The daily check
When auto-renewal is enabled on a contract, DottSign runs a daily check at 08:00 UTC. Here is exactly what happens as the expiry date approaches.
Phase 1 — Entering the notice window
The moment the days remaining fall at or below the configured notice period (default: 30 days):
- An email is sent to all parties — the contract owner and every signatory.
- Auto-renew after notice mode: the renewal is scheduled. You have until the scheduled date to cancel.
- Alert only mode: no renewal is scheduled. The email is the only automated action.
Phase 2 — Milestone reminder emails
As the expiry date approaches, DottSign sends additional reminders to all parties at fixed milestones:
| Days before expiry | Email sent |
|---|---|
| 30 | First notice (renewal scheduled at this point for auto-renew mode) |
| 14 | Second reminder |
| 7 | Third reminder |
| 3 | Fourth reminder |
| 1 | Final reminder |
Each milestone is sent at most once. Milestones already sent are tracked and never repeated, even if settings change.
Phase 3 — Renewal executes (auto-renew mode only)
On the scheduled date, DottSign creates the new contract version unless you have cancelled it. The new version contains:
- The same PDF document
- The same signatories and signature spot positions
- All original signing records — the new contract starts already fully signed
- The same AI analysis (summary, risk flags, category) — no reprocessing needed
- A new expiry date: the previous expiry date plus the configured renewal period
The original contract is not deleted. It is marked as a previous iteration and remains accessible from the contract detail page under Version history.
What the renewed contract looks like
- The contract list shows only the current active version by default
- Version badges (v2, v3…) appear on contract cards
- All versions in the same family are linked and accessible from the detail page
- A renewal entry and an audit record are created automatically
The max renewals cap
If you set a maximum number of renewals and that limit is reached, DottSign automatically disables auto-renewal and emails the contract owner. The contract remains active but will not renew again until you manually re-enable it.
Timing note
Because the check runs once daily at 08:00 UTC, a contract that technically expires at midnight may not generate the new version until later that morning. There is no gap in legal continuity — the original contract remains on record.