AI template generation

AI template generation drafts the steps and fields of a template from plain text. You can use it in two places:

• New template builds a whole template from a questionnaire you paste.
• AI Generate in the template builder adds drafted steps to a template you already have.

Only owners and admins can create or edit templates, so only they can use either one. Members see "Only admins can create templates." on New template and "Only admins can edit templates." in the template builder.

Portico sends the text you type and the industry you choose to an outside AI service to draft the template. Paste your questions, not your clients' answers.

Create a template from a questionnaire

1. Go to Templates and click New template. The Paste your questionnaire tab opens first.
2. Paste your questions into Your questionnaire. Text from a Google Doc, an email, or any other document works.
3. Optionally, choose an industry under Industry (optional). The AI uses it as context, and Portico saves it as the template's industry.
4. Click Generate template. The button shows Generating... while the AI works.
5. Review the steps and fields Portico shows. Each row shows the field label, its type, and an asterisk when the field is required.
6. If a payment field has no amount, an Amount box appears beside it. Enter the price in USD. Portico never guesses a price. If a signature field has no agreement text, an Agreement text box appears beside it. Paste the document the client signs.
7. Enter a Template name.
8. Click Create template. Portico saves the template and opens it in the template builder.

Create template stays disabled until you enter a name and fix every marked problem, such as a missing amount or agreement text. To try again, click Regenerate. Your pasted text stays in the box, so you can edit it and click Generate template again. Each new attempt counts as one generation.

To build without AI, click the Start blank tab instead.

Add steps inside the builder

1. Open a template and select a step.
2. Click AI Generate next to Add field. The Generate with AI dialog opens.
3. Describe the form under Describe what you need. For example: "New client intake for a digital marketing agency".
4. Optionally, choose an industry under Industry (optional). Here the industry only guides the AI. Portico does not save it on the template.
5. Click Generate.
6. Review the summary and the list of drafted steps and fields.
7. Click Add to template, or click Regenerate to go back to your description.

Portico adds the drafted steps after your existing steps and selects the first new one. Your existing steps stay as they are. The builder then saves the template as it does for any other edit.

If a drafted payment field has no amount, or a drafted signature field has no agreement text, the builder marks it "Needs a fix before it can save". The template does not save until you enter the amount or the Agreement text in that field's settings.

The AI Generate button appears when your plan includes AI generation or your team has AI credits. It does not appear on lifetime and AppSumo plans until the Owner buys an AI credit pack.

Text length

Portico ignores spaces at the start and end of your text when it counts characters.

Monthly allowance

Each click of Generate template or Generate that reaches the AI service counts as one generation against your plan's monthly allowance.

When a Pro trial ends without a paid plan, the account moves to Free and its allowance becomes 25.

The allowance resets on the 1st of each month, in UTC. Settings > Billing > Usage this month shows AI generations used so far when your plan includes AI generation.

Portico counts a generation just before it sends your text to the AI service. The count stays even when the AI then fails or returns a result Portico cannot use. A request refused before that point does not count. That covers text that is too short or too long, a reached limit, and too many requests in one minute.

Portico accepts 5 generation requests per minute from one IP address.

AI credits on lifetime plans

Lifetime and AppSumo plans do not include AI generation. The Owner can buy an AI credit pack in Settings > Billing under Credit packs.

• One pack adds 1,000 AI generation credits for a one-time $29 USD base price. Local prices, discounts and taxes can change the checkout total.
• Each generation uses one credit.
• Credits never expire and never renew.
• Credit packs shows your balance as a count of AI generation credits.

Credits are used only after any monthly allowance runs out. See Billing and plans for plan prices and other credit packs.

What a generated template contains

The AI drafts steps and fields from your text. Portico checks the result before it shows you anything:

• The AI is asked for one to five steps of two to eight fields each. A result with more than 10 steps fails with "Portico could not finish this right now. Try again in a minute, or email support@portico.run if it keeps failing."
• Fields use the 18 builder field types. Portico drops any field with a type it does not recognize, and any step whose fields were all dropped. If the AI returns a step with no fields at all, the attempt fails with "Portico could not finish this right now…" and counts as one generation.
• A field is required unless the AI marks it optional.
• Choice fields can come with options. File uploads, addresses, info text and repeater groups can come with their settings filled in.
• The AI is told to leave out payment and signature fields unless your text asks for them.
• A blank field label gets the builder's default label for that type. Info text fields keep a blank label.
• A blank step title becomes "Step" plus its number. Repeater columns with no name are removed.

Generated steps are never optional and carry no conditional logic.

Review before you send

A generated template is a draft. Check it in the builder before you send it to a client:

1. Compare the labels and field types with your original questionnaire.
2. Check which fields are required. A generated field is required unless the AI marked it optional.
3. Check the options on every Dropdown, Multi-select, and Radio buttons field.
4. Check the limits on every File upload field.
5. Check every Signature field's Agreement text. It is the document your client signs, so paste your own engagement letter or consent text.
6. Check every Payment field's Amount and Payment type. A payment needs Stripe connected before clients can pay. See Stripe payments.
7. Add help text, optional steps, conditional logic, and translations where you need them.
8. Click Preview to walk through the form as a client would.

Error messages

Errors show a sentence in your language. The table explains each one.

These messages read the same on New template and in the builder's Generate with AI dialog.