Docs / Admin

Sending a document for e-signature

Summary: Use the Signature Builder to place signing fields on a PDF document, invite multiple signers via Documenso Cloud, and track progress as each party signs. When the last signer completes, the document automatically locks and the opportunity owner (or document owner) receives a notification.

Purpose: Enable staff to run formal multi-party signing workflows with a full audit trail.

Audience: Staff, reviewer, lead, and admin roles.

Prerequisites:

  • The document must already have a PDF file uploaded (.pdf extension).
  • The document must not be locked. Locked documents cannot be re-sent for signature.
  • If your organization has an active approval chain for documents, the document must have an approved approval request before you can send.
  • At least one signer email address and full name.
  • At least one signature field placed on the PDF.

Overview

The e-signature workflow connects to Documenso Cloud, a multi-party document signing platform. Here is what happens end to end:

  1. A staff member opens the Signature Builder, selects a PDF, adds signers, and places fields on the document pages.
  2. The system sends the envelope to Documenso. Each signer receives a unique signing link by email.
  3. Signers click their link and sign in Documenso.
  4. Documenso sends webhook events as signers complete: sent → partially_signed → completed.
  5. On the final signature, the system downloads the signed PDF, stores it, and locks the document (immutable, no further edits).
  6. The opportunity owner (if the document is linked to a pipeline opportunity) receives a notification that the deal is ready to advance to Closed. If the document is not linked to an opportunity, the document owner or reviewer is notified instead.

The entire process is logged in the audit trail. Stage advancement is not automatic — the notification prompts the owner to open the opportunity and run the gate check manually.

Step-by-step

Before you start

Check each item before opening the Signature Builder:

  • The document has a PDF file uploaded (not DOCX or image). The "Send for Signature" button is hidden on non-PDF documents.
  • The document status is not locked. Locked documents cannot be sent.
  • If an approval chain is configured for documents in your organization, the document must have a completed approval request with status approved. Use the Approvals area of the workbench to request approval first (a dedicated approvals guide is planned).
  • You have at least one signer's full name and email address ready.

Step 1 — Open the Signature Builder

There are two entry points:

Option A: From the Signatures page

  1. Go to Signatures in the left sidebar.
  2. Click New Signature Request (top right).
  3. A full-screen modal opens titled "Signature Builder" with a control panel on the left and a PDF canvas on the right.

Option B: From a document detail

  1. Go to Documents and open a document.
  2. Scroll to the Signatures section.
  3. Click Send for Signature.
  4. The Signature Builder opens with that document pre-selected; the document dropdown is locked.

Expected result: The Signature Builder modal is open. If no document is selected yet, the canvas shows "Select a document to begin placing signature fields."

Step 2 — Select a document (Signatures page only)

If you opened the builder from the Signatures page:

  1. Click the Document dropdown.
  2. Choose the PDF you want to send. Only non-archived, unlocked documents with an uploaded PDF file appear in this list.

Changing the selected document clears all placed fields — the field layout is specific to each document.

Expected result: The PDF renders on the right side of the modal.

Step 3 — Choose a signature type

  1. Click the Type dropdown.
  2. Select the type that best describes the document:
    • MOU — Memorandum of Understanding
    • NDA — Non-Disclosure Agreement
    • Partnership Agreement — Partnership or joint venture
    • Declaration — Formal statement or declaration
    • Internal Approval — Staff-only approval (no external signers)
    • Acknowledgment — Confirmation of receipt

The type is tracked for audit purposes only; it does not change the signing flow.

Step 4 — Add signers

  1. In the Signers section, the first signer row is empty.
  2. Enter the signer's Full name and email address.
  3. Click + Add Signer to add another row.
  4. Repeat for each signer.

Each signer is assigned a distinct color. You will use these colors to assign fields to the right person in the next step. Removing a signer also removes all fields that were placed for that signer.

Expected result: Each signer row shows a colored dot and "Place fields for this signer" / "Placing for this signer" label. The header shows 0 field(s) placed.

Screenshot: Left panel showing two signer rows — one blue, one red — with name and email inputs filled.

Step 5 — Place signature fields on the PDF

  1. In the Field to place section, select a field type by clicking its button:
    • Signature — Signer draws or types their signature
    • Initials — Signer's initials (smaller than a full signature)
    • Date — Auto-filled with the signing date
    • Name — Auto-filled with the signer's name
    • Text — Freeform text input
  2. Click the signer tab on the left to confirm which signer you are placing fields for. The active signer shows "Placing for this signer".
  3. Click anywhere on the PDF to place a field at that position.
  4. A colored field box appears. Drag it to reposition; hover over it to reveal a delete button.
  5. Repeat for each required field, switching field types and active signer as needed.

Field coordinates are stored as percentages (0–100) of the page, so placements are consistent across screen sizes.

Every field must be assigned to a declared signer. Fields are automatically re-assigned if you change a signer's email address.

Expected result: Colored boxes appear on the PDF. The header shows "N field(s) placed" (e.g., "3 field(s) placed"). Each box is labeled with the signer's name.

Screenshot: A two-page PDF with a blue "Signature" box near the signature line for Signer 1, and a red "Date" box for Signer 2.

Step 6 — Send for signature

  1. Review:
    • A document is selected.
    • All signer rows have a name and email.
    • At least one field is placed.
  2. Click Send for Signature (top right of the modal).
  3. The modal closes and a success toast appears: "Document sent for signature."

Expected result: The signature request appears in the Signatures list with status Sent. Each signer receives an email from Documenso with their unique signing link within a few minutes. The action is logged in the audit trail as signature.sent.

What happens when signing completes

From the signer's side

Each signer receives an email from Documenso with a link to their personal signing portal. They open the link, review the document, and sign or initial each field assigned to them. Signing happens entirely in Documenso; signers do not need a 1PVN account.

Status updates (automatic)

As signers complete, the signature request status updates:

ConditionStatus shown
Envelope dispatched to Documensosent
At least one signer has signedpartially_signed
All signers have signedcompleted

On completion (automatic)

When the last signer completes, the system:

  1. Downloads the signed PDF from Documenso and stores it.
  2. Sets is_locked = true on the document. The document is now immutable — content and status cannot be changed.
  3. Logs signature.completed in the audit trail.
  4. Sends a notification:
    • If the document is linked to a pipeline opportunity: The opportunity owner (or creator if no owner is assigned) receives: "All parties have signed the document for [opportunity title]. The deal is ready to advance to Closed — open the opportunity to complete the gate check and close it." with a link to the opportunity.
    • If no opportunity is linked: The document's assigned reviewer (or creator) receives: "All parties have signed [document title]. It is now locked (immutable). It isn't linked to a pipeline opportunity, so no deal was advanced — link it to an opportunity if it should drive a close." with a link to the document.

Stage advancement is not automatic. A staff member must open the opportunity, pass the gate check, and manually advance to Closed.

Best practices

Link the document to an opportunity before sending. When an agreement should close a deal, link the document to the pipeline opportunity first. After signing, the opportunity owner will receive a direct prompt to close the deal. Unlinked documents still lock and notify, but no deal close is prompted.

Complete the approval chain first. If your organization requires document approval before signature, submit an approval request and wait for it to be approved before opening the Signature Builder. The system will block the send if an active approval chain has no approved request.

Review field placement before sending. Once you click Send, signers receive emails immediately. Check that each field is in the right position, assigned to the right signer, and that every signer has at least one field.

Use the correct PDF version. Only the file attached to the document at the time of sending is used. If you need to update the document content, upload a new PDF version first, then send for signature.

Keep signer email addresses accurate. A typo in an email address means the signer never receives the link. If you discover a mistake after sending, the signature request cannot be edited. You would need to void it in Documenso and create a new one.

Warnings

Locked documents are permanent. Once a document is signed and locked, it cannot be edited or re-sent. If you find an error after all parties have signed, you will need to prepare a corrected document and run a new signature request.

PDF only. Only .pdf files can be sent for signature. The "Send for Signature" button does not appear on documents without an uploaded PDF. If your source is a Word document or Google Doc, export it to PDF first, then upload the PDF as a new version.

Approval gate blocks the send. If your organization has an active document approval chain and the document does not have an approved approval request, the Signature Builder will throw an error when you click Send. Complete the approval flow first.

No Documenso credentials configured. If DOCUMENSO_API_KEY is not set, the signature record is created locally but no signing emails are sent to signers. Contact your platform admin if signers report not receiving emails.

Troubleshooting

"Document is locked and cannot be signed"

Cause: The document was already signed and locked, or an admin manually locked it. Fix: Locked documents cannot be re-sent. If you need a new signature on an updated version, upload a corrected PDF as a new document, then send that for signature.

"Document has no uploaded file to sign"

Cause: A document record exists but no PDF has been uploaded to it. Fix: Go to the document detail page, upload a PDF file, and then return to send for signature.

"This document must clear its approval chain (an approved approval request) before it can be sent for signature"

Cause: An active approval chain is configured for documents, and this document does not yet have an approved approval request. Fix:

  1. Go to the document detail page.
  2. Scroll to the Approval section.
  3. Click Request Approval and follow the approval workflow.
  4. Once the request shows status approved, return to send for signature.

"Select a document" (toast error)

Cause: No document was selected in the dropdown. Fix: Click the Document dropdown and choose a PDF.

"Add at least one signer (name + email)" (toast error)

Cause: All signer rows are empty, or a row has a name but no email (or vice versa). Fix: Fill in both Full name and email for each signer. Rows with either field blank are ignored.

"Place at least one field on the document" (toast error)

Cause: No fields were placed on the PDF canvas. Fix: Select a field type (Signature, Initials, Date, Name, or Text) and click on the PDF to place at least one field.

Signers do not receive an email

Cause: Email address typo, or Documenso is not configured. Fix:

  1. Check the signer's email address in the signature request detail.
  2. Ask the signer to check their spam folder.
  3. If the email is wrong, the request cannot be edited. Void the envelope in Documenso and create a new signature request with the corrected address.
  4. If no signers received emails, contact your platform admin to verify DOCUMENSO_API_KEY is set.

Document does not lock after all signers complete

Cause: The webhook from Documenso may be delayed. Fix: Wait a few minutes and refresh the Signatures page. If the status shows completed but the document is still not locked after 10 minutes, contact your platform admin to check the Documenso webhook configuration (DOCUMENSO_WEBHOOK_SECRET).

The "Send for Signature" button is not visible on a document

Cause: Either the document does not have a PDF file attached, or the document is already locked. Fix: Confirm the document has a .pdf file uploaded and that its status is not locked. If both conditions are met and the button is still missing, contact admin.

FAQ

Can I send a non-PDF document for signature? No. Only PDF files can be sent. The button does not appear on documents without an uploaded PDF. Convert Word or Google Docs files to PDF first.

How long do signers have to complete signing? Documenso signing links do not expire automatically in a standard configuration. If a signer has not completed after a reasonable time, the platform admin can check Documenso for envelope status. In the event of expiry, the status will update to expired.

Can I edit a document while a signature request is in progress? Editing is not blocked while a signature is sent or partially_signed, but changing the document content does not update the envelope already sent to Documenso. Avoid editing the document while signing is in progress.

Does the system automatically advance the opportunity to Closed after signing? No. The system sends a notification and a direct link, but a staff member must open the opportunity, pass the gate check, and manually advance the stage. This is intentional — the gate check ensures all conditions for closing are met.

Can I send the same document for signature again after it is locked? No. Locked documents are immutable. To run a new signature workflow, you would need to create a new document with the updated content.

Can I have more than one active signature request on the same document? The system does not prevent this technically, but it is not recommended. The document locks on whichever request completes first. Create only one signature request per document at a time.

Who can send a document for signature? Any user with at least the staff role. The public and lgu roles cannot access the Signature Builder.

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