CSI Spec Summary
Paste a CSI MasterFormat section number or text; get a structured summary: scope, Part 1/2/3 highlights, submittal checklist, common pitfalls, adjacent sections that travel with it.
Example automations · as-is
Construction
Example automations applied to the project paperwork that wakes you up at 3 AM.
Submittals, RFIs, drawing revisions, sub COIs, lien deadlines, project status — adapt to your Sheets and Drive.
InTouch is a general-purpose automation platform. This page shows how it can be applied to construction workflows using example skills and jobs from the InTouch Hub. The same platform runs in other industries and handles workflows we haven't published examples for.
The examples below live as YAML jobs and AI skills, read from Google Sheets and Drive folders you maintain, and digest to whichever channel you prefer.
These are examples, not turnkey products. Every project has its own paperwork rhythm; the jobs are starting points to adapt. Read the README and YAML for each before running.
The pain we're targeting
Submittals rot in inboxes
You've got 80 open submittals across 4 active projects. Nobody knows which ones are aging past 21 days. The submittal log spreadsheet gets updated once a week, maybe.
Drawings get revised quietly
The architect drops rev 4 into the shared Drive folder. Three days later your sub is in production on rev 3. The change order conversation that follows is not fun.
Sub COIs expire silently
You've got 30 subs across active jobs. Six COIs expire each month. Nobody's watching. One incident on a sub with lapsed coverage is a six-figure exposure.
Lien deadlines vary by state
Preliminary notice 20 days in CA, 40 in FL, no notice required in some states. Filing windows 30/60/90/120 days. Miss one and you forfeit lien rights on a job you're owed money on.
RFIs pile up in email
30 RFIs landed in your inbox this morning. Which need urgent attention? Which are routine clarifications? Which are cost-impacting? You're triaging at 7 PM after the field calls stop.
Status reports take half a day
Wednesday morning the owner wants a status update on three projects. You spend two hours assembling open RFIs, pending submittals, change orders in flight, and projected closeout dates.
Example AI skills
Reference and analysis tools. Paste the spec or document, get a structured read.
Change Order Explainer
Pre-signature read of a CO. Plain-English breakdown: what scope changes, cost impact, time impact, hidden waiver clauses, what's negotiable. Flags blanket settlement language and acceleration disclaimers.
Submittal Reviewer
Pre-screen a vendor submittal against the spec excerpt it's submitted under. Flags missing data, spec mismatches, and substitution requests. Saves a PM 20 minutes per package by surfacing the obvious gaps before formal review.
Bid Estimator
Ballpark a bid from your scope + unit costs. Returns line items, subtotals (direct + OH + profit + contingency), risks that could blow the number, and what's missing. Sanity check, not a full estimate.
Example automation jobs
Scheduled or trigger-driven. Each reads from Google Sheets/Drive you maintain (or Gmail labels you set up), and digests to the channel of your choice.
Drawing Folder Watcher
Polls a Drive folder for new and revised drawings. Detects file additions and modified-time changes via Sheet-backed state. Digest by project. (Companion drawing-rev-watcher handles Gmail-attached drawings for machine shops.)
RFI Triage
Polls Gmail for new RFI emails. Each one classified by Claude — trade, priority, likely cost/schedule impact, suggested reviewer. Logged to a Sheet, digest to the PM.
Submittal Tracker
Daily digest of pending submittals — aging by 14/21/28 days, plus items past their target return date. Reads a SubmittalLog Sheet you maintain.
Sub COI Expiration Tracker
Daily digest of subcontractor Certificate of Insurance expirations in 30/14/7-day windows. Catches lapses before a sub is on your jobsite with no coverage.
Lien Deadline Reminder
Daily reminder of upcoming lien deadlines you've entered. The job does NOT compute deadlines from state rules — you enter the dates your attorney or lien-service vendor gave you; the tool just reminds you 30/14/7/3/1 days out.
Project Status Digest
Weekly per-project roll-up: open submittals, open RFIs, pending COs, urgent items needing attention. Reads three companion Sheets and produces a one-screen digest per active project.
How it works
1. Install
Download the free Personal edition of InTouch. Browse the InTouch Hub, pick the jobs and skills you want, click Install. Or use the REST API.
2. Adapt
Each job has placeholders (Sheet IDs, Drive folder IDs, credential names, recipient publishers). Read the README, set the placeholders, point at your actual sources. Verify locally before scheduling.
3. Schedule
Attach a daily/hourly/weekly schedule. InTouch runs the job, sends the digest to your channel (email, Slack, Discord, Teams), and logs every run.
What you don't get
Being upfront so there are no surprises:
- No Procore / PlanGrid / Autodesk Build integration. Drawing watcher works off Google Drive folders. Procore is a real Phase-2 build; we'll do it when the customer demand shows.
- No lien-deadline calculation. Lien rules are state-specific and getting them wrong loses lien rights. The job is a reminder; you enter the dates from your attorney or lien-service vendor.
- No legal interpretation. The change-order explainer flags risky language; it doesn't tell you whether to sign. Get a contracts attorney for non-routine COs.
- No financial submittal pricing. The bid estimator uses your unit costs (not invented). It's a sanity check; real estimating requires a real estimator with current quotes.
Try It
Personal edition is free. Install on your laptop or office server, paste your service account JSON, point at your project Sheets and drawings folder.