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Gavel’s DocuSign integration lets you send the documents generated by any workflow directly to DocuSign for electronic signature — without leaving Gavel or manually uploading files. When a user completes a workflow, Gavel packages the output documents into a DocuSign envelope, assigns it to the recipients you configured, and dispatches it automatically. Recipients receive an email from DocuSign and can sign, initial, or approve the document according to the role you gave them.
The DocuSign integration is available to customers on Pro and Scale plans. You also need an active DocuSign account with envelopes available.

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Step 1: Connect your DocuSign account

1

Open the Integrations page in Gavel

Log in to a Builder or Admin account. In the left navigation sidebar, click Integrations.
2

Link your DocuSign account

Scroll to the DocuSign integration module and click Link account. You will be redirected to DocuSign’s login page.
3

Sign in to DocuSign

Enter your DocuSign email and password. After successful authentication, you will be returned to the Gavel integrations page.
4

Confirm the connection

If the button now reads Unlink Account and is displayed in red, the accounts are successfully connected. The connected account will send all envelopes created by your Gavel workflows.
If you plan to send envelopes on behalf of multiple team members, the recommended best practice is to create a dedicated DocuSign account used exclusively for Gavel-generated envelopes.

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Optional: Configure DocuSign Connect and HMAC key

You can send documents from Gavel to DocuSign without an HMAC key. However, an HMAC key is required if you want to:
  • Receive updated documents back from DocuSign after signing is complete
  • View envelope status inside Gavel
  • Trigger Gavel webhooks that include the signed documents
  • Send Gavel emails that include the signed documents
To obtain an HMAC key, you need DocuSign Connect enabled on your DocuSign account. Visit https://admin.docusign.com/connect-signatures, click ADD SECRET KEY, copy the key to your clipboard, and paste it into the HMAC key field in Gavel.
If you do not see an ADD SECRET KEY button on the DocuSign page, DocuSign Connect is not enabled on your account. Contact your DocuSign account representative to enable it.

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Step 2: Select which documents to send for signing

1

Open the Document Templates tab

In your workflow’s builder view, click the Document Templates tab.
2

Enable DocuSign for this workflow

Check the box labeled Send documents for DocuSign Signature. Additional DocuSign configuration options will appear.
3

Choose which documents to include

You will see a list of all the document templates attached to this workflow. Check the checkbox next to each document you want to send to DocuSign for signing.
4

Include file uploads (optional)

If your workflow includes a file upload question and you want the user’s uploaded files to be attached to the DocuSign envelope, check the box under DocuSign Settings labeled for file upload attachments.

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Step 3: Add recipients and set signing order

1

Click Add Recipients

Click the purple Add Recipients button in the DocuSign settings section.
2

Enter recipient name

In the first text field, type the recipient’s name if it will always be the same person. Alternatively, select a workflow variable (such as client_name) so that the name is populated dynamically from the questionnaire.
3

Enter recipient email

In the second text field, type a static email address or select an Email question variable from your workflow to use the email the client entered.
4

Assign a DocuSign role

In the third text field, choose the role for this recipient. Click View DocuSign Definitions if you need to review what each role (Signer, Approver, In Person Signer, etc.) means in DocuSign.
5

Add more recipients if needed

Repeat the above steps for each additional person who needs to sign, approve, or receive the document. DocuSign will present the document to recipients in the order you add them.

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Step 4: Tag your document templates with DocuSign anchors

After setting up the output documents tab, you need to place signature, date, and initials anchors in the correct locations within each Word document template. Gavel uses the Word add-in to insert these anchors.
1

Open the document in Word with the Gavel add-in

Open your Word document template and open the Gavel Word add-in panel.
2

Expand the Signatures section

At the bottom of the Word add-in, find the Signatures section and expand it. This section is enabled once you have set up the DocuSign integration for the workflow.
3

Select your anchor settings

Use the dropdowns to choose:
  • DocuSign field as the field type
  • The recipient this anchor belongs to
  • The field action — Signature, Date, Initials, or Approval
4

Insert the anchor

Click Insert to place the anchor at your cursor’s current position in the document. Position it exactly where you want the recipient to sign or initial.
5

Upload the updated document to Gavel

Save the document and upload it to your Gavel workflow using the normal document update process.
When the Word add-in inserts a DocuSign anchor, the outer brackets are rendered in white, making the anchor invisible in the printed output. DocuSign reads these anchors to position the signature fields. If you accidentally change the anchor text color, the anchor will appear as visible text in the DocuSign PDF.
Make sure your DocuSign account has envelopes available before you run a test workflow. If your envelope balance is empty, sending the document to DocuSign will trigger an error.

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Testing and going live

Once your templates are tagged and your recipients are configured, run the workflow from start to finish. After the questionnaire is completed, Gavel sends the documents to DocuSign automatically. Each recipient will receive an email from DocuSign where they can complete their assigned action. To unlink your DocuSign account at any time, return to Integrations in Gavel and click the red Unlink Account button. The button will turn grey and revert to Link Account once disconnected.