User guide
Name a product and get its submittal documents in Claude or ChatGPT
SubPro Link is a connector for the assistant you already use. This guide walks you from sign up to a downloaded set of submittal documents, one screen at a time, and explains what Link says back and why.
Chapter 1What Link is
Link puts SubPro's manufacturer library inside Claude and ChatGPT. You name a manufacturer and a product in the chat. Link finds the product, tells you which documents are on file, and puts the submittal documents together as one PDF you can download.
- 1The menu: what Link is, Link with each assistant, the library, partners and pricing
- 2Sign in to an existing account
- 3Start free creates an account. No card
- 4A 54 second demo of a real request
Five things Link can do
| What you ask for | What Link does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Find a product | Searches the library by name, model number or manufacturer and shows the matches with their spec section and the document kinds on file. | Free, on every plan |
| See what is on file | Lists each document for one product: kind, review standing, issue date, and the page it was found at. | Free, on every plan |
| Build the submittal documents | Puts the kinds you named together behind a manifest and sources any kind that is not on file yet. | One submittal package against your monthly allowance, whatever it delivers |
| Download | Hands you one PDF behind a link that works for 90 days. | Free |
| Read a document | Puts a document's page text into the chat when you ask the assistant to read or check what it says. | Free |
What you need
- A work email address. Sign up needs nothing else.
- Claude on the web or the desktop app, or ChatGPT. Link works the same in both, and one account covers both.
- For builds, your 14 day Pro trial, then a paid plan. Looking things up is free on every plan, including the free one.
Chapter 2Create your account
Sign up takes an email address and no card. Your account opens with 14 days of Pro, so you can build right away, and it's the same account you subscribe with later.
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Go to sub-pro-ai.com/link and click Start free.
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Enter your work email and click Start my free trial.
Use your work email. Link sends the verification link there and it becomes your sign in for both assistants. Your name and company are asked once on your account page, so support knows who they are talking to.
Start your 14 day Link trial- 1Work email. This is your sign in
- 2Start my free trial
- 3Continuing agrees to the Terms and the Privacy Notice. No card
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Open the email from Link and click the verification link.
The verification link works once and expires after a full day. Open it on the device you want to use. If it has expired, ask for a new one from the sign in page with Email me a sign in link instead.
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Set a password.
The verification link lands on a page that asks for a password. From then on you sign in with your email and password. The emailed link keeps working as a backup and as the way to reset a forgotten password.
Chapter 3Sign in and your account page
Your account page is where you find the connector address, the steps for each assistant, your plan and your usage. Everything you need to connect is there once you sign in.
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Click Sign in on any Link page, then enter your email and password.
Sign in to Link- 1Work email
- 2Password
- 3Sign in
- 4Forgot your password opens the emailed link option
- 5Create a free account if you are new
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Forgot your password? Open the link under the button and ask for a sign in link by email.
The emailed link signs you in without a password. Once you are in, use Change password at the top of the account page to set a new one.
Email me a sign in link- 1Forgot your password opens this section
- 2Your work email
- 3Email me a sign in link instead
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Read your account page from top to bottom.
It has five parts. The first time you sign in it may also ask you to set a password or finish your details.
Your plan
The plan you are on. On the free plan it shows lookups used today out of 100 and a Pick a plan button. On a paid plan it shows submittal documents used this month out of your cap, plus Manage billing and Add a pack.
Connect
The connector address with a Copy button, and the steps for Claude and for ChatGPT, side by side. The address is the same for everyone. Your email is what makes it yours.
Try it
Three first requests with a Copy button each, for example "What does SubPro Link have on file for Hilti CP 606?" and "Build the submittal documents for LCN 4050A closers: product data, SDS and warranty."
Connected apps
Every assistant where Link is connected, with a Disconnect button for each. Disconnect here if you change computers or leave a company.
Account
Your email, Change password, and Sign out at the top right.
Chapter 4Connect Link to Claude
You do this once. Claude keeps the connection and refreshes it on its own.
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In Claude, open Settings, then Connectors.
On the web the settings are under your name at the bottom left. In the desktop app they are in the same place. Custom connectors are available on every Claude plan, and the free plan allows one.
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Choose Add custom connector. Name it SubPro Link and paste the address.
Leave the advanced settings empty. Claude registers itself with Link when you connect, so there is no client ID and no secret to enter.
https://api.sub-pro-ai.com/mcp -
Choose Connect. A SubPro sign in page opens. Sign in with your Link email and password.
The sign in page Claude opens- 1Which assistant is asking to connect
- 2Your Link email
- 3Your password
- 4Sign in
- 5Forgot your password opens the emailed link option
- 6No account yet? Create one, then connect again
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Click Connect on the consent page.
The page is titled Connect Claude to SubPro. It shows the email you are signed in as, says that after you connect it sends you back to claude.ai, and lists what Claude will be able to do: read the library, build submittal documents and check on jobs. Click Connect. Claude shows Link as connected and the page closes. SubPro never sees your conversations.
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Check that Link is on in your chat.
In a new conversation, open the tools menu under the message box. SubPro Link is listed with its six tools. Leave them on.
- 1Name the product. Claude searches the library and shows the matches
- 2See what is on file, with review standing and date. Free on every plan
- 3Say yes and get one PDF back
Chapter 5Connect Link to ChatGPT
You use the same account and the same address. ChatGPT calls connectors apps, and you have to turn on developer mode before you can add a custom one.
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In ChatGPT, open Settings, then Apps and connectors.
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Under Advanced, turn on Developer mode.
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Choose Create. Name it SubPro Link, paste the address, and pick OAuth.https://api.sub-pro-ai.com/mcp
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Sign in with your Link email and password, then click Connect on the consent page.
This is the same SubPro sign in page shown in chapter 4. The consent page names ChatGPT instead of Claude and says it sends you back to chatgpt.com.
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Turn Link on in a new chat from the tools menu.
ChatGPT keeps custom apps off until you switch them on for a conversation. Once on, it uses Link when your request names a product.
- 1It needs the manufacturer and the product before any build
- 2A build starts only after you say yes
- 3Three review words for a document's standing
- 4It's a draft for you to check. Link doesn't submit anything for you
Chapter 6Your first request
Ask the way you'd ask a coworker. Give it the manufacturer and the product and tell it which documents you need. The assistant decides when to use Link.
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Start a new chat and name a product.
A model number, a product name, or just the manufacturer all work. Link searches the library and the assistant shows you the matches to pick from.
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Pick the match and ask what is on file.
Each document comes back with its kind, its review standing, its issue date and the page it was found at. Looking is free.
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Say which kinds you want, and say yes when Link offers to put them together.
A build starts only after you agree. Link builds exactly the kinds you named. Name only the SDS and the SDS is all you get.
The exchange, word for word
This is a real lookup from the library on the day we wrote this guide. The product details come from the search, and the list comes from the on file check. None of this used the allowance.
Chapter 7What Link says back
Link keeps its answers short on purpose. It tells you what's on file and offers to put it together. After delivery it lists each document with one word for its standing, plus the link. It doesn't give advice or add anything you didn't ask for.
The three words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| approved | A person at SubPro checked the document against the manufacturer, the product and the kind. |
| reviewed | SubPro's automatic reviewer confirmed the manufacturer, the product and the kind. |
| needs review | Neither has happened yet. This includes a document Link fetched live for your request. |
What Link doesn't do
- It doesn't list document kinds that aren't there. Most products don't have most kinds published, so the list is what exists.
- It doesn't add a kind you didn't name. If you ask for product data and the SDS, you get those two, and it doesn't go looking for a warranty too.
- It doesn't start a build until you say yes.
- It doesn't send, submit or approve anything. The documents are drafts for you to use.
- It doesn't comment on filenames, the age of a document or how the library is organized.
Chapter 8Build the submittal documents
A build runs in the background. A build that has to source a document from the manufacturer takes longer than one where everything is on file, and the assistant tells you when it is ready.
When some of the documents you asked for aren't on file yet, the assistant tells you Link is finding them at the manufacturer and that it can take a few minutes. Once that search is done, Link puts the set together right away with what it found, and anything it couldn't find is listed as not found.
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Confirm the build when the assistant asks.
The assistant needs both the manufacturer and the product name or number before it will start. If it asks you for one of them, that's because Link won't guess.
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Keep working, or ask "is it ready?" after a moment.
The assistant checks the job and, when it is done, reports each attached document with its review word, any requested document that was not found with its note, and the download link. Then it stops.
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Click the link and save the PDF.
The link is short, so it comes through the chat whole. It works for 90 days, and anyone who has it can open it. The PDF saves under the manufacturer, the product and the section, for example 3M_Fire-Barrier-Sealant-IC-15WB_07-84-00_submittal.pdf. Save the file where you keep the project's submittals.
How a full request runs
Chapter 9What you download
One PDF. The first page is a manifest, the rest are the documents in the order they are listed.
The manifest
Titled Submittal documents. It names the manufacturer, the product and the spec section if you gave one. Under Included, each document with its kind, its source address, its issue date and its review word. Under Not included, anything you asked for that was not found, with the note.
The documents
Each document as published by the manufacturer, unchanged.
What counts
Each product you build counts one submittal package against your monthly allowance, whether it comes back with one document or four. A build that delivers nothing counts zero. The same product built again in the same month is not counted twice, and if nothing in it has changed you get the same link back.
What to do next
Add your transmittal cover, stamp it, and send it the way your project requires. Link does not send anything.
Chapter 10Plans and your allowance
Looking things up is free on every plan. You pay for the submittal packages Link builds, one per product. Once your allowance is used, Link won't start a new build and it never bills an overage, so you won't get a surprise bill.
- 1Billed monthly or yearly. Yearly is 12 months for the price of 10
- 2Lookup, free forever, 100 lookups a day, no builds
- 3Starter, 100 submittal packages a month
- 4Pro, 400 a month, the most popular, and what your 14 day trial runs on
- 5Team, 1,500 a month shared by a whole team
- 6Enterprise, a custom allowance and a contract
| Plan | A month | A month, billed yearly | Submittal packages a month | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lookup | $0 | $0 | 0, lookups only | Anyone who wants to see what is on file |
| Starter | $49 | $41 | 100 | One project engineer or estimator |
| Pro | $149 | $124 | 400 | A PM running several jobs |
| Team | $449 | $374 | 1,500, shared | A project team, each person with their own sign in |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Firms that need a contract and a security review |
- 1The monthly allowance
- 2Lookups a day: 100 on the free plan, no limit on paid plans
- 3Building is on paid plans only
- 4At the cap, builds stop. Nothing runs past it
- 5A request that comes back empty counts zero
Pick a plan
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Sign in, then click Pick a plan on your account page, or open the pricing page and click the plan's button.
Checkout opens with your account email filled in. Pay with the same email so the plan lands on your account.
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Pay. You land back on your account page with a welcome note and the new cap.
Prices are in US dollars plus any sales tax. Your plan renews until you cancel, and after a cancellation you keep it through the period already paid.
Chapter 11Manage billing and packs
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On your account page, click Manage billing.
The billing portal opens. Change your card, switch plans, download invoices, or cancel. It brings you back to your account page when you are done.
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Need more this month? Click Add a pack.
A pack adds 50 documents for $39, one time. Packs are for active paid plans, and the extra documents last until the end of the month or the end of your subscription, whichever comes first.
Chapter 12Your team on one plan
On the Team plan a whole project team shares one allowance, 1,500 submittal packages a month, and every member signs in under their own email.
- Everyone creates their own free account with their work email.
- One person buys the Team plan, then writes to support@sub-pro-ai.com with the emails to put on it. Those accounts share the allowance from then on.
- Each person connects Link to their own Claude or ChatGPT using the steps in chapters 4 and 5.
- The shared allowance shows on the account page. A pack bought for the plan extends it for everyone.
Chapter 13Privacy and what Link sees
- Link holds no project data. It does not read your chat. It receives the manufacturer, the product, the spec section if you give one, and the kinds you asked for.
- The assistant receives document details and links. It gets a document's page text only if you ask it to read or check that document. You download the PDF yourself.
- Each set you download sits behind a link that works for 90 days. Anyone who has the link can open it, so send it only to people who should have the documents.
- Every document cites its source. The manifest shows the address each one was found at.
- Your password stays with SubPro. Neither the website nor the assistant sees it, because you sign in on SubPro's own page.
- You can disconnect any time. Connected apps on your account page lists every assistant with a Disconnect button.
Chapter 14Requests that work well
Look up a product
"What does SubPro have for LCN 4050A closers?"
"Find Hilti firestop sealant CP 606."
See what is on file
"List the documents for Tremco Dymonic 100."
"Which Carlisle TPO products have a warranty on file?"
Build exactly what you need
"Put together the product data and the SDS for 3M Fire Barrier Sealant IC 15WB+, section 07 84 00."
"The warranty only, for Carlisle Sure-Weld TPO 60 mil."
Build the full set
"Build the full submittal for Sherwin Williams Pro Industrial DTM Acrylic."
That means product data, the safety data sheet and the warranty.
Work a section at a time
"For 08 71 00, the closers are LCN 4050A and the hinges are from Hager. Product data and SDS for each."
Collect a finished build
"Is the 3M build ready?"
"Give me the download link for the Tremco documents again."
Chapter 15Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause, and the fix |
|---|---|
| No verification email | Check spam. Link always says a link is on its way, whatever the address. If nothing arrives in a few minutes, create a free account with the address you meant to use. |
| The emailed link says it has expired | A sign in link works once and for 15 minutes. A verification link works once and stays good for a full day. Ask for a new one from the sign in page. |
| The connector dialog in Claude sits on Loading | Remove the connector, add it again with only the address, and leave the advanced settings empty. Claude registers itself with Link when you connect. |
| The sign in page says the assistant is asking to connect, but you have no account | Click Create a free Link account, finish sign up, then connect again from the assistant. |
| Link shows as connected, but the assistant does not use it | Open the tools menu in the chat and make sure SubPro Link is switched on. In ChatGPT, custom apps are off until you turn them on for the conversation. |
| The assistant asks for the manufacturer or the product again | Link needs both before a build. Give the full manufacturer name and the product name or model number. |
| "Not found" on a document you asked for | Link searched the manufacturer's published documents and did not find that kind. The note says what it tried. Attach your own copy to the submittal. |
| The assistant says the allowance is used up | New builds stop at your cap. Add a pack from your account page, or wait for the first of the month. Lookups keep working. |
| Free plan: "used its 100 lookups for today" | The free plan allows 100 lookups a day, and they reset at midnight UTC. Paid plans have no daily limit. |
| The download link has expired | A link works for 90 days. Inside those 90 days, asking the assistant for the same submittal documents again gives you the same link and spends nothing. After 90 days, asking again builds the set fresh, and that counts against the allowance. |
| Paid, but the account page still says Lookup | The plan lands on the email you paid with. Sign in with that email. If it still shows Lookup after a few minutes, write to support with the receipt. |
| Connection stops working after an hour | Disconnect Link on your account page under Connected apps, then connect again from the assistant. |
Still stuck? Write to support@sub-pro-ai.com with the email on your account and what you asked the assistant.
Chapter 16Questions people ask
Do lookups count?
No. Searches and on file lists cost nothing. A free account gets 100 a day, and paid plans have no daily limit.
What uses up the allowance?
One submittal package per product built, whatever it delivers. An empty build uses none, and the same product again in the same month uses none.
Can I use the same account in both assistants?
Yes. One Link account connects to Claude and to ChatGPT, and your allowance is shared between them.
Does Link read my project files?
No. It holds no project data and never reads your chat. It receives the names you type and returns document details and links, plus a document's page text when you ask for it.
Can Link submit for me?
No. Everything it builds is a draft for you to send the way your project requires.
What if the manufacturer is not in the library?
Ask anyway. Link searches the manufacturer's published documents for the kinds you name and delivers what it finds. Manufacturers can also join the library through the partners page.
How current are the documents?
Each document carries the date the manufacturer issued it and the date it was retrieved, when those are known. The manifest shows them.
Can I cancel?
Any time, from Manage billing. You keep the plan until the paid period ends, then the account drops to the free plan. Your account and connections stay.
Chapter 17Glossary
- Connector
- What Claude calls an outside tool it can use in a chat. ChatGPT calls the same thing an app. Link is one.
- Connector address
- The one address you paste into the assistant: https://api.sub-pro-ai.com/mcp. The same for every account.
- Submittal documents
- The set Link builds for one product: the documents you asked for, behind a manifest, as one PDF.
- Manifest
- The first page of the PDF. Lists each document with its source, its date and its review word, and anything that was not found.
- Kind
- A type of document: product data, safety data sheet (SDS), technical data, warranty, manual, and so on.
- Review word
- One of approved, reviewed or needs review. See chapter 7.
- Allowance
- The number of submittal packages your plan builds a month, one per product. Resets on the first of the month, UTC.
- Pack
- 50 extra documents for the current month, bought one time from your account page.
- Lookup
- A free search or list request. The free plan allows 100 a day.
- Cap
- The point where new builds stop because your allowance is used up.
- Spec section
- The CSI MasterFormat number for a section, such as 07 84 00 Firestopping. Give it when you know it.
- Full submittal
- Product data, the safety data sheet and the warranty for one product. Only when you ask for it by that name.
Prices shown are those published on the plans page on the date above. For help, write to support@sub-pro-ai.com.