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:
   • Client signer with signing_order=1
   • MSP signer with signing_order=2
2. Send the document with pandadoc-send-document
3. Client receives the document and signs
4. MSP representative is automatically notified to countersign
5. 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:
   • true = signed
   • false = waiting for signature
4. 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:
   • Contact the recipient to understand their concerns
   • Address the issues (modify terms, pricing, scope)
   • Create a new document from the same template with updated content
   • 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	Signing order conflicts	Ensure signing orders are sequential positive integers

Recipient Addition Restrictions

Document Status	Can Add Recipients?	Notes
document.draft	Yes	Recipients can be freely added and modified
document.sent	Limited	Some changes may require voiding and recreating
document.completed	No	Document is finalized
document.voided	No	Document is cancelled

Best Practices

1. Add all recipients during creation - Include recipients in pandadoc-create-document rather than adding after
2. Use signing order - Always set signing order for multi-party agreements
3. Match template roles - Ensure recipient roles match the roles defined in the template
4. Verify emails - Double-check recipient email addresses before sending
5. Track completion actively - Check recipient completion status regularly for sent documents
6. Follow up promptly - Contact recipients who haven't signed within 3-5 business days
7. Use viewer role for CC - Add stakeholders as viewers rather than signers when they don't need to sign
8. Plan signing flow - For complex agreements, map out the signing order before creating the document
9. Handle declines gracefully - When documents are declined, address concerns and create new documents
10. Document recipient changes - Note any changes to recipients in your PSA or CRM

Related Skills

• PandaDoc API Patterns - MCP tools reference and connection info
• PandaDoc Documents - Document creation and management
• PandaDoc Templates - Template roles and fields
• PandaDoc Proposals - MSP proposal workflows with recipients