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AI Request Builder

The AI Request Builder is an assistant built into the request composer. Describe the matter in plain language, and it recommends a scoped set of documents to collect — each with its own description and checklist — and drafts a request title. This page is for anyone on your team who creates document requests.

The assistant is powered by Claude, Anthropic's AI model, running on Amazon Bedrock.

Where to find it

Open the request composer by clicking New Request (from the Requests page or the Kanban board). The AI Request Builder panel appears alongside the form — on desktop it opens by default; on smaller screens it starts collapsed so it doesn't crowd the form.

  • Hide it with the collapse button in the panel header.
  • Show it again by clicking the AI Request Builder bar that remains on screen.

FileOnion remembers your show/hide choice in the browser, so the panel stays the way you left it next time you create a request.

The panel appears when you're creating a new request. It's not shown when you're editing an already-created request or editing a template.

The flow

  1. Describe the matter. Type what you're collecting documents for in the message box ("Describe the documents you need…") and press Enter to send (Shift+Enter adds a line break). Or click one of the built-in suggestions:
    • Documents for an H-1B visa petition
    • Green card via adjustment of status (I-485)
    • Naturalization application (N-400)
    • Family-based petition (I-130)
    • New client onboarding
  2. Review the recommendation. The assistant replies with a short explanation and a set of recommended documents. Each recommendation card shows the document title, a Req or Opt chip (required or optional), a description written for your client, and a checklist of the specific items to include.
  3. Add what you want. Click Add on an individual card, or Add all to request to take the whole set. Added documents drop straight into the form on the left, and the assistant's draft title fills the request title if you haven't typed one yourself.
  4. Edit freely. Everything the assistant adds is a normal form field. Rename documents, rewrite descriptions, add or remove checklist items, mark items required or optional, delete documents — the same way you would with manually created ones.

Checkpoint

After clicking Add all to request, the button reads "Added to request", each card shows "Added", and the documents appear in the form's document list. If you delete one of those documents from the form, its card flips back to Add so you can re-add it later.

Checklist requests

Recommendations are structured as checklist documents, so adding them switches the request to the checklist type if it isn't already. Documents added by the assistant are tagged fileonion ai assistant so you can spot them later.

Refining with follow-ups

The panel is a conversation, and the assistant remembers everything said so far in this session. Keep messaging to adjust the set:

  • "The client is self-employed — swap the employment letter for business documents."
  • "Add Spanish translations as a checklist item on every document."
  • "Make the tax returns optional."

Each reply can include a fresh set of recommendations to add.

Starting over

Once a conversation has started, a Start over button (circular-arrow icon) appears in the panel header. Click it to clear the conversation and begin a new one. Documents you already added to the form stay in the form — starting over only resets the chat.

If the assistant can't be reached, the panel shows an "Agent error" message such as "We were unable to reach the assistant. Please try again." Your form contents are unaffected.

Combining AI with templates

The AI builder and templates work well together:

  • Pick a template in the composer's template selector to prefill the form, then use the AI panel to add matter-specific documents on top.
  • Import a starting point from the Template Library, create a request from it, and refine with the assistant.
  • Build a document set with the assistant once, then save the request as a template so your team can reuse it without re-prompting.

AI document summaries on uploads

Separately from the Request Builder, FileOnion can summarize and classify the files clients upload. When reviewing a request, open a document's AI Summary panel and click Generate: FileOnion produces a short summary of the file's contents plus suggested tags. You can Regenerate, edit the summary text, and add or remove tags. The same action is available on files in the File Manager.

Supported file types for AI summaries: JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and PDF.

Tips for good prompts

  • Name the matter type. "Documents for an uncontested divorce filing in California" beats "divorce stuff".
  • Describe the client's situation. Employment status, family members involved, business vs. individual — context changes which documents apply.
  • State constraints. Deadlines, translations, notarization, or "keep it to the essentials" all steer the recommendation.
  • Iterate instead of restarting. Follow-up messages refine the existing set; you only need Start over for a completely different matter.

You stay in control

The assistant drafts documents into the form — it never contacts your client. Nothing is sent until you review the request and send it yourself, and every recommendation can be edited or removed before that happens. Treat the output as a strong first draft, and apply your own professional judgment before sending.