clio-document-automation

name	clio-document-automation
description	Work with documents in Clio Manage — list, download, find templates, and prepare for automated document generation. Use when the user says "document", "template", "engagement letter", "draft a", "merge fields", "automation", "download", "upload", "find the file", or asks about Clio's document templates or document automations.

Documents in Clio

Clio's document model: Documents are files, Document Templates are fillable templates with merge fields, Document Automations are generated outputs that bind a template to a matter. The MCP wraps reads and download URLs; bulk content generation typically goes through companion tools.

Tool map

Intent	Tool
List documents on a matter	clio_list_documents (matter_id, parent_id)
List folders on a matter	clio_list_folders (matter_id, parent_id)
Get one document's metadata	clio_get_document
Get a download URL	clio_get_document_download_url
Search templates	clio_api_request GET /document_templates.json
Trigger a document automation	clio_api_request POST /document_automations.json
Archive bulk download	clio_api_request against /document_archives

Common workflows

"Find the engagement letter for matter 4821"

1. clio_list_documents(matter_id=4821, fields="id,name,category{id,name},updated_at")
2. Filter for name containing "engagement" or category "Engagement Letters"
3. clio_get_document_download_url(id=<doc id>) for a temporary signed URL
4. Hand the URL to the user (or fetch the content via WebFetch if needed)

"Draft an engagement letter for matter 4821"

The MCP doesn't word-process. Two paths:

1. Clio Document Automation: if the firm has a template configured, trigger it via clio_api_request POST /document_automations.json with the template ID and matter ID. Clio renders and stores the doc.
2. External: generate the letter in Word (Microsoft Word MCP) or Google Docs (Google Drive MCP) using matter metadata as merge fields, then upload back to Clio.

Ask the user which path they want before doing either.

"Show me all templates"

clio_api_request(method="GET", path="/document_templates.json", params={fields:"id,name,description,category{id,name}"})

"Upload a signed PDF"

The MCP currently exposes reads and download URLs. Upload paths (POST /documents.json) aren't wrapped as a typed tool — use clio_api_request with a multipart body, or instruct the user to upload via the Clio UI.

Document categories

Documents in Clio can be organized into categories (Engagement Letters, Pleadings, Correspondence, etc.). List them:

clio_api_request(method="GET", path="/document_categories.json")

Filter clio_list_documents with category_id for clean per-type queries.

Merge fields

When generating documents externally (Word/Docs), the typical merge fields the user will want to populate from Clio:

• matter.display_number
• matter.description
• client.name, client.primary_address, client.primary_email_address, client.primary_phone_number
• responsible_attorney.name
• today (current date)
• firm.name, firm.address (from clio_who_am_i and config)

Pull these in one clio_get_matter call with fields= explicit; one network round-trip beats six.

Don't

• Don't upload sensitive client documents anywhere else without explicit user permission. (See clio-best-practices.)
• Don't clio_get_document_download_url URLs in chat history if the conversation might be exported. The URLs are time-limited but they're still credentials.
• Don't bulk-archive without confirming the user wants a heavy operation — document_archives can take minutes for large matters.