Obvious/Help Center

E-Signatures & Signature Blocks

Published February 28, 2026 · Last updated March 7, 2026 · 4 min read

Add a signature block to a document in Obvious so signers can review and sign it — and once they do, the document locks.

Note: E-signatures require the e-signature feature to be enabled for your workspace. The backend infrastructure is in place, and the full signing flow is actively being rolled out. If you don't see signature block options in your workspace, contact help@obvious.ai to check your access.

How it works

When you add a signature block to a document, Obvious creates a separate signature block artifact linked to that document. Signers receive a secure link. When they sign, Obvious verifies their identity using a signed token, records the signature, and locks the document — the content can't be edited after signing.

The lock is tied to the document's content at the time of signing. If the document changes, the existing signatures are invalidated. That's intentional: it ensures what was signed is exactly what gets stored.

Add a signature block

Signature blocks are their own artifact type in Obvious. The steps below reflect how the flow works — if the Signature Block option isn't visible in your workspace yet, your workspace is still in the rollout queue. Contact help@obvious.ai to check your status.

  1. Open the document you want to have signed.

  2. Create a new Signature Block artifact in the project. You can do this from the project sidebar using the + menu and selecting Signature Block.

  3. Link the signature block to your document.

  4. Add the signers — name and email address for each person who needs to sign.

  5. Send the signing request. Each signer receives a unique, secure link by email.

Tip: The signing link is specific to the signer and expires after 30 days. If a signer misses the deadline or needs a new link, you'll need to reissue the request.

What signers see

Each signer follows their unique link to a signing page. They can review the document, add their signature, and submit. Once they submit, Obvious records the signature and marks that signer as complete.

When all required signers have signed, Obvious locks the document. From that point, no edits are possible — the signed version is preserved exactly as it was.

After signing: the locked document

A locked document shows a visual indicator that it's been signed. You can still read and share it, but the content is frozen. Obvious stores a content hash at the time of signing, so the integrity of the document can be verified.

To make changes to a signed document, you'd need to create a new version and start a new signing request.

Track signing status

From the signature block artifact, you can see:

  • Which signers have completed their signature
  • Which signers still have pending requests
  • When each signature was submitted

Each signing link is unique to the signer and tied to a specific signing request. Obvious verifies the link when the signer submits, confirming the right person is signing the right document. Links can't be reused or forwarded to a different signer.

Limits and current state

The e-signature feature is in active rollout. The backend infrastructure — signature block artifact type, signing token system, content hashing, and document locking — is fully in place. The full end-to-end signing UI is being completed and rolled out workspace by workspace.

If your workspace has the e-signature flag enabled, you'll have access to the signature block artifact type. If the flow isn't fully functional for you yet, contact help@obvious.ai for status on your workspace's rollout.

Next steps

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