Comms Guard

Every message to the other parent or their attorney can end up in front of a judge. Comms Guard helps you write replies that are brief, informative, friendly, and firm — and keeps a record of both sides of the conversation, per person and per channel.

Set up the people in your case#

1. Add a personOpen Comms Guard and click + Add under People.
2. Fill in the detailsName, Relationship (co-parent, opposing counsel, mediator, teacher…), Email, Phone, and Context — anything the AI should know when drafting to this person ("prefers email for schedule changes", "only communicate about the children"). Link the court cases they're part of.
3. SaveClick Add person. Use Edit details later to add custom fields.

Each person has a Text and an Email thread. If you've already imported messages, click Pull imported to link the ones from this person into their thread.

Log what they send you#

Paste a message you received into Paste what [name] sent you… and click Log incoming. Keeping incoming messages here gives the AI context for your reply and keeps the thread complete.

Write and check a reply#

1. Choose the channelText or Email.
2. Add context (optional)Open Context to include your case summary (on by default) and specific documents or evidence the reply should draw on.
3. Say what you wantIn What do you want to say or ask for? write the point in plain words — "Ask to swap this weekend for next, because of the school trip". Click Draft with AI. For email, the subject is filled in too.
4. Read the feedbackThe draft is tone-checked automatically. Edit it until it says what you mean.
5. Check again, then send it yourselfUse Check before sending after editing, then Copy it into your messaging app and send it. Click Log as sent to keep the record.

You can also skip drafting and paste your own message straight into the composer to check it.

What the tone check looks for#

Feedback follows the BIFF approach — Brief, Informative, Friendly, Firm. You get a one-sentence summary, then each flagged passage with a severity (high, medium, low), a short label, the exact words, and a plain-language reason. It watches for:

• Hostility or sarcasm
• Admissions or oversharing
• Anything that could read as a threat
• Taking the bait — responding to provocation
• Vague commitments ("I'll try", "maybe")

When something is flagged you'll get a Suggested rewrite; click Use this rewrite to replace your draft. If nothing is flagged: "No issues flagged — this reads brief, factual, and civil." The check is about tone and clarity only — it doesn't give legal advice about what to say.

What it costs#

• Draft with AI: 1 AI operation, plus 1 for the automatic tone check.
• Check before sending: 1 AI operation.

Tone checks count as Message Analyzer usage, and drafting counts as Comms Guard usage. Full Suite covers both. More about AI operations.

Exporting a communication log#

Export log in a thread produces the same numbered, printable message log as the Message Extractor. See Exporting a message log.

Tips for high-conflict communication#

• One topic per message. Put the request in the first sentence.
• Offer specific options and a response-by time: "Can we swap to the 14th? Please let me know by Thursday."
• Don't respond to insults or accusations — reply only to the part that needs an answer.
• If you're upset, draft it, check it, and wait before sending.
• If your court has ordered a specific co-parenting app, use it. Comms Guard works alongside any channel.