Template Builder: Build with AI

The template builder is the most demanding part of the Proposal Tool, so there are three AI options built around it to make it easier: generating whole pages, refining individual blocks, and taking your variables out to an AI tool of your choice.

AI here is a template-building aid. It never performs your pricing or savings math.

Before You Start

AI features in the Proposal Tool need an OpenAI key in place under APIs and Credentials in global settings. If AI options are missing or not responding, that is the first place to check.

Using the AI options in the template builder also requires standard Template Builder access. For more information on Template Builder: Access, Templates, and Pages, please see this support article.

For more information on APIs and Credentials: OpenAI and SignNow, please see this support article.

1. Generate a Page with the AI Page Generator

The AI page generator builds a whole page for you from a preset, rather than making you assemble it block by block. Presets cover the pages a proposal usually needs, for example a cover page or an executive summary.

Pick a preset.
Generate the page.
Refine it before moving on.

Generating is not a one-shot action, so treat the first result as a starting point and keep refining until the page is close to what you want.

[Image: Screenshot of the AI page generator with the page presets visible, including cover page and executive summary]

2. Refine the Generated Page

Work with the generated page the same way you would work with one you built yourself. Adjust the blocks, the layout, and the variables until the page reads correctly.

[GIF: A page being generated from a preset and then refined]

3. Use AI on an Individual Block

You can also use AI inside the block editor, on a block that already exists, to make refinements and adjustments rather than generating something new.

A good use for this is written copy. For example, you could have it generate a proposal description in a text block, then edit what comes back.

[Image: Screenshot of the AI option in the block editor on a selected block]

4. Download the AI Context Variable File

This is the option worth knowing about even if you skip the other two.

Select an HTML block.
Open advanced settings for that block.
Go to advanced setup.
Download the AI context variable file.

[GIF: Navigating from an HTML block, to advanced settings, to advanced setup, to the AI context variable file download]

[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm the downloaded file's format (e.g., JSON, TXT) and filename convention, and whether it lists variable names only or also sample values, so this step can note what to expect.]

5. Build Pages in an Outside AI Tool

The context variable file is readable natively by Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools. Hand the file over, describe the page you want, and the tool can generate a proposal page written against your real variables rather than made-up placeholders.

Paste the result back into an HTML block, then save and preview it as you would any other block.

📘 Pro Tip: This is the fastest route into the template builder for most people. You get the full HTML control of the block, without writing the markup yourself, and because the AI tool has your actual variable names, the page it produces references data that genuinely exists in your account.

[Image: Screenshot of generated HTML pasted into an HTML block, with the rendered page beside it showing live variable data]

Media Library Assets in Generated Pages

When media library assets are available, generated pages use them automatically. When they are not, the page comes back with placeholders where an asset would go.

📘 Pro Tip: Upload your images to the media library before you generate pages. Otherwise you'll be going back through finished pages afterward to swap placeholders out.

For more information on Media Library and PDF Content Pages, please see this support article.

What AI Does Not Do Here

❗ IMPORTANT AI is never used for pricing or savings calculations anywhere in the Proposal Tool. It helps you build templates, variables, and rules. Every dollar figure on your proposal comes from your pricing configuration, your equipment library, and your adders, incentives, and import adders.

AI variables are a separate feature from the AI options on this page. For more information on Custom, AI, and Input Variables, please see this support article: [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm live URL — custom-ai-and-input-variables returned no content on fetch].

For more information on Template Builder: Block Types and Building a Page, please see this support article.

For more information on Template Builder: Access, Templates, and Pages, please see this support article.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to our chat support or email hello@scanifly.com.