Bid Tool guide.
The Bid Tool turns a client's request into a priced bid, a three-email follow-up sequence, and a ready-to-send objection response. You set up your rates and terms once. Each bid after that takes a few minutes, and every number on it comes from your own rate card.
Before you start
You need three things: a computer with a current browser, an Anthropic API key, and a credit balance on your Anthropic account. The tool runs in the browser. There is nothing to install.
Get an API key
- Sign in to the Anthropic Console at console.anthropic.com.
- Open the API keys page and create a new key. Give it a name you will recognize, such as "Bid Tool".
- Copy the key. It starts with
sk-ant-. Anthropic shows the full key only once, so save it somewhere safe before you close the page.
Anyone with your key can spend your credits. Do not paste it into a shared document, a chat, or a screenshot. If you think it has leaked, delete it in the Console and create a new one.
Open the tool
Open index.html in Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox. Opening it from your desktop works. You do not need a web server.
Build your profile
The first screen asks for your details. Fill it in once, then press Save Profile & Start Bidding. The profile is sent with every request, so the bids reflect your real rates and terms rather than generic pricing.
| Section | What to enter |
|---|---|
| 01 / About You | Your name, business name, city, years in business, and a one-line description of your work. The description is how the bid introduces you. |
| 02 / Rates | Half-day, full-day, hourly, rush premium, travel policy, and minimum booking. Write them the way you would quote them, such as "$800" or "25% surcharge under 72 hours". The tool does not calculate these for you. It uses the text you enter. |
| 03 / Work Types | Tick the specialties you offer. Then list anything you do not shoot, so the bid does not offer it. |
| 04 / Copyright & Licensing | Your default licensing model, your copyright transfer policy and its price, and the usage tiers you charge for, such as web, regional print, or national print. |
| 05 / Delivery & Terms | Turnaround, file format, deposit, and retouching. Use the "anything else" box for studio space, assistant rates, and any terms that do not fit elsewhere. |
The model writes what your profile says and nothing more. If a rate is missing, the bid will not invent one. Enter every rate you charge, and leave the field blank only when you never offer that service.
Press Edit profile answers in the sidebar at any time to change these details.
Choose a model
The model dropdown appears on the setup screen and in the sidebar. The two dropdowns stay in sync. The list comes from Anthropic's Models API, so new models appear without an update to the tool. The list refreshes automatically every 7 days. Press Refresh list to load it right away.
If the tool cannot reach the list, it uses a built-in list of the current models. The note under the dropdown tells you which list is in use.
| Model | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Sonnet | The default. Good balance of quality and cost for bids and emails. |
| Opus | Use for unusual or high-value jobs where the wording of the bid matters most. |
| Haiku | Fastest and lowest cost. Good for simple, repeat jobs with standard terms. |
| Fable | Use if it is available on your account and you want the strongest results. |
The model you choose applies to the next request. Each saved bid does not record its model, so compare results on the same job when you test a new one.
Generate a bid
- Name the client. Type the client or project name in the first box. It becomes the title in your saved bid list. If you leave it blank, the tool uses the first line of the request.
- Paste the request. Copy the client's email, brief, or a short summary of the job into the request box. Include the date, location, coverage hours, deliverables, usage, and any budget they mentioned.
- Check the budget note. If every dollar figure in the request is below your half-day rate, a warning appears under the output. The tool still generates the bid. Read the warning before you send anything.
- Press Generate Bid. The bid appears in the Bid tab. It has a scope summary, priced line items, the total, the deposit, the turnaround, the licensing terms, and any notes.
What the total is based on
The model returns the line items as numbers. The tool adds them up and prints the total. The model does not do the arithmetic, so a total that does not match the items is not possible. Check each line item against your rate card before you send. The model chooses which of your rates apply, and that choice is the part to review.
The licensing section follows the usage you describe in the request. If the client plans national or outdoor use and the request does not say so, the bid will not price it. Add the usage to the request, or add the fee yourself.
Email sequence
After you generate a bid, press Email Sequence. The tool writes three emails in the tabs labeled Email 1, Email 2, and Email 3, each with a subject line.
| When to send it | What it does | |
|---|---|---|
| Email 1 | With the bid | A short cover note that delivers the bid. |
| Email 2 | Three days later, if there is no reply | A gentle follow-up that mentions one detail from the project. |
| Email 3 | Five days after Email 2 | A soft close. It notes that the date may fill and offers a short call. |
The emails use the full bid and the date from your computer, so the wording matches the job. The tool does not send them. Copy each one and send it from your own email program.
Edit and copy
Every bid and email can be edited in place. Click into the text, change what you need, and click away. The edit saves to the bid in your list.
| Button | What it copies |
|---|---|
| Copy | Plain text. Use it when you paste into a plain text field, a contract template, or a notes app. |
| Copy as rich text | Text with the line breaks kept. Use it when you paste into an email program or a document. If your browser does not support rich copy, the tool falls back to plain text and tells you so. |
Changes you make by hand do not regenerate the bid. If you edit the bid, the objection prompt updates to match as soon as you click away.
Saved bids
Every bid you generate is saved in your browser. The list in the sidebar shows the client name and date. Press a name to reopen that bid, including its emails and request. Press × to delete one. The tool asks for confirmation first.
The list holds the 25 most recent bids. When you add a new bid after that, the oldest one drops off the list. If you want to keep one permanently, copy the bid and emails into your own files.
The saved bids live in the browser on this computer. They are not synced to other computers or other browsers. Clearing your browser's site data deletes them. Opening the tool in a different browser shows an empty list.
Press New bid to clear the screen and start a fresh request. The saved bid stays in the list.
Tokens and length
The model reads and writes text in chunks called tokens. Roughly four characters make one token in English. The tool shows you the token counts so you can see what each bid uses.
Bid length
The sidebar has a bid length setting. It sets the most the model can write for one bid.
| Setting | Output cap | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Brief | 1,024 tokens | Small, simple jobs with standard terms. |
| Standard | 2,048 tokens | Most bids. This is the default. |
| Detailed | 4,096 tokens | Multi-day jobs or complex licensing. |
The usage line
Below the output, the usage line reports the input and output tokens for the last request. It also shows how many input tokens came from the cache. The cache reuses your profile when you make several bids in a row, which lowers the cost of those requests.
If the usage line turns amber and says the output was cut off, the bid hit the length cap before it finished. Choose a longer bid length and generate again. The partial text is still shown so you can see where it stopped.
Handling pushback
The panel at the bottom of the screen holds a prompt for answering client objections. It is built from your profile and the current bid. Copy it and paste it into Claude.ai. Replace the placeholder with the client's exact words, then send.
The prompt asks for two replies: one that holds firm on price or terms, and one that offers a small concession. Choose the one that fits the relationship. You can use the prompt again for any later objection.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "No API key saved. Edit your profile." | Open the profile and paste your key into the API key box, then save. |
| "HTTP 401" or an invalid key message | The key is wrong or was deleted. Create a new key in the Console and save it again. |
| "HTTP 429" or a rate limit message | You sent requests faster than your account allows. Wait a minute and try again. |
| Credit or billing message | Your account is out of credits. Add credits in the Console. |
| "Could not refresh models" | Check your internet connection. The tool keeps the saved list, so generating still works. |
| The bid shows as plain text, not sections | The model did not return the expected structure. The text is still usable. Generate again to get the structured version. |
| The output is cut off | Raise the bid length in the sidebar and generate again. |
| The copy button does nothing | Your browser blocked clipboard access. Click the box, select the text, and copy it with Ctrl+C or Cmd+C. |
Open the browser's developer console and look for the error message. Include that message when you ask for help, and leave out the API key.
Privacy and cost
Your profile, saved bids, and API key stay in your browser. The only data that leaves your computer is the request sent to Anthropic when you generate a bid or emails, and the request that loads the model list. The tool does not send anything to any other service.
Anthropic bills by the tokens used. The usage line shows the count for each request, so you can track what each bid costs. Use the bid length setting to control the most a single request can cost.
On a computer other people use, clear the API key from the profile or close the browser window when you finish. Anyone who opens the tool on that computer can see the saved profile and bids.