---
title: "Introduction to Astra"
canonical: "https://help.agiloft.com/space/Astra/543948817/Introduction%20to%20Astra"
format: markdown
---
Astra makes it easy to review contracts, extract their content, analyze their risk, and gain broader insight into each document you work with. Astra employs OpenAI as an LLM provider, and no customer data is used in training or shared in any way. For more information about security, visit [Security](https://www.agiloft.com/services/security/?_gl=1*xj66s8*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTQzNjMwNjQ1Ni4xNzc4ODcxNTI5*_ga_DD5XWF2GJ0*czE3Nzg4NzE1MjYkbzEkZzAkdDE3Nzg4NzE1MjYkajYwJGwwJGg5MjQ0MDg4MDQ).

With Astra, you can:

- Use an AI Assistant to extract terms, analyze risk, and gain insight from your contract documents.
- Screen contracts to see where they stray from your requirements, and to flag potential risks. You can run your screens on individual contracts or multiple documents at once, and customize what your screens look for and how the results are shown.

> 📝 This guide and its child articles focus on using Astra. If you use Astra alongside Agiloft CLM, there is additional information for you at [Integrated Astra](https://agiloft-public.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/HELP/pages/569933847) in the Agiloft CLM guide.
> 📝 
> 📝 For information about how to set up Astra in Agiloft CLM for the first time, see [Setting Up Astra for Agiloft CLM](https://agiloft-public.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/HELP/pages/570261517).

## What is a screen?

A screen is uses pass/fail standards to check contracts for compliance with stated requirements, and includes questions to simplify document data retrieval. 

For example, an Arbitration Agreement screen might include AI prompts for all of the information your organization requires in an Arbitration Agreement contract. Simply run that screen on a third-party Arbitration Agreement to get a user-friendly score showing how well that contract aligns with your requirements, including extracted examples for clauses that align with your standards and items that need your attention. 

You can create your own screens from scratch, borrow from the community, or use a community screen as a starting point to build a customized version.

## Language Support

Astra language support is similar to the language support provided by OpenAI's current models.

The following languages all work interchangeably, meaning that you can use standards written in one language on a contract written in another. Additionally, Astra can provide redlining in the same language that the contract was written in, making it easy to make changes or plug in new content. Still, it's recommended that all translations be verified for accuracy by a legal subject matter expert who specializes in that language. 

- English
- Russian
- German
- Chinese
- Simplified Chinese
- Japanese
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
- Dutch
- Portuguese
- Vietnamese

Naturally, English standards on a contract written in English will be the most accurate, while an example using German standards with a Vietnamese contract might be less accurate, but still supported. Using languages not listed here is possible, but viable results are not guaranteed.

## Transport layer

Astra uses the TLS 1.2 protocol. Note that Microsoft Graph API is not currently in use with Astra. For more information, consult the [Agiloft Trust Portal](https://trustportal.agiloft.com/?_gl=1*at54dk*_up*MQ..*_ga*NTcxMDk2NzIzLjE3NTA3OTY3MjA.*_ga_DD5XWF2GJ0*czE3NTA3OTY3MTckbzEkZzAkdDE3NTA3OTY3MTckajYwJGwwJGgxMTYwMjA0Mzc2).

## Credits

Credits are how Astra tracks usage for contract analysis activities. Every time Astra analyzes contracts, extracts information, runs analysis, or answers a question, it is performing work on your behalf. A credit system has several benefits:

- Pay based on actual usage
- Scale analysis up or down as needs change
- Support both quick questions and large-scale analysis
- Track usage transparently in the product
- Avoid relying on unpredictable billable-hour models
- Eliminate overspending and improve budget forecasts

Credits are displayed in the lower left corner of Astra and are used to quantify usage. As with most AI-based software, when a user asks the system to execute an activity, the number of credits used will be determined by the complexity of the activity. 

| Action | Allotted Credits |
| --- | --- |
| Initial document upload | 5 credits per document (excluding Astra Word Add-in uploads) |
| Running a screen | about 1 credit per standard per document (web app only; Word Add-in is free) |
| Creating a custom column | about 1 credit per document |
| Asking questions in the Astra Assistant | Variable, this scales with the complexity of your request, a quick lookup will only be a few credits versus a deep multi-document analysis costs more |

Credits are assigned to an individual workspace, replenished monthly, and are shared by all approved users in that workspace. Credits from future months cannot be used prior to their allocation, and unused credits do not roll over into future months. 

If you run out of credits, you can wait for your monthly credits to refresh, or upgrade your plan by contacting your Agiloft representative. The credit reset date can be found on the Settings page of the Astra web app.

Contract reviews executed in the Astra Word app do not consume credits; you can run screens, get Standards Scores, and generate redlines in the Astra Word app as often as needed. 

The only limitation on Word-based screening is that Free Tier Workspaces are entitled to a maximum of three customer-created Screens. There is a Free Tier, Pro Tiers (1-5), and an Advanced Tier. For more information on tiers and pricing, contact your Agiloft representative.

## Data Residency

Data residency options for Astra includes US, EU, Canada, and Australia. 

> 📝 For standalone Astra, data residency options are selectable in the Astra UI. If you use Astra alongside Agiloft CLM, data residency automatically reflects the AWS hosting region of the linked Agiloft CLM.