matters/_log.yaml), each matter's matter.md and history.md files, and your CLAUDE.md configuration with outside counsel directive style, signer name and email, and privilege conventions. It then writes one draft status-request email per qualifying matter as a markdown file. If a Gmail connector is authenticated, it also creates Gmail drafts.
The skill skips matters that were updated recently and flags items for review. It does not send email. A person reviews and sends every message.
Install the oc-status skill
There are two ways to install it. Download the ZIP from this directory page and unzip it into one of these locations: ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available across your projects, or a project's .claude/skills/ folder to limit it to that project.
Alternatively, in the Claude apps, go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Prepare the files the skill reads
The skill does not create your matter records. It depends on a folder layout and a log file that must already exist. The source specifies these paths under your plugin config folder: ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/. Inside it, the skill expects matters/_log.yaml, a folder per matter containing matter.md and history.md, and a CLAUDE.md file with your outside counsel directive style, signer name and email, budget posture and privilege conventions.
- matters/_log.yaml: the filtering and field source, including status, outside_counsel fields and next_deadline
- matters/[slug]/matter.md: current posture and open questions
- matters/[slug]/history.md: recent events
- CLAUDE.md: tone, signer details, budget posture, privilege marking
~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/How do you trigger the skill?
You can ask in natural language. The skill's description covers requests for OC status requests, weekly outside counsel check-ins, or per-matter status emails drafted from the portfolio log. You can also invoke it directly with the slash command.
Ad-hoc runs use /oc-status. To draft for a single matter, use /oc-status --slug=foo, replacing foo with the matter's slug. Accepted flags are --all, --slug=[slug] and --no-gmail.
- "Draft this week's OC status requests."
- "Do the weekly outside counsel check-ins from the portfolio log."
- "Draft a status email for the Foo matter to its outside counsel."
/oc-status --slug=fooUnderstand the filters and flags
By default, a matter is included when it is not closed, has both an outside counsel firm and lead recorded, and either its last update is more than 10 days old or it has a next_deadline within 21 days. Matters with an outside counsel email missing in the log are skipped for Gmail, but the skill still produces markdown for them.
Use --all to draft for every active matter regardless of recency. Use --no-gmail to skip Gmail draft creation even when it is available.
- Default: not closed, firm and lead present, and stale (over 10 days) or deadline within 21 days
- --all: every active matter
- --slug=[slug]: one matter
- --no-gmail: markdown only
Review the output
Markdown drafts are written to a dated folder under oc-status/, one file per matter, plus a _summary.md that lists what ran, what was drafted and what was skipped and why. Each draft carries a header and a closing send-gate note, which you should strip before sending. The skill's own note asks you to check for privileged content you did not intend to share, factual accuracy, tone and budget posture.
If Gmail drafts were created, they sit in your Drafts folder for you to review and send.
- Check for privileged or strategic content that should not go to outside counsel in writing
- Confirm factual accuracy against your own records
- Adjust tone and budget posture
- Apply the house privilege marking at the top of the sent email
What people use it for
- Drafting a consistent weekly check-in across 5 to 15 matters handled by different outside firms, as the skill's purpose describes.
- Producing a first draft of routine status emails that an attorney edits before sending.
- Generating a run summary that shows which matters were skipped because of recent updates and which lacked an outside counsel email in the log.
- Creating Gmail drafts for each qualifying matter when a Gmail connector is authenticated, so they can be reviewed in Drafts.
Frequently asked questions
Is the oc-status skill free?
The source does not state pricing or licence fees for Claude itself. The skill is listed under the Apache-2.0 licence on its directory page, so check that licence text for the terms that apply to the code.
What do I need to use oc-status?
You need Claude Code or a compatible agent with access to the litigation-legal config folder, a matter log at matters/_log.yaml, per-matter matter.md and history.md files, and a CLAUDE.md with outside counsel directive style, signer details and privilege conventions. A Gmail connector is optional.
Does oc-status send emails automatically?
No. The skill creates drafts only, either as markdown files or Gmail drafts. Counsel or the sender reviews and sends them. The skill's own notes warn that routine check-ins can reveal strategy or privileged content.
Can I run oc-status every week automatically?
Not out of the box. The skill suggests setting a recurring reminder to invoke /litigation-legal:oc-status, such as on Monday morning. Automated scheduling needs a scheduled-tasks integration, which is not bundled with the plugin.
Why did oc-status skip a matter?
Based on the default filter, it skips matters that had a status update in the last 10 days, and matters where the outside counsel email is null in the log. Check _summary.md in the dated output folder, which lists skipped matters and the reason for each.
How does oc-status compare with writing emails by hand?
The skill targets the repetitive part of the job: the same structure, audience and tone across many matters. It cannot invent specific questions beyond what matter.md contains, so thin matter files produce short, broad emails that you still need to edit.
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Our verdict
oc-status suits in-house legal teams, legal operations staff and attorneys who already keep a structured matter log and send regular check-ins to several outside firms. It is a poor fit for teams without that log structure, for non-legal teams, or for anyone who wants emails sent without review.
Download the skill