Lifecycle · Article 2.2
Status: Draft — the only status where you can edit everything
A draft is a proposal you've started but not yet sent. It's editable in every field; nothing has been emailed, no invoice exists, no audit trail beyond your edits.
Where this fits in the lifecycle
Draft
Only you can see this. Edit anything.
Sent
Email landed in the client's inbox.
Viewed
Client opened the link — awaiting decision.
Signed
Legally binding. Audit trail captured.
Deposit paid
Money in escrow. You can start work.
In work
Project running. Final invoice ready when you're done.
Paid
Final invoice settled. Just one click left.
Completed
Closed. Archived. You did the thing.
Use drafts to compose, iterate, save for later, or stage proposals you're not ready to send. There's no limit on how many drafts you can have. They live in your dashboard with a grey Draft badge and live in the Draft filter tab on /proposals.
Step by step
Start a new draft.
Click
+ New proposalon the dashboard or open/proposals/new. Pick a client (or create one inline) and fill in any fields you want.Save as you go.
The wizard auto-saves every 10 seconds. The badge
Saved · just nowappears top-right when changes are persisted.Preview the PDF anytime.
Step 5 of the wizard renders the live PDF preview. Useful to share a draft internally with a partner or co-founder before sending.
Delete if you change your mind.
From
/proposals/{id}clickDeletein Actions. Drafts hard-delete (no soft-delete because there's no audit obligation pre-send).Send when ready.
Step 5 →
Send. The wizard validates required fields and surfaces any missing data before transitioning.
Why this works this way
A draft is the only state in which the proposal has no legal effect whatsoever. As soon as you click Send, several things happen at once: the PDF is rendered and uploaded to immutable storage, a sequential number (PRO-2026-NNNN) is assigned and reserved, an email goes out, a Timeline event is created, and the proposal status flips to Sent. From that moment, edits are no longer freely allowed — you can withdraw and edit (which invalidates the original) but you can't silently change anything that the client received.
Troubleshooting
Keep reading
Quick Start
Send your first proposal
From an empty `New proposal` form to a green `Sent` badge on your dashboard, in under 10 minutes.
Lifecycle
Status: Sent — the proposal is in your client's inbox
You've clicked `Send`. The PDF is rendered, the email is on its way, the proposal number is assigned, and the audit trail starts here. Now you wait — until the client opens it (`Viewed`) or signs (`Signed`).
Proposals & Invoices
Templates and recurring proposals — automate the repetitive work
Save a proposal as a template to skip 80% of typing on the next one. Set up a recurring schedule for retainer-style work that reissues monthly, quarterly, or on any cadence you pick.