How to use The Proposal

The Proposal turns a rough client brief into a finished, persuasive proposal. You bring your own Anthropic API key, the tool runs in your browser, and everything you save stays on your device.

This guide covers setup, each part of the screen, how to review and edit what the tool writes, and how to fix the most common problems.

Before you start

You need three things:

An Anthropic API key. Create one at the Anthropic Console (console.anthropic.com). Keep it private.
Billing set up on that account. Each proposal is billed to your key, at Anthropic's usage rates.
A current desktop or mobile browser with internet access. The tool needs internet access to reach Anthropic.

Costs. Your key is billed for each proposal you generate, Redo, or brief you fill in. A Concise proposal costs less than a Standard one. Check your usage in the Anthropic Console if you want to track spending.

First-time setup

Open the file

Open proposal-tool.html in your browser. It runs on its own. There is no login, no install, and no server to run.

Add your API key

If no key is saved, the Settings panel opens on its own. Paste your key into the Anthropic API key field and click Save key. The tool checks the key with Anthropic and loads the model list. A confirmation appears when it's done.

Choose whether to remember the key

Tick Remember key on this device if this is your own computer. If you leave it unticked, the key is cleared when you close the tab. Use the unticked option on shared computers.

Pick a model

The model list comes from Anthropic and refreshes once a day. The newest Sonnet model is selected by default. Use the Refresh button in Settings if you want the list updated right away.

The layout

The page runs top to bottom in the order you'll use it:

Section	What it does
Your profile	Holds your own details: service, strengths, and proof. Saved under a name so you can reuse it. Opens at the top and can be collapsed.
Settings	Your API key, the model, and the option to remember the key on this device. Opened from the Settings button at the top right.
Recent clients	The last 15 clients you wrote a proposal for. Pick one to reload its details.
Paste a client email or brief	Paste raw text and the tool fills in the client and project fields for you.
Client, Project, Options	The fields the proposal is built from, plus tone and length. Generate proposal sits at the bottom of this card.
Output	Appears after you generate. Shows the draft, warnings, assumptions, and the export buttons.
History	The last 20 proposals you generated, so you can reopen or delete them.

Your profile

Set up your profile once and reuse it for every proposal. It holds the parts of a proposal that describe you and don't change from client to client.

In Your profile, fill in Your service or skill, What makes you different, and Past results or proof.
Type a name in Profile name, such as "Photography" or "Mentorship". Use one profile per service you sell.
Click Save profile. The card closes and the header shows which profile is active.

To change a profile, open the card, load the profile from the dropdown, edit the fields, and save under the same name. To remove a profile, load it and click Delete.

Proof stays honest. The tool writes only from the proof you enter. If you leave past results blank, the proposal writes around them. It does not invent case studies or numbers. Add real figures wherever you can, since they carry the most weight.

Paste a brief

If the client sent you an email or notes, paste the text into Paste a client email or brief and click Fill from text. The tool reads the text and fills in the client and project fields it finds.

Blank fields stay blank. The tool doesn't guess.
It only fills client and project fields. Your own details are never changed by a paste.
Read every filled field before you generate. A wrong figure in a brief goes straight into the proposal.

Client and project fields

Field	Required	What to enter
Client name	Yes	The person or company you're proposing to.
Project type	Yes	A short label, such as "website redesign" or "ad campaign".
Industry, company type	No	Helps the tone fit the client. "SaaS" or "solo founder" are good examples.
Client goal	Yes	What the client wants to achieve. A number and a deadline make it concrete.
Problem or opportunity	Yes	What isn't working now. Specific beats general: "8% bounce rate on the pricing page" works better than "low conversions".
Scope ideas	No	Rough deliverables. Bullets are fine. Leave blank and the tool proposes a scope and lists it as an assumption.
Timeline	Yes	How long the work takes or when it must finish.
Budget	No	A range or a single figure. Used to shape the pricing section.

If a required field is empty, the tool lists what is still needed above the Generate button. Nothing is sent until those fields are filled.

Tone, length, and pricing

Tone

Formal writes polished and precise, suited to corporate or institutional clients.
Conversational writes warm and direct, like an expert talking to a peer. Good for startups and small businesses.

Length

Concise keeps every section tight. Best for clients who skim, and for most first proposals.
Standard gives each section more room. Best for complex projects where the client expects detail. It uses more of your API budget and is more likely to hit the output limit (see Troubleshooting).

Pricing model

Choose how you charge: fixed fee, hourly, monthly retainer, per deliverable, or project fee plus retainer. The Pricing & Structure section is built around that model. Choose Let the AI suggest if you aren't sure. The tool then recommends a structure, explains why in one sentence, and uses bracketed placeholders such as [fee] wherever a figure is missing. Replace each placeholder before you send the proposal.

Generating a proposal

Complete the required fields. Your profile should already be saved.
Click Generate proposal. The output panel opens and the text appears as it's written.
Wait for the status line to read "Done". The output then has eight sections, in this order: Project Overview, Proposed Solution, Scope of Work, Timeline, Pricing & Structure, Why Me, Next Steps, and Closing Statement.

Click Stop at any time to end the draft early. The partial draft stays on screen, and you can use Redo to fill in what's missing. Stopping doesn't refund the cost of the text already generated.

Reviewing the draft

Read the draft before you send it. The tool helps in three places.

Assumptions

Above the sections, a box lists anything the tool assumed to fill gaps. Each assumption is something you should confirm or correct. The assumptions are not included in copied or downloaded text, so they never reach the client by accident.

Check flags

Each section is scanned for words and phrases from the voice rules, such as "leverage", "crucial", or em dashes. A gold Check label names the flagged words. The tool does not rewrite them. Edit the text yourself or use Redo with a note.

Warnings

A warning box appears above the sections when something needs attention. The most common warnings are a section cut off by the output limit, or a missing section. Use Redo on the affected section.

Always check facts. The tool writes from what you entered, but it can still phrase a claim more strongly than your facts allow. Check every number, date, price, and promise before the proposal goes out. Placeholders in square brackets must be replaced.

Redoing a section

Every section has a Redo button. Click it, and optionally type a note, then click Rewrite. Only that section changes. The other seven stay as they are.

Useful notes are short and specific:

"Shorter. Cut the second paragraph."
"Lead with the outcome, not the process."
"Make the pricing a fixed fee of $4,500 with two payments."
"Remove the guarantee. I don't offer one."

Leave the note blank and the tool rewrites the section to be more specific, using only the facts you gave it.

Copy and download

Button	What you get
Copy (per section)	Plain text for one section, with its heading. Good for pasting into a single part of a document.
Copy full proposal	The whole proposal with its formatting kept. Pastes cleanly into Gmail, Google Docs, and most email programs. Falls back to plain text in older browsers.
Download .docx	A Word document with headings, bullets, and bold text. Needs an internet connection the first time, because the export library loads from a content delivery network.
Download .md	A plain Markdown file. Useful if you want to edit in a text editor or paste into a tool that reads Markdown.
Edit inputs	Scrolls back to the form so you can change a field and generate again.

Before you export, check the assumptions and flags, since copied and downloaded text does not include the assumptions box.

History and recent clients

History keeps the last 20 proposals you generated. Click Open to view one again, or Delete to remove it. Opening a proposal from history does not use your API key, so you can reread it at no cost.

Recent clients keeps the last 15 clients. Choosing one fills in its client and project fields. Your own profile is not changed. Clients are matched by name and project type, so a second proposal for the same client and project replaces the earlier entry.

Privacy and your key

Your API key is sent only to Anthropic. The tool has no server, and nothing is sent to the site where you got the file.
Profiles, recent clients, history, and the model list are saved in your browser on this device. Nothing is saved on a server.
With Remember key on this device ticked, the key stays in your browser until you click Forget key. Anyone who can open your browser profile could read it. Untick it on shared computers.
Clearing your browser's site data removes your key, profiles, history, and recent clients. Export anything you need first.
Client information you enter is sent to Anthropic to write the proposal, the same as any text you send to Claude. Follow your own client confidentiality obligations when you use it.

Never share your key. Don't paste it into email, chat, or a screenshot. If you think it has been exposed, revoke it in the Anthropic Console and create a new one.

Troubleshooting

"Your API key was not accepted"

The key is wrong, has been revoked, or was pasted with extra characters. Open Settings, paste the key again, and click Save key.

"Rate limit reached"

Your account has sent too many requests in a short time. Wait a minute and try again. Check your limits in the Anthropic Console if this keeps happening.

"Anthropic is overloaded right now"

The service is busy. Try again in a few minutes. Your form entries are kept.

"That model was not found"

The model may have been retired or renamed. Open Settings and click Refresh to load the current list, then pick a model.

The model list says it could not load

Check your internet connection and key. The tool shows a short built-in list in the meantime, and you can still generate with it.

A section stops mid-sentence, or a warning mentions the length limit

The output hit its length limit. Use Redo on the last section and add a note such as "tighter", or switch the length setting to Concise and generate again.

A section is missing

Use Redo on the empty section, or generate again. Missing sections are listed in the warning box.

Download .docx says the library did not load

Your connection may have blocked the export library. Check your connection and reload the page, or use Download .md and open it in Word or another editor.

My profile or history disappeared

Profiles, history, and recent clients live in this browser's storage. Clearing site data, using a private window, or switching browsers or computers will not show them. Save profiles on the device where you normally work.

I saved a profile and it's gone after a reload

Check that the profile name appeared in the dropdown after you clicked Save profile. If it did, the profile is stored and you can load it from the dropdown. If it didn't, open the browser console and send the message shown in it.

The Copy button says it copied, but nothing pasted

Your browser may have blocked clipboard access. Click the section text, select all, and copy it by hand.

Tips for better proposals

Be specific in the problem field. A named number or behavior produces a sharper proposal than a general complaint.
Save a profile for each service. A photography profile and a mentorship profile will each read correctly without edits to your credentials.
Use Let the AI suggest for pricing when you're unsure. Then edit the recommended structure to match what you actually charge.
Redo one section at a time. Changing one paragraph is cheaper and faster than generating the whole proposal again.
Read the assumptions first. Most errors come from a blank field the tool filled in on its own.
Keep the Closing Statement short. It's the last thing a client reads before deciding. A plain next step works better than a flourish.