Signature templates

If your team sends the same contract again and again — an NDA, an order form, an MSA — build it once as a signature template. A template is a reusable envelope with roles instead of people: it carries the document, the signature fields, the variables and the settings, and each time it's used you only match the roles to real people.

⚠️ Requires the Katalyz Signature module. See Katalyz Signature.

Roles, not people

An envelope names people — Jade Vandelook, jade@diffly.co. A template names roles — Customer signatory, Legal approver, Deal owner — and every field you place belongs to a role. When someone uses the template, they assign a person to each role and the fields follow along.

Three kinds of role, mirroring the three recipient lists of an envelope:

The template library

On the Signatures page, click Templates (the badge shows how many you have). The Signature templates dialog lists every template with:

• Its name and description
• A meta line — {n} signer roles · {n} docs · PDF/DOCX · {n} variables · used {n}×
• A {n} to fix warning when something is missing
• A Published or Draft badge

Use Search templates to filter, + New template to create one, and Done to close. Each row has a ⋯ menu:

The footer reminds you: Published templates are offered when you create a New envelope.

Creating a template

Click + New template. The editor opens with the subtitle A reusable envelope with roles instead of people. Fill the roles in at send time.

Pick the document path first

Before any file is uploaded, the editor asks What are you building this template from? — PDFs keep their layout. Word files carry the codes you paste into them.

The choice sets the order of the tabs, and the upload later only accepts that file type. Which one to pick is explained in PDF fields vs Word codes.

The tabs

Tabs unlock in order. A locked tab shows a lock icon and, on hover, why — Continue with Next, or the specific prerequisite:

• PDF path: Fields & roles needs Import a document first; Settings needs Add a signer role first
• Word path: Import document needs Declare at least one signer role first; Settings needs Import your document first

Until you've picked a path, everything reads Choose how to build this template first.

PDF path — Document, then Fields & roles

1. Document — Upload the PDF (Fixed layout — fields are placed on the page). The note under the upload reminds you: Fixed layout — drag fields onto the page; variables only fit overlay boxes. Uploading a Word file here is refused.
2. Fields & roles — the same editor as an envelope, in role mode. The sidebar lists Signer roles, Approver roles and Follower roles with Add signer role / Add approver role / Add follower role buttons, and a Signer fields palette (Signature, Initials, Date, Text, Annotation) you drag onto the page. Each field belongs to the selected role. As the sidebar puts it: Roles are placeholders. Whoever uses this template matches each one to a real person — the fields you place here follow along.

Word path — Variables & roles, then Import document

1. Variables & roles — declare the signer roles and the variables your document refers to. Each one gets a code — an anchor like [[sig_c92fbbdf]] for a signer role, or a merge key like {{account.name}} for a variable — with a copy button. Anchor identifiers are generated, so always copy them from the screen rather than typing them by hand.
2. Type those codes into your document in Word.
3. Import document — Upload the Word file (Reflowable — variables merge into the text). The panel re-checks every code against the file and marks it ✓ in document or not typed yet. A PDF is refused: "{file} is a PDF. This template is set up for a Word file, so its variables merge into the text."

The full authoring checklist and round-trip are in PDF fields vs Word codes.

Adding a role

Add signer role (or approver / follower) opens a small dialog:

• Role name — e.g. Customer signatory. Suggestion chips fill it in one click: Customer signatory, Katalyz signatory, Counterparty signatory, Account executive for signers; Legal approver, Finance approver, Manager approval for approvers; Customer finance, Deal owner, Legal (copy) for followers. Two roles can't share a name.
• Pre-fill from — who Katalyz should suggest for this role when the template is used:

  
  

  Option	Who is suggested
  Ask every time	Nobody — the sender picks
  Whoever sends it	The person creating the envelope
  Room owner	The owner of the linked room
  Deal owner (CRM)	The owner of the linked CRM deal

  
  

  
  A suggestion only — whoever uses the template can always override it.
• Guidance (optional) — a hint for the person filling the template in, e.g. Must be an authorised signatory
• Required — on by default for signers and approvers. Optional roles can be left empty — their fields are dropped from the envelope.

Click Add role. Each role also carries an authentication method, like a recipient in an envelope.

Variables

Variables are the merge codes the document can refer to. Each has a source that tells Katalyz where the value comes from at send time:

Native variables (every source except Custom field) are always available — nothing to declare. Custom fields come from your org's custom-field catalog and are added to a template from the Data fields picker (Word path) or the variables list. They are the only variables the sender has to type.

Settings and publishing

The Settings tab holds:

• Name (e.g. Mutual NDA) and Description (What this template is for, and when to use it)
• Default message to recipients — may contain variables, e.g. Hi {{signer.name}}, please review and sign…
• Deadline (days after send) — relative, so every envelope gets its own absolute date; leave empty for No deadline
• Automatic reminders (Carried into every envelope made from this template) with First reminder (days) and Repeat every (days)
• A summary: Documents · Signer roles · Fields · Variables · Times used

The footer always tells you where you stand: {n} things to fix before publishing — the first issue is a link to the tab that fixes it — or Ready to publish. Typical issues: Give the template a name, Add at least one document / Import the document you wrote, Define at least one signer role, {role} has no signature field, Type {role}'s signature code into the document, {variable}'s code isn't in the document yet.

Save & close keeps a draft at any point. On the Settings tab, Publish template becomes available once there is nothing left to fix. Only two statuses exist — Draft and Published — and envelopes already created from a template are never affected by later edits, unpublishing or deletion.

Using a template

1. On the Signatures page, click + New envelope. The New envelope dialog — Start from scratch, or from a template — its roles, fields and variables come with it — shows a Start from scratch card (An empty envelope — add your own documents, signers and fields.) and, under Or start from a template, your published templates with a {n} published count. If there are none: No published templates yet — create one from the Templates tab.
2. Pick a template. The dialog becomes Use "{template}" — Match each role to a person and fill in what the documents need.

3. Fill the four sections:

4. While something is missing, a chip in the footer names it — Customer signatory needs a person, {variable} is required (+ n more). When it's clear, click Create draft envelope.

The envelope opens in the regular editor as a Draft, so you can still tweak fields, recipients and settings before Send for Signature. Inside a room, the widget's Setup Envelope flow doesn't go through the template picker — use the Signatures page and Link to room instead.

Related articles

• PDF fields vs Word codes
• Adding a signature block to a room
• Tracking signature status
• Katalyz Signature

Updated on: 04/10/2026