PandaDoc Recipients

PandaDoc Recipient & Signature Management

Overview

Recipients in PandaDoc are the people who receive, view, and sign documents. In MSP engagements, documents typically involve multiple parties -- the client decision-maker who signs the agreement, sometimes a technical contact who reviews, and the MSP representative who countersigns. PandaDoc supports complex signing workflows with ordered signing, role-based assignments, and real-time completion tracking. Understanding recipient management is essential for smooth contract execution.

MCP Tools

Available Tools

| Tool | Description | Key Parameters | |------|-------------|----------------| | pandadoc-create-document | Create document with recipients | recipients array in document creation | | pandadoc-add-recipient | Add a recipient to an existing document | document_id, email, first_name, last_name, role, signing_order | | pandadoc-get-document | Get document with recipient details | id (required) | | pandadoc-get-document-status | Check recipient completion status | id (required) |

Add Recipients During Document Creation

When calling pandadoc-create-document, include the recipients array:

{
  "recipients": [
    {
      "email": "john@acme.com",
      "first_name": "John",
      "last_name": "Smith",
      "role": "Client",
      "signing_order": 1
    },
    {
      "email": "sarah@techforce.com",
      "first_name": "Sarah",
      "last_name": "Johnson",
      "role": "MSP",
      "signing_order": 2
    }
  ]
}

Add a Recipient to an Existing Document

Call pandadoc-add-recipient with:

• Document: Set document_id to the document ID (required)
• Email: Set email to the recipient's email address
• Name: Set first_name and last_name
• Role: Set role to match a role defined in the template
• Order: Set signing_order to control when they sign

Example: Add a co-signer:

• pandadoc-add-recipient with document_id=msFYActMfJHqNTKH9tcPFa, email="cfo@acme.com", first_name="Lisa", last_name="Chen", role="Approver", signing_order=2

Check Recipient Completion

Call pandadoc-get-document with the document id to see recipient status:

• Review the recipients array
• Check has_completed for each recipient
• true means the recipient has completed their signing action
• false means they have not yet signed

Key Concepts

Recipient Roles

Roles define what actions a recipient takes on the document:

| Role | Description | Common Use | |------|-------------|-----------| | Signer | Must sign the document | Client decision-maker, MSP authorized representative | | Approver | Must approve before sending | Internal review (e.g., MSP manager approval) | | Viewer | Can view but not sign | CC'd stakeholders, technical contacts | | CC | Receives a copy after completion | Accounting, project managers |

Signing Order

Signing order controls the sequence in which recipients receive and sign the document:

| Order | Description | Example | |-------|-------------|---------| | 1 | Signs first | Client CEO signs the MSA | | 2 | Signs second (after #1 completes) | MSP owner countersigns | | 3 | Signs third | Witness or notary (if required) |

When signing order is set:

• Recipient #1 receives the document first
• Recipient #2 is notified only after #1 has completed
• This ensures proper document flow and prevents premature signing

When signing order is not set (or all set to the same value):

• All recipients receive the document simultaneously
• Any recipient can sign in any order

Multi-Party MSP Agreements

Common multi-party signing scenarios for MSPs:

| Scenario | Signers | Signing Order | |----------|---------|---------------| | Simple MSA | Client + MSP | Client signs first (1), MSP countersigns (2) | | Board-approved MSA | Client + Board + MSP | Client signs (1), Board approves (2), MSP signs (3) | | Multi-site SOW | Client HQ + Branch Manager + MSP | HQ signs (1), Branch signs (1), MSP countersigns (2) | | Vendor agreement | Client + MSP + Vendor | Client signs (1), Vendor signs (2), MSP signs (3) | | Internal review | MSP Tech + MSP Manager | Tech reviews (1), Manager approves (2), then send to client |

Completion Tracking

Track the progress of document signing across all recipients:

| Status | Meaning | |--------|---------| | has_completed: false | Recipient has not yet signed | | has_completed: true | Recipient has completed their action | | All recipients completed | Document status changes to document.completed |

Field Reference

Recipient Fields

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | email | string | Recipient email address (required) | | first_name | string | Recipient first name | | last_name | string | Recipient last name | | role | string | Recipient role (must match template role) | | signing_order | integer | Signing sequence (1, 2, 3...) | | has_completed | boolean | Whether the recipient has completed their action | | recipient_type | string | Type of recipient (signer, approver, viewer, cc) |

Common Workflows

Set Up a Standard MSP Contract Signing

1. Create document with pandadoc-create-document including two recipients:
2. Client signer with signing_order=1
3. MSP signer with signing_order=2
4. Send the document with pandadoc-send-document
5. Client receives the document and signs
6. MSP representative is automatically notified to countersign
7. Document status changes to document.completed

Add a Recipient After Document Creation

1. Get the document with pandadoc-get-document to review current recipients
2. Call pandadoc-add-recipient with the new recipient's details
3. Verify the recipient was added by calling pandadoc-get-document again

Check Who Has Signed

1. Call pandadoc-get-document with the document id
2. Review the recipients array
3. For each recipient, check has_completed:
4. true = signed
5. false = waiting for signature
6. Report the signing progress

Follow Up on Unsigned Documents

1. Call pandadoc-list-documents with status=document.sent to find sent documents
2. For each document, call pandadoc-get-document to check recipient completion
3. Identify recipients where has_completed=false
4. Flag documents that have been waiting more than 3-5 business days

Handle a Declined Document

1. When a document status is document.declined:
2. Contact the recipient to understand their concerns
3. Address the issues (modify terms, pricing, scope)
4. Create a new document from the same template with updated content
5. Send the new document to the same recipients

Response Examples

Document with Recipients:

{
  "id": "msFYActMfJHqNTKH9tcPFa",
  "name": "Acme Corp - Managed Services Agreement",
  "status": "document.sent",
  "recipients": [
    {
      "email": "john@acme.com",
      "first_name": "John",
      "last_name": "Smith",
      "role": "Client",
      "signing_order": 1,
      "has_completed": true
    },
    {
      "email": "sarah@techforce.com",
      "first_name": "Sarah",
      "last_name": "Johnson",
      "role": "MSP",
      "signing_order": 2,
      "has_completed": false
    }
  ]
}

Recipient Added:

{
  "email": "cfo@acme.com",
  "first_name": "Lisa",
  "last_name": "Chen",
  "role": "Approver",
  "signing_order": 2,
  "has_completed": false
}

Error Handling

Common Errors

| Error | Cause | Resolution | |-------|-------|------------| | Invalid email | Email format is incorrect | Verify the email address format | | Role not found | Role does not exist in template | Check template roles with pandadoc-get-template | | Duplicate recipient | Email already added to document | Check existing recipients before adding | | Cannot add recipient | Document already sent or completed | Recipients must be added before sending | | Invalid signing order | Signin