When something doesn't work, StretchContracts returns a clear message. This guide maps the ones you're most likely to hit to their cause and fix, grouped by area.
Agreements and templates
"Contract not found." The agreement you referenced doesn't exist for your organization, or it's been archived. Confirm you're using the right contract key or identifier, and check whether the agreement was archived — if so, restore it by changing its status.
My type reverted to "custom." You entered a type StretchContracts doesn't recognize. Valid types are msa, sow, retainer, nda, proposal, contractor, service, employment, consulting, saas, vendor, and custom. Anything else is stored as custom so no data is lost — pick a standard type if you need a specific one.
"Contract template not found." The template key is wrong or the template isn't available. Open the Templates library and select the template from the list rather than typing a key.
My merge fields show as {{...}} in the final document. You left a merge field unfilled when drafting. Edit the agreement and provide values for every field, especially the required ones.
E-signature: building and sending
"Only draft envelopes can be sent." The envelope was already sent or is in a terminal state (completed, voided, declined, expired). You can only send a draft. Create a new envelope from the agreement.
"At least one signer or approver is required." Your envelope has only CC or viewer recipients. Add a recipient with the signer or approver role before sending.
"Recipients can only be added while the envelope is draft" / "Fields can only be added while the envelope is draft." The envelope has already been sent, so its recipients and fields are locked. Void it and build a fresh draft if you need changes.
"A valid recipient email is required." The recipient email is missing or malformed. Enter a proper address in the form name@domain.tld.
"Recipient not found for envelope." You tried to add a field for a recipient who isn't on this envelope. Add the recipient first, then attach fields to them.
"Contract not found for organization." You're creating an envelope from a contract key that doesn't belong to your organization. Verify the agreement exists in your organization and use its correct contract key.
"Envelope is already terminal." You tried to void an envelope that's already completed, voided, declined, or expired. Terminal envelopes can't be changed.
E-signature: signing
"Signer token is invalid or expired." The signing link is bad or past its expiry. Links can't be reused once expired — void the old envelope if needed and send a new one to the recipient.
"Envelope is not available for signing." The envelope isn't in a signable state (it must be sent or partially signed). It may have been voided, declined, expired, or already completed.
"Access code is required" / "Access code is invalid." The recipient is protected by an access code and entered nothing or the wrong value. Provide the correct code, delivered out of band. After 5 failed attempts in 15 minutes the recipient is locked out for 15 minutes — wait out the lockout, then retry with the correct code.
"Electronic signature consent is required." The signer tried to sign before agreeing to the electronic-signature consent. They must give consent first, then sign.
"All required fields must be completed before signing." The signer left one or more required fields empty. Every required field assigned to them must be filled before they can submit.
"Earlier recipients must sign first." Ordered signing is on and it isn't this recipient's turn. Everyone with a lower routing order must sign before them.
"Signer token has already been used." The recipient already signed or declined. A signing token is single-use; there's nothing more for them to do.
"Too many signer requests." A signer hit the rate limit (protection against abuse). Wait a minute and try again.
Intelligence engine
"StretchContracts engine is not enabled." The advanced intelligence engine (clause classification, obligation/financial extraction, version comparison over stored contracts) is flag-gated and off in your workspace. Renewal dashboards still work from your dates; ask your administrator to enable the engine for deeper analysis.
The engine is enabled but analysis fails or times out. The engine may be temporarily unreachable. Analysis is a read-only compute — retry shortly, and if it persists, tell your administrator so they can check the engine service.
"Contract versions not found." A version comparison referenced a version that doesn't exist for the agreement. Check the version numbers and confirm the agreement isn't archived.
AI analysis returns nothing. AI analysis is flag-gated and fails safe — if it's disabled or the model is briefly unavailable, you get an empty result instead of an error. Confirm the feature is enabled for your workspace.
Tips
- Read the message first. StretchContracts errors are specific — they usually name the exact cause (draft-only, missing signer, expired token).
- Most e-sign edits require a draft. If you can't change recipients or fields, the envelope has already been sent — void and rebuild.
- Out-of-band access codes. Never send the code in the same email as the link; and remember the 5-attempt / 15-minute lockout.
- Escalate engine/AI gaps. If intelligence or AI features are missing, they're almost always a flag your administrator can enable.
Was this helpful?
Help us improve this article
Use these controls to share whether this answer solved the issue. Feedback helps prioritize updates to StretchSuite Support.