Release: This article describes features and functionality planned for our October release. Some features may not be available until October 8, 2026.
Summary
This article walks you through what active and inactive obligations are and how they function in Ironclad.
Use Case
Classics Inc. uses lifecycle states to manage obligations throughout their lifecycle. They mark obligations as Active when they apply and should appear in active work or trigger notifications. When an obligation no longer applies, they mark it Inactive. The obligation remains in Ironclad for historical reference and search, while its fulfillment status—Not Started, In Progress, or Completed—stays unchanged.
Permissions
| Features | Obligations |
| Permissions |
Obligation permissions are tied to the contract's permissions and obligation assignments. If you can only view a contract, you can only view its obligations—unless you're assigned to a specific obligation, in which case you can edit it even with view-only contract access. |
Active and Inactive Obligations
An obligation’s lifecycle state shows whether it’s currently active.
- Active obligations apply now. They appear in active contracts and can trigger notifications.
- Inactive obligations no longer apply. They stay in Ironclad so you can find them later and view their history.
Lifecycle state is separate from fulfillment status. Making an obligation inactive does not change whether it is Not Started, In Progress, or Completed.
Active and Inactive Obligations on the Obligations Dashboard
Active-leaning views such as Assigned to me and Due in 7 days, automatically apply the “Is Active” filter. Other views such as All obligations and Starred show both active and inactive obligations.
To include inactive obligations, remove the filter at the top of the Obligations Dashboard.
The Active tile at the top of the dashboard shows the current number of active obligations at a glance.
Active and Inactive Obligations in a Workflow
The Obligations tab for an active contract shows active obligations by default. If you remove the “Is Active” filter, the inactive obligations appear grayed out and include an Inactive label next to the title.
In the right panel of a post-sign contract, inactive obligations are filtered out by default.
Resources
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Help Center
- Activate and Deactivate Obligations
Academy
- No relevant resources at this time.