yc-saas-drafter

name	yc-saas-drafter
description	Drafts a customized Customer Agreement starting from the Y Combinator standard form SaaS template. Tailors the agreement through structured intake questions covering fee structure, data handling, ML rights, implementation services, and more. Applies 18 always-on defaults that transform the raw YC form into a professional starting point (renamed to "Customer Agreement", data privacy section added, warranty restructured, consolidated SLA/support exhibit, etc.). Produces a clean .docx and a lawyer-facing memo explaining every change from the YC standard. Use when user says "draft a SaaS agreement", "YC SaaS", "startup SaaS contract", "customer agreement", "SaaS subscription agreement", or "I need a SaaS agreement starting from the YC form". Also trigger when the user is a startup founder discussing SaaS contracting, even if they don't mention YC specifically.
metadata	{"author":"Victor Wang","license":"mit","version":"2026-05-12"}

Output Requirements

The final .docx must read like a lawyer drafted it. The output must contain:

• Zero YC drafting annotations (*[Note:...]*, *[OPTIONAL:...]*)
• Zero placeholder scaffolding ([OPTIONAL] markers, option guides)
• Zero unfilled template brackets — except deliberate [TBD — description] markers for values the user couldn't provide, documented in the memo

The agreement title is "Customer Agreement" — NOT "SaaS Services Agreement".

If any annotation, note, or non-TBD bracket appears in the output, the draft is not ready. Fix it before delivering.

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Workflow

Step 1: Load References

Before asking any questions, read all three reference files:

• references/intake-questions.md — 15 question groups with branching and defaults
• references/decision-matrix.md — maps answers to YC template actions (18 always-apply defaults, 12 conditional decisions, variable substitutions, raise-with-lawyer flags)
• references/supplementary-language.md — pre-written clause text anchored by ID (always-apply blocks and conditional blocks)

The decision matrix tells you WHAT to change. The supplementary language gives you the EXACT TEXT to insert. Do not improvise contract language — if the matrix says to insert #DATA-PRIVACY, use the verbatim text from supplementary-language.md. The ONE exception is Order Form Service Fees, where the LLM composes from fee pattern examples.

Step 2: Run Intake

Follow the questions in references/intake-questions.md in order. Apply branching logic (e.g., skip implementation fee if no implementation, skip pilot details if no pilot, skip service capacity if flat pricing).

Key principles:

• Offer defaults but let the user override
• Use [TBD — description] for any value the user can't provide yet
• Confirm all decisions in a summary before proceeding (template at the end of intake-questions.md)
• Do NOT proceed to document assembly without user confirmation

Step 3: Produce the Agreement

Read the YC template from assets/YC_Form_SaaS_Agreement.docx.

Apply modifications in this order:

First — Always-apply defaults (decision-matrix.md Section A, items A1-A18):

1. Rename Order Form title → "Order Form Number One"
2. Rename "SaaS Services Agreement" → "Customer Agreement" throughout
3. Update preamble date year
4. Section 1.1 SLA reference — remove [OPTIONAL], always on
5. Section 1.2 — change "Exhibit C" to "Exhibit B"
6. Section 2.2 — strip export controls note (keep the language)
7. Section 2.3 — delete customer indemnity clause + note entirely
8. Section 2.5 — insert #DATA-PRIVACY (new section)
9. Section 3.3 — remove optional framing (keep analytics language)
10. Section 6 — restructure into 6.1/6.2/6.3: insert #WARRANTY-REMEDY, #CUSTOMER-WARRANTY, #BETA-DISCLAIMER
11. Section 7 — remove optional note, remove "United States" from patent scope
12. Section 8 — strip negotiation note
13. Section 9 — replace YC press release language with #MARKETING-DEFAULT
14. Exhibits — replace B + C with #EXHIBIT-B-CONSOLIDATED, delete Exhibit C
15. Strip ALL remaining annotations and notes

Second — Conditional decisions (decision-matrix.md Section B, items B1-B12): Walk through each conditional decision. For each, look up the intake answer and apply the specified action. When the matrix references supplementary language (e.g., #NO-AUTO-RENEWAL), use the verbatim text.

Third — Variable substitutions (decision-matrix.md Section C): Replace all YC placeholders with intake values. Any field not collected → [TBD — description].

Fourth — Cleanup:

• Remove any surviving annotations, brackets, or drafting guidance
• Remove empty paragraphs left by deleted sections
• Verify section numbering is sequential (especially after §2.5 addition and §6 restructure into 6.1/6.2/6.3)
• Verify no non-TBD brackets remain

DocX formatting notes:

• Exhibit B credit table MUST be a proper Word table, not inline text
• Exhibit B communication channels MUST be a proper Word table
• Section 6 subsections (6.1, 6.2, 6.3) need proper heading formatting
• Section 6.3 (Beta Products) must be ALL CAPS

Produce the output as a .docx file: [CompanyName]_[CustomerName]_Customer_Agreement_DRAFT.docx

Use available document creation tools (native DocX skill, python-docx, or equivalent) to produce a professionally formatted Word document.

Step 4: Produce the Lawyer Memo

Create a markdown memo alongside the agreement: [CompanyName]_[CustomerName]_Customer_Agreement_Memo.md

The memo must include:

1. Deal Summary — One paragraph: who, what, fee structure, term.

2. Template Base — "This agreement is based on the Y Combinator standard form SaaS Agreement with the following modifications."

3. Always-Applied Defaults — Itemized list of every always-apply change (A1-A18), with brief rationale for each. Example:

• "Renamed to 'Customer Agreement' (professional standard)"
• "Removed 'United States' from IP indemnity patent scope (standard redline)"
• "Added Section 2.5 data privacy and security provisions (essential for modern SaaS)"
• "Added Section 6.2 customer warranty and Section 6.3 beta products disclaimer"

4. Intake-Driven Decisions — Each conditional decision and what was selected. Example:

• "Section 3.2: Customer owns derivative data (bracketed language retained)"
• "Section 5.1: Auto-renewal with 60-day notice"

5. Items Requiring Attorney Review — This is critical. For each raise-with-lawyer flag (decision-matrix.md Section D), include the flag text verbatim. These are:

• DPA recommendation (almost always needed)
• Implementation services IP ownership (if applicable)
• Derivative data ownership (if company retains)
• ML training on customer content (if applicable)
• Data retention timeline confirmation

6. TBD Items — Every [TBD — description] in the document, listed so the founder knows what to fill in before sending.

Step 5: Deliver

Provide the user with:

1. The clean .docx Customer Agreement
2. The lawyer memo
3. Brief summary: key decisions, TBD count, attorney review items

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Decision Points Quick Reference

#	Location	What's Decided
B1	Order Form	Services description (from product intake)
B2	Order Form	Fee structure + service capacity (8 fee types)
B3	Order Form + Exhibit A	Implementation services: include or remove
B4	Order Form	Pilot period: include or remove
B5	§2.1	Distributed software license: include or remove
B6	§3.2	Derivative data: customer owns or company retains
B7	§5.1	Auto-renewal: yes (30/60/90 day notice) or no
B8	§5.2	Data retention period on termination
B9	§9	Governing law: state selection
B10	§9	Marketing formulation: default, more, or less
B11	Exhibit B	SLA availability: 99.9% / 99.95% / 99.99%
B12	Exhibit B	Support details: email, phone, hours, tool

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Supplementary Language Reference

Anchor	Clause	Type
#DATA-PRIVACY	§2.5 Data privacy & security	Always
#WARRANTY-REMEDY	§6.1 Exclusive warranty remedy	Always
#CUSTOMER-WARRANTY	§6.2 Customer warranty	Always
#BETA-DISCLAIMER	§6.3 Beta products (ALL CAPS)	Always
#MARKETING-DEFAULT	§9 Marketing language	Always
#EXHIBIT-B-CONSOLIDATED	Exhibit B: SLA + Support	Always
#NO-AUTO-RENEWAL	§5.1 Manual renewal replacement	Conditional
#FEE-EXAMPLES	Order Form fee patterns (8 types)	Conditional
#EXPANDED-DATA-RESTRICTIONS	Sensitive data protections	Conditional
#ML-TRAINING	ML model training rights	Conditional
#ML-FEDERATED	Federated learning carve-out	Conditional

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What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Does not draft DPAs. Flags DPA need in memo; use dpa-drafter separately.
• Does not handle professional services agreements. If the deal has significant services beyond implementation, use msa-drafter.
• Does not review or redline incoming contracts. This drafts from a template. For review, use a review skill.
• Does not invent clause language. Every modification is a deletion, variable substitution, or verbatim insertion from supplementary-language.md. Exception: Order Form Service Fees, composed from fee pattern examples.
• Does not resolve attorney review items. Flags them in the memo for counsel to address.