When you select Send, PandaDoc runs a quick safety check on your document. These checks catch the three most common issues before your document reaches a recipient. Each check surfaces one at a time, with the fix right in front of you.
Watch an overview video:
Check 1 — Unassigned fields
You'll see a prompt listing the fields in your document that aren't assigned to a role.
Why it happens
Every signature, initial, date, or text field needs to belong to someone. If a field was added to the document but never assigned to a role, no recipient will see it as theirs to complete.
How to fix it
In the check panel, review the list of unassigned fields.
Select the role each field should belong to from the dropdown next to the field name.
Confirm your assignments.
Note: You don't need to have all your recipients added yet. You can assign a field to a role now and add the actual person to that role later — the two steps are independent.
Check 2 — Unassigned recipients
You'll see a prompt listing the roles on your document that don't have a real person mapped to them.
Why it happens
Roles define who does what — for example, Client or Account Executive. Until a role is matched to an actual contact, no one will receive or be able to sign the document.
How to fix it
In the check panel, find the role that's missing a recipient.
Enter a name or email address to search your contacts, or add a new contact.
Select the person to assign them to the role.
Check 3 — Unfilled variables
The Fill empty variables wizard opens, listing every variable in your document that hasn't been filled in.
Why it happens
Variables are placeholders — things like a company name, a price, or a contract start date — embedded in the document when it was created from a template. If they weren't filled at creation time, this wizard surfaces them before send.
How to fix it
Review the list of variables in the wizard.
Fill in the values you want to include.
Select Next to proceed.
Note: You don't have to fill every variable. If you select Next with some left blank, those placeholders will remain empty in the sent document. Fill only what's relevant for this specific send.
After all three checks are cleared
Once you've worked through the fields, recipients, and variables, Send becomes available without any further prompts. Your document goes out to your recipients.
Have a question not covered here? Contact Support.