How to use the Closing Checklist Manager agent skill

What is an agent skill, and what does this one do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an AI assistant how to perform a specific task. When your request matches the skill's description, the assistant follows the instructions in that file.

This skill, closing-checklist, keeps a checklist of conditions precedent, closing deliverables and covenants drawn from a purchase agreement. It can add items that surface from diligence findings or deal summaries, lists what is blocking close, and records status updates against a specific item ID.

• Initialises the checklist from the purchase agreement, citing the section for each item.
• Appends new items from diligence findings, material contract schedules and deal-team summaries, de-duplicating on counterparty and action type.
• Reports blocking items, the critical path and days to close.
• Updates the status of a named item, such as CP-002.

What you need before installing

The skill expects an existing Claude for Legal setup. It will not work standalone, because it reads specific folders and a YAML file, and it refers to sibling skills that must also exist.

• A Claude for Legal plugin configuration folder at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/.
• A deal folder containing closing-checklist.yaml, populated from the purchase agreement.
• Optional: the practice-level CLAUDE.md with a Matter workspaces section.
• Optional upstream skills that feed items into the checklist: diligence-issue-extraction, material-contract-schedule and deal-team-summary.

Install the skill from the ZIP

Download the ZIP for this skill from this page and unzip it. The package contains SKILL.md. Place the resulting closing-checklist folder in one of two locations, depending on how you want to use it.

For a personal install available across your projects, put it in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, put it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal: ~/.claude/skills/closing-checklist/
• Project only: .claude/skills/closing-checklist/ inside the project folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Set up the checklist file

The skill reads a YAML file for each deal, stored at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/corporate-legal/deals/[code]/closing-checklist.yaml. The [code] part is your deal code. The file holds deal dates and separate lists for conditions precedent and closing deliverables, each item with an ID, responsible party, due date, status, blocking flag and source citation.

Populate the file from the signed or near-final purchase agreement. The skill's initialise mode reads the agreement's conditions, deliverables schedule and pre-closing covenants, then creates one item per entry.

• Each item carries an id such as CP-001 or CD-001.
• Each item records a source, such as the agreement section it came from.
• Regulatory and MAC items are flagged for verification against current primary sources rather than filled in from memory.

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. Ask in plain language using phrases the skill is built to recognise. The skill also accepts an optional argument of an item ID plus a status update.

• "Show the closing checklist."
• "What's left to close?"
• "Checklist status, please."
• "Add to the checklist: Acme consent needs a replacement guaranty before it is effective."
• "Update CP-002: Acme responded, consent form attached, needs countersignature."

What the status report shows

When you ask what is left to close, the skill lists the items that are blocking, the critical path and the days remaining to close. A status update changes the status and last-updated fields for the item you name, and leaves the rest of the list alone.

The skill can also run on a scheduled status pull, which is useful for a team that wants a regular blocking report without asking each time.

• Blocking items are listed first.
• Days to close are counted from the target close date in the file.
• Handoffs keep every field from the upstream skill, so a consent with a guarantor condition and a notice deadline stays complete.

Safety notes: scripts and network

This skill runs no scripts and uses no network access. It works only on the YAML file and the related folders on your machine.

The skill is not legal advice. It states that regulatory timing, HSR-style filings, CFIUS, and material-adverse-effect triggers must be researched and verified against current primary sources, and the file alone does not do that. Treat its output as a tracking aid and check every timing and legal conclusion yourself.

• No scripts are run by this skill.
• No network calls are made by this skill.
• Do not rely on the checklist for regulatory timing or MAC trigger analysis without independent verification.

Tips for getting reliable results

The quality of the checklist depends on the source material. Start from a complete purchase agreement and keep the source citations, because the skill uses them to tie each item back to the contract.

When you add a finding by hand, include the counterparty and the action type, since de-duplication is based on those two fields rather than the item name.

• Keep one YAML file per deal, under its deal code.
• Include counterparty and action type in every new item.
• Update status after each contact so the blocking report stays current.
• If you use a practice-level CLAUDE.md with matter workspaces, check that matter context is set before running the skill.