> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.courtaid.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.courtaid.ai/chat-and-documents/chat-pdf.md).

# Chat PDF

Chat PDF lets you talk directly to a specific judgement or piece of legislation. CourtAid reads the document, answers your questions, and highlights the relevant sections in the PDF.

![Chat PDF with document viewer](/files/WWgHKuZDMPBXKHFsSViO)

## How to open Chat PDF

From any search result, click **Chat PDF**. You can also open a document from chat citations or from a project file list.

CourtAid opens a split view:

* **Left** — chat panel for your questions
* **Right** — the PDF document viewer

## Asking questions

Type your question in the chat input. For example:

```
What was the court's finding on unconscionable conduct?
Which sections of the Fair Work Act were applied?
Summarise the key facts in three bullet points.
```

CourtAid reads the document and responds with an answer grounded in the text.

## Automatic highlighting

When CourtAid references a passage from the document, the relevant section is **automatically highlighted in yellow** in the PDF viewer on the right. Citations in the chat appear as clickable links — click one to jump to that passage in the PDF.

![Chat PDF showing citations linked to highlighted sections in the PDF](/files/ZHSP7UCTRaZ95grmi0dY)

In the example above, citations like *s 67 of the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW)* and *Alexander v Cambridge Credit Corporation Ltd (1985) 2 NSWLR 685* are highlighted in the original document, so you can read the AI's analysis on the left and verify it against the source on the right.

You can also click extract snippets in chat responses to jump to and highlight that section in the PDF.

## Focus mode vs Explore mode

When chatting with a single document, CourtAid uses **Focus mode** — the conversation is scoped to that document only.

Toggle **Explore mode** (via the switch in the chat input) to widen the search to CourtAid's full database of 2M+ documents while keeping the PDF open.

| Mode        | Scope                                     |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Focus**   | This document only                        |
| **Explore** | This document + CourtAid's court database |

## PDF viewer controls

The document viewer includes standard controls:

* Page navigation and zoom
* Thumbnail sidebar
* Full-screen view
* Download and print

## When to use Chat PDF

| Scenario                       | Example question                                     |
| ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Understanding a long judgement | *"What were the key findings?"*                      |
| Finding a specific provision   | *"What did the court say about limitation periods?"* |
| Checking legislative text      | *"What are the requirements under section 12?"*      |
| Preparing for a hearing        | *"What arguments did each party make?"*              |

## Tips

* Start with a broad question, then follow up on specific paragraphs
* Click highlighted sections to read the full context around a citation
* Use **Save** to add the document to a [Project](/matter-workspaces/projects.md) if you'll need it again
* Switch to **Explore mode** if your question needs cases beyond the current document


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.courtaid.ai/chat-and-documents/chat-pdf.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.