Manage contracts

Barkway contracts belong to bookings. You can automatically attach all enabled default contracts when a booking is created and manually add other contracts when needed. Clients review and sign attached contracts through Documents in the client portal.

Contract signing does not block public onboarding, booking request submission, deposit payment, groomer acceptance or appointment confirmation. A confirmed booking remains confirmed while its documents are awaiting signatures.

Turn contracts on

Go to Settings → Bookings → Legal & Contracts.
Turn on Enable booking contracts.
Review Contract Consent Label, preview the wording shown to clients when signing, and save.

The consent wording recorded at signing stays with that signed contract even if you change the label later.

Create and manage templates

Open Contracts in the main navigation and create a template.
Give the template a title and write its content in the markdown editor.
Keep Enable template on if it should be available for new attachments.
Turn on Attach by default when booking is created if it should attach automatically.
Review the preview, then save the template.

Use System tags to include booking, client, pet and business details. Check those details and the wording in the preview before using a template.

What happens when I edit a template?

Saving edited template content creates a new version. Future attachments use the latest saved version; contracts already attached to bookings keep the wording and booking details they received when attached. Editing a template does not change an existing signed or unsigned document or send a replacement automatically.

Archiving or disabling a template prevents new attachments from that template. Existing attached contracts remain in the booking's history. If an existing document should no longer apply, void it and manually attach the appropriate replacement.

Attach a contract to a booking

Attach default contracts automatically

Every enabled, unarchived template with saved content and Attach by default when booking is created selected attaches to a new client booking. You can mark several templates as defaults: Barkway attaches all eligible defaults, not just one.

Automatic attachment happens when staff create a booking and when a groomer accepts a portal booking request. Contracts attach to the resulting booking, not to the public form or pending request. Rejected and unaccepted requests have no booking contracts.

If booking contracts are disabled or there are no eligible defaults, no contract attaches automatically. A non-default template is not used as a fallback. Changing defaults does not add contracts to existing bookings; attach them manually where needed.

Manually attach an additional contract

During staff booking creation, review the default contracts and choose an optional Additional contract if needed. Leaving this blank still attaches the defaults.
For an existing booking, open its Contracts panel and use Attach Contract to select and attach another template.
Review the attached document and use its signing link or direct the client to portal Documents.

Each attached contract gets a signing link and its own status. Attached contracts cannot simply be removed; use Void Contract if one should no longer apply.

How clients review and sign documents

The client signs into the client portal and opens Documents, or follows a document action from their booking details.
The client opens the relevant document and reads the attached wording.
The client enters their name, confirms the consent statement and submits the signature.
Barkway records the signed document. The client can return to view it and download the signed PDF when available.

Portal document indicators show outstanding signatures. Each contract is signed separately, so a booking with multiple default contracts may have several documents to review. Signing one does not sign the others.

Track signing on the booking

The booking's Contracts panel shows the attached documents and how many still need signing. Staff can open a contract record, copy its signing link, see signature status or void a document.

Pending: attached and waiting to be signed.
Viewed: the client signing page has been opened, but the document is not yet signed.
Link expired: the current signing link is no longer valid; this does not cancel the booking.
Signed: the client completed signing.
Voided: the document no longer applies and remains in the history.
Fully signed: every attached contract on the booking is signed.

The saved record includes the document wording, signed name and time, signing history and a signed PDF when available. Unknown merge tags are flagged so you can correct the template before using it again.

Contracts and payment terms

Booking contracts are separate from the payment terms and saved-card permission described in Deposits and saved cards. Signing a contract does not itself authorise a card charge. Clients can complete public booking requests and pay a required request deposit before any booking contracts exist.

Exclusions

Contracts are unavailable for Unavailable time blocks. Turning off booking contracts hides the contract controls and prevents automatic attachment; it does not make a non-default template attach instead.