> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bagofwords.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Analyze documents with Lists > Point an agent at a folder of contracts, have it fill a typed list with a source quote for every value, review and fix the rows, re-run after a change, then chart and export the results. In this guide you give an agent a folder of contracts, define a **Contracts** list, and have the agent fill it with one row per customer. Every value keeps the quote it came from. Then you fix a value by hand, re-run the extraction after an amendment arrives, chart the results, and export them. The Contracts list filled from six contracts ## Before you start * **You can create agents and connections.** This guide uses an admin account. If you don't see **New → Agent** on the **Agents** page, ask an admin. * **The documents are in a folder the Bag of Words server can read**, such as a local folder or a mounted network share. To follow along, download the [sample contracts](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bagofwords1/bagofdocs/main/images/guides/lists-documents/sample-contracts.zip) (six fictional contracts and one amendment) and unzip them into that folder. Keep `acme_logistics_amendment_1.pdf` aside until Step 6. ## Step 1: Create an agent that reads the folder 1. Open **Agents**, click **New**, and choose **Agent**. 2. Enter a **Name**, for example `Contract Desk`. 3. Click **Create new connection**, search for `Files`, and choose **Files and Directories**. 4. Fill in the form: * **Connection Name**: `Contracts folder` * **Directory Path**: the absolute path of the folder, for example `/mnt/contracts` * **Include Patterns (globs)**: `**/*.pdf`, so the agent only sees PDFs 5. Click **Connect**. The status panel shows **Connection saved** and how many files it discovered, for example **Discovered 6 files**. Click **Done**. The Files and Directories connection, with six files discovered 6. Make sure **Contracts folder** is selected under **Connections**, then click **Save & Continue**. 7. The **Configure knowledge** step lists every file in scope. Check that all six contracts are there, then click **Save & Continue**. The files the agent can read 8. On **Set Context**, wait for the agent to write its overview instruction, then click **Save & Continue**. The agent opens on the **Agents** page. No shared folder? Click **+ Upload files** on the **Configure knowledge** step to attach the PDFs to the agent instead. The rest of the guide is the same. ## Step 2: Define the Contracts list In the agent's tree, choose **Lists**, then click **New list**. 1. **Name**: `Contracts`. **Description**: `One row per customer, from the signed agreements and their amendments.` 2. Add one field per value. The description is the agent's instruction for that field, so be specific. | Field | Type | Description | | - | - | - | | `counterparty` | Text, **Required**, **Key** | The customer's legal name, as written in the contract. | | `contract_type` | Choice: `MSA, Order Form, SOW` | The kind of agreement. | | `annual_value` | Number | Current annual fee. Annualize monthly fees and say so in the note. Use the latest amendment if one changes the fee. | | `currency` | Choice: `USD, EUR, GBP` | Currency of the annual fee. | | `renewal_date` | Date | Date the current term ends. | | `auto_renew` | Yes / No | Does the contract renew automatically? | | `notice_days` | Whole number | Days of written notice needed to stop renewal or to terminate. | | `governing_law` | Text | The law that governs the contract, for example "State of New York". | 3. Turn on **Require a source quote for extracted values**. 4. Turn on **Keep people's edits: the agent won't overwrite a value someone changed by hand**. You need this for Step 5. 5. Click **Create list**. The New list editor with the eight Contracts fields `counterparty` is the **Key**: when the agent sees the same customer again, it updates that row instead of adding a new one. See [Lists](/agents/lists#field-types) for every field type. ## Step 3: Extract the contracts Go back to the agent (click **Contract Desk** in the tree), click **New report**, and ask: > *Read every contract and save each customer to the Contracts list, with the quote for each value.* The agent lists the folder, reads each PDF, and saves the rows. A **Saved to Contracts** card shows what happened, here **6 added**. Click the card to expand it: every value has a status and a ✓ when its quote was found in the file. **Open list** opens the list, and **Download CSV** downloads the rows from this report. Saved to Contracts: six rows added, each value with a checked quote ## Step 4: Review the rows Click **Open list**, or open **Lists → Contracts** in the agent's tree. The key field has a key icon, and the header shows the table name you can query, `bow.contract_desk.lists.contracts`. Click a row to open it. Each field shows its value, its status, the quote, and the file and page it came from. The agent's note explains anything it worked out. The Initech row: inferred and not-found values with their quotes and notes In the sample, look at **Initech Corp.**: * `annual_value` is **Inferred**: the SOW states USD 8,500 per month, so the agent annualized it to 102,000 and said so in the note. * `notice_days` is **Not found**: the SOW doesn't state one, so the value stays empty. * `governing_law` is **Ambiguous**: the SOW points to a separate Master Agreement that isn't in the folder. Check **Inferred**, **Ambiguous** and **Not found** values first. They are where a person's judgment matters. The [status reference](/agents/lists#value-statuses) explains each one. ## Step 5: Fix a value by hand Say you know the Initech Master Agreement is governed by Texas law. 1. In the Initech row, type `State of Texas` in `governing_law`. 2. Click **Save changes**. The field now shows **Let the agent update** with a lock, and the table shows a lock next to the value. Expand **History** to see who changed what and when. **Revert** restores an earlier value. A hand-edited value with its history Your edit is protected only when the list has **Keep people's edits** turned on (Step 2). With it off, the next extraction overwrites the value with what the agent finds. You can change it later in **⋯ → Edit fields**. ## Step 6: Re-run after a change Copy `acme_logistics_amendment_1.pdf` into the folder. The agent lists the folder each time, so there's nothing to re-sync. Start a new report and ask: > *A new amendment for Acme Logistics was added. Re-check all contracts and update the Contracts list.* Because `counterparty` is the key, the agent updates existing rows instead of adding new ones. The card shows the counts, here **2 updated · 4 unchanged · 1 edit kept**: * **Acme Logistics Ltd** is updated: `annual_value` is now 135,000, quoted from the amendment. * **Initech Corp.** is updated because a value's status changed, but your `State of Texas` edit is kept. * The other four rows are unchanged. The re-run: two rows updated, four unchanged, one edit kept Open the Acme row: `annual_value` now quotes `acme_logistics_amendment_1.pdf`, and the note says it was USD 120,000 before the amendment. ## Step 7: Analyze the list A list is also a table the agent can query. In a new report, ask: > *From the Contracts list, show total annual contract value by currency as a bar chart, and list contracts that renew automatically in the next 12 months.* The agent queries `bow.contract_desk.lists.contracts`, draws the chart, and lists the matching contracts. The results use the current values, including your edits. Total annual contract value by currency, built from the Contracts list From here you can **Add to Dashboard** or **Save Query** like any other result. See [Reports](/using-bow/reports) and [Dashboards](/using-bow/dashboards). ## Step 8: Export the list Open the list. * **Export CSV** downloads every row with its current values. * **⋯ → Export with sources** adds, for each field, its status, quote, page and whether the quote was checked, plus the row's report, last update and whether a person edited it. The list menu with Export with sources ## More prompts to try | Goal | Prompt | | - | - | | Find gaps | *Which rows in the Contracts list have values that are Not found or Ambiguous? Show the field and the note.* | | Upcoming deadlines | *From the Contracts list, which contracts end in the next 90 days, and by when must we give notice?* | | Re-check one document | *Re-check the Pinecrest Health order form and update its row in the Contracts list.* | | Break down value | *From the Contracts list, show annual value by contract\_type as a bar chart.* | ## Tips * **Write field descriptions as instructions.** "Annualize monthly fees and say so in the note" gets you an **Inferred** value with an explanation, not a blank. * **Name the list in your prompt.** Say "the Contracts list" so the agent saves to the right place. * **Pick a stable key.** A key such as `counterparty` lets you re-run the extraction as often as you like without duplicates. * **Turn on Keep people's edits** for any list people review by hand. * **Use Include Patterns** to limit the connection to the documents you mean, for example `**/*.pdf`. ## Troubleshooting | Problem | What to do | | - | - | | The agent answers but no rows are saved | Only people who manage the agent can have it save rows, unless the list has **Anyone who can use this agent can save rows from chat** turned on. Ask a manager to turn it on in **⋯ → Edit fields**, or to run the extraction. | | The agent overwrote a value you fixed | Turn on **Keep people's edits** in **⋯ → Edit fields**, then open the row, expand **History**, and click **Revert** on the agent's change. | | A file is missing from the agent's answers | Check the connection's **Include Patterns** and that the file is inside **Directory Path**. | ## Related * [Lists](/agents/lists) * [Agents overview](/agents/overview) * [Train an agent](/agents/train-an-agent) * [Reports](/using-bow/reports) * [Dashboards](/using-bow/dashboards) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.