Start with searchable files
Both search and AI answers depend on the text inside your PDFs.
- Which files already have text: Files made on a computer usually have it. Scans and photos of paper don't, even though you can read them.
- What the workspace flags: The AI PDF Workspace flags files with pages that have no text, and those pages need OCR PDF first.
- Name the files clearly: While you're preparing, give each file a short, clear name like lease-2024.pdf or amendment-2.pdf. The names appear in every search result and every page reference, so good names save a lot of confusion later.
Search across the whole set
- Results as you type: After the files are read, type in the search box. Results appear as you type, one for each page that contains all your words, with the matching lines highlighted.
- Free and private: Search ignores capital letters and accents, runs entirely in your browser and costs nothing.
- Use it for exact terms: Use it for anything you can name exactly: a person, a reference number, a product code, or a phrase like "notice period".
- Open the full page: Click a result to read the full text of that page. Often search alone answers the question in seconds.
When to ask the AI
Ask the AI when the answer needs reading, not just finding.
- Questions that need joining up: Questions like "what notice period applies now?" or "which invoices have a different total from the statement?" require joining facts from several places.
- Ask: Pick the task that fits. Ask answers one question.
- Compare lines up clauses, dates, amounts and names across the documents.
- Find conflicts lists what the files agree on and where they disagree.
- Summary writes one overview of the set.
- Be specific: name the parties, dates or sections you care about.
Checking the answers
- Every fact carries a reference: Every fact in an answer should come with a reference like [lease-2024.pdf, p. 4]. Click it to open that page's text and check the answer says the same thing.
- Treat unreferenced claims with care: Treat anything without a reference with care.
- What the AI can get wrong: The AI only sees the text of your documents, so it can misread tables whose columns got jumbled, and it can miss a point that sits on a scanned page.
- The page is the source of truth: For anything with money, dates or legal effect, the page is the source of truth and the answer is a guide to where to look.
Privacy and what gets sent
- Files are deleted after reading: The files themselves are read on the VelloDoc server and deleted once their text is back in your browser.
- Search never leaves your browser.
- What is sent when you ask: When you ask the AI, and only after you tick the box to agree, the text of the documents and your question are sent to Anthropic, the company that makes Claude, to write the answer. Nothing is saved on our server.
- What not to send: Don't send documents you aren't allowed to share with an outside service, like files covered by a confidentiality agreement that rules this out.
Versions of the same document
- Prefer a visual comparison: If your files are two versions of the same document, a visual comparison is often better than AI.
- What Compare PDF shows: Compare PDF shows every change on every page, including layout and images, and lists added and removed text.
- When the workspace is better: Use the AI workspace when the documents are different but related, like a contract and its amendments, or when the second version was reformatted so pages no longer line up.
Questions
How many PDFs can I use at once?
Up to 20. The AI reads about 300,000 characters of text per question, roughly 100 dense pages, and the page tells you if anything was left out.
Does the AI remember earlier questions?
No. Each question is answered on its own from the documents, so include the details it needs every time.
Can I use it without the AI?
Yes. Reading the files and searching across them work without the AI, and search never sends your text anywhere.