> 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/matter-workspaces/projects.md).

# Projects

Projects let you organise legal documents, combine your own files with CourtAid's court database, and run matter-specific AI chat across everything in one place.

![Projects list page](/files/tZFYV1nqtgAPul5W1MPv)

## What is a project?

A project is a workspace for a matter, client, or research topic. Each project can contain:

* **Your uploaded documents** — pleadings, correspondence, contracts, evidence
* **Saved court decisions** — cases you save from Search results
* **Project chat** — AI conversations scoped to the project's documents plus CourtAid's database
* **Chronologies** — timelines built from project documents
* **Tabular reviews** — structured data extraction across documents

Think of a project as a folder that also lets you chat with its contents.

## Creating a project

### From the Projects page

1. Go to **Projects** in the sidebar
2. Click **New Project**
3. Fill in the details:
   * **Project Name** (required) — e.g. *"Smith v Jones – Contract Dispute"*
   * **Description** (optional) — brief summary of the matter
   * **Client ID** (optional) — your internal client reference
   * **Matter ID** (optional) — matter or case number
4. Click **Create Project**

### From the landing page

Click the **New Project** button below the main chat input.

### From chat

Click the **+** button (upload/attach) on the chat input and choose to create or select a project.

## Managing projects

The **My Projects** page shows all your projects in a table.

### Finding projects

* **Search** — type in the search bar to filter by project name
* **Sort** — sort by name or date
* **Columns** — show or hide Client ID and Matter ID columns

### Per-project actions

Each project row has quick-action buttons:

| Button         | Action                                         |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **Upload**     | Add files to this project                      |
| **Chat**       | Start a project-scoped chat conversation       |
| **Chronology** | Generate or view a chronology for this project |
| **⋮** (menu)   | Rename, delete, view files, and more           |

Click the project name or expand the row (▸) to see files inside.

### Loose Files

**Loose Files** is a default project for documents uploaded without a specific project. You can't delete it, but you can move files from Loose Files into named projects.

## Project workspace

Click a project name to open its **Project workspace**. Each project is a self-contained matter hub — everything relating to that project lives in one place.

![Project workspace tabs: AI Assistant, Chronologies, Tabular, Chat history](/files/egiox6XKcYdcyafZeNbU)

### Workspace tabs

Every project has its own set of tabs:

| Tab              | Purpose                                                                             |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **AI Assistant** | Chat scoped to this project's documents plus CourtAid's court database              |
| **Chronologies** | Build and view event timelines from project documents                               |
| **Tabular**      | Run [Tabular View](/matter-workspaces/tabular-view.md) reviews across project files |
| **Chat history** | Browse past conversations for this project only                                     |

This means each project maintains its own chat, chat history, tabular reviews, and chronologies — separate from other projects.

{% hint style="info" %}
Projects are private to your account. CourtAid does not currently support sharing a project with teammates — each user maintains their own project workspaces. See [Data privacy & security](/account-and-billing/privacy-and-security.md).
{% endhint %}

Use the **+ Chat** button to start a new conversation within the project.

### What's in a project workspace

| Feature         | Scoped to this project                              |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Uploaded files  | Yes — shown in the project files panel              |
| AI chat         | Yes — searches your files + CourtAid's 2M+ database |
| Chat history    | Yes — only conversations for this project           |
| Tabular reviews | Yes — tables built from this project's documents    |
| Chronologies    | Yes — timelines from this project's documents       |

### Navigating between tabs

Switch tabs at the top of the workspace without losing your place. For example:

1. **Upload** documents on the AI Assistant tab
2. Switch to **Tabular** to extract key fields across all files — see [Tabular View](/matter-workspaces/tabular-view.md)
3. Switch to **Chronologies** to build a timeline of events
4. Return to **Chat history** to pick up a previous conversation

## Project chat

Project chat is one of CourtAid's most powerful features. It lets you ask questions across **your documents and the court database together**.

![Project workspace with uploaded files and chat](/files/B2os7sIBm2ETCWYnj57C)

The project workspace shows your uploaded files on the right and a chat panel on the left. CourtAid searches both your project documents and its 2M+ court database to answer your questions.

### Starting project chat

**Option 1 — From the Projects page:** Click the **Chat** button on any project row.

**Option 2 — From chat input:**

1. Click the **+** or paperclip icon on the chat input
2. Choose **Select Project** and pick your project
3. Start typing your question

**Option 3 — From the project workspace:** Open the **AI Assistant** tab or click **+ Chat**.

### What you can ask

Once a project is attached, the chat input shows:

> *Ask about your project "{name}"...*

Example questions:

```
Summarise the key facts from the uploaded pleadings
What cases support our argument on limitation periods?
Compare the indemnity clause in our contract with standard NSW precedents
What dates are mentioned across all documents in this project?
```

### Project chat sidebar

During project chat, a sidebar shows the project's files. From here you can:

* Upload new documents
* View or delete existing files
* Move or copy documents between projects

## Saving documents to projects

When you find a useful case in Search, click **Save** on the result and choose which project to add it to. This builds a curated collection of authorities alongside your own files.

## Related features

Projects connect to other CourtAid tools:

| Feature            | How it links to projects                                                                                                              |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Chronologies**   | Build event timelines from project documents — workspace **Chronologies** tab. See [Chronologies](/matter-workspaces/chronologies.md) |
| **Tabular View**   | Extract structured data across project files — workspace **Tabular** tab. See [Tabular View](/matter-workspaces/tabular-view.md)      |
| **Chat history**   | Review past project conversations — workspace **Chat history** tab                                                                    |
| **PDF enrichment** | Scanned PDFs are automatically processed when uploaded — see [PDF enrichment](/chat-and-documents/pdf-enrichment.md)                  |
| **Compare**        | Compare two document versions — see [Document comparison](/matter-workspaces/document-comparison.md)                                  |

## Example workflow

A typical matter workflow:

1. **Create** a project with the matter name and client/matter IDs
2. **Upload** key documents — pleadings, correspondence, expert reports (scanned PDFs are enriched automatically)
3. **Search** for relevant cases and **Save** the best ones to the project
4. **Chat** with the project to synthesise findings
5. Run a **Tabular review** to extract key fields across all documents at once
6. **Generate a chronology** from the uploaded documents
7. Return to **Chat history** later to pick up where you left off

## Tips

* **Name projects clearly** — include client or matter identifiers for easy searching later
* **Save cases as you go** — don't rely on memory; save authorities to the project during research
* **Use Client ID / Matter ID** — these fields help if you integrate with practice management systems
* **Move files out of Loose Files** — keep Loose Files as an inbox; organise into named projects regularly


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