ScopeGuard

About ScopeGuard

ScopeGuard is your AI-powered shield against unpaid work. It's a smart tool designed specifically for freelancers, independent contractors, and consultants who are tired of losing money to scope creep—those small, unplanned requests that add up to thousands in lost revenue each year. The main value of ScopeGuard is simple: it ensures you get paid for every single hour you work by automatically identifying when a client's request falls outside your original agreement. You start by easily importing your contract or Statement of Work. Then, using a handy Chrome extension, you can instantly check any text from emails, Slack, or project management tools against that contract. ScopeGuard's AI analyzes the request and tells you if it's in-scope, out-of-scope, or borderline, complete with an explanation. From there, you can log the extra work, track your time and rates, send professional approval requests to your client, and even generate invoices—all from one dashboard. It turns the stressful, awkward conversation about extra work into a smooth, automated process, protecting your time and your income from day one.

Features of ScopeGuard

AI-Powered Scope Analysis

This is the brain of ScopeGuard. After you import your contract, our advanced AI reads and understands your project's defined scope. When you check a client's new request, it doesn't just do a keyword search. It analyzes the intent and context, comparing it to your original agreement to give you an instant, accurate verdict: "In-Scope," "Out-of-Scope," or "Borderline." Each result comes with a clear explanation, so you understand the AI's reasoning and can communicate it confidently to your client, just like having a contract expert by your side.

Right-Click Scope Checker (Chrome Extension)

Work flows where you do. With the ScopeGuard Chrome extension installed, you don't need to copy and paste text into a separate app. Simply highlight any text on a webpage—be it in Gmail, Slack, Asana, Trello, or your client's project management tool—right-click, and select "Check with ScopeGuard." The analysis pops up instantly right there, allowing you to identify scope creep in real-time as you communicate with clients, without ever breaking your workflow.

Integrated Client Approval Portal

Getting client sign-off on extra work is made effortless. When you log an out-of-scope task, ScopeGuard lets you send a secure, professional approval request directly to your client with one click. The client receives a clean, simple link where they can review the requested change, the associated hours, and the rate. They can approve it with a single click, creating a clear record and avoiding messy email threads. This formalizes the process and makes clients more conscious of their requests.

Automated Invoice Generation & Dashboard

ScopeGuard turns approved scope changes directly into billable items. Your dashboard acts as a command center, showing you all unbilled work across every project. Once a scope change is client-approved, you can generate a polished invoice for it in seconds. This feature ensures you never forget to bill for extra work and gives you a real-time overview of your protected revenue, so you always know exactly where your business stands.

Use Cases of ScopeGuard

The Web Designer Managing Client Revisions

A web designer agrees to build a 5-page website. Mid-project, the client emails asking to add a blog section and an extra contact form. The designer uses the ScopeGuard extension to right-click the email text. Instantly, AI flags these as out-of-scope items. The designer logs the 8 extra hours needed, sends a clean approval request via ScopeGuard, and after client approval, invoices for the additional work seamlessly, turning a potential loss into justified revenue.

The Marketing Consultant on Retainer

A consultant has a monthly retainer for strategy work. In Slack, the client asks for help executing a social media campaign, which is not covered. The consultant highlights the Slack message, checks it with ScopeGuard, and confirms it's out-of-scope. They use the tool to propose a one-time project fee for the campaign execution. The client approves through the portal, and the consultant tracks the time against this new, separate project within the same dashboard.

The Freelance Developer Facing Feature Creep

A developer's contract is to build an app with specific features. During testing, the client messages in Basecamp requesting several "small" new features. The developer pastes these requests into ScopeGuard. The AI identifies them as significant additions outside the original scope. The developer uses the screenshot capture feature to document the requests visually, logs them with estimated hours, and sends a formal change order for approval, preventing project delays and unbilled work.

The Writer Handling Expanding Content Requests

A copywriter is hired to write 10 product descriptions. The client later sends an email asking for meta descriptions and social media posts for each product. The writer imports the original email contract into ScopeGuard, then checks the new request. The AI correctly identifies the new content types as additional work. The writer logs the out-of-scope items, sets a per-piece rate, and gets pre-approval before starting the extra writing, ensuring clear boundaries and payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the AI scope checking work?

Our AI is trained to understand language and contract terms. When you import your contract, it extracts the key deliverables, tasks, and boundaries you've defined. When you check a client request, it doesn't just look for matching words. It analyzes the meaning and context of the request and compares it to the understood scope of your project. It then provides a verdict with a reasoning you can use, achieving high accuracy in identifying what was originally agreed upon versus what is new.

What file formats can I import?

You can bring your scope into ScopeGuard in several easy ways. You can directly copy and paste text from proposals, emails, or documents. You can upload PDF files of your signed contracts or Statements of Work. You can also use the screenshot tool in our Chrome extension to capture and import scope details from any webpage or document viewer. We make it simple to get started with whatever format your agreement is in.

How does the Chrome extension work?

After creating your ScopeGuard account, you can install the free Chrome extension from our website or the Chrome Web Store. Once installed, you'll see the ScopeGuard icon in your browser toolbar. When you're on any website like Gmail or Slack, simply highlight the text of a client's request, right-click, and choose "Check with ScopeGuard" from the menu. The analysis appears instantly in a small pop-up window on that same page, making scope checking a seamless part of your daily communication.

Can I try it before paying?

Absolutely! We offer a full 14-day free trial for our Solo plan, and you can start it without providing a credit card. This gives you full access to all features, including unlimited projects, AI analysis, the Chrome extension, and the client approval portal. You can use it with real client projects to see exactly how much value it brings. There's no obligation, and you can cancel anytime.

Pricing of ScopeGuard

ScopeGuard offers simple, transparent pricing designed for independent professionals. You can start with a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. The Solo plan is priced at $29 per month and is perfect for freelancers and independent contractors. It includes unlimited projects, AI-powered scope analysis, the client approval portal, PDF and screenshot import, the Chrome extension, automatic invoice generation, a real-time dashboard, and priority support. Given that the average scope change is valued over $300, the tool is designed to provide a significant return on investment by helping you recover just one such change.