Draft and send Buildertrend change orders with an AI agent

1. Select the job, open the Project Management dropdown, choose Change Orders and click +Change Order.
2. On the Details tab, enter the Title, Approval Deadline and Scope of Work, then choose Flat Fee or Line Items and add items from the Cost Catalog or Cost Codes.
3. Pick Subs/Vendors to notify on approval, decide on Invoice upon client approval, and check the Client preview tab.
4. Click Send to put it in front of the client; on mobile, tap the paper airplane icon and confirm the release.
5. A request heard on site at 10 am often waits until the evening for this, and work started before the client signs is the change order most likely to be disputed.

The Maple Street client wants 8 more outlets in the kitchen. Draft a change order at $80 each with cost code 16-100, approval deadline next Tuesday, and send it once I OK it.

1. 01

   Pin down the job and the scope

   The agent resolves "Maple Street" with list_jobs, then restates the scope in one line: what is added, where, and the quantity. Anything vague, like "a few more outlets", gets a question back instead of a guessed number.

2. 02

   Check it is not already there

   With list_change_orders it reads the job's existing change orders. If a pending one already covers kitchen outlets, the agent shows it and asks whether to replace, add to it or stop.

3. 03

   Price it as line items

   The agent builds line items with the cost code you name or one already used on that job, quantity, unit cost and markup, and shows the total before saving. It prefers line items over a flat fee so the cost lands on the right code in the budget.

4. 04

   Save unreleased, then send on your word

   create_change_order saves a draft the client cannot see. The agent reads the total and deadline back to you, and only after a clear yes calls release_change_order with a short note to the client.

5. 05

   Report where it stands

   The agent returns the change order number, the total, the deadline and the approval status. A later run can read the same job and tell you whether the client approved or declined.

Maple Street Addition, CO-014 "Added kitchen outlets": 8 x $80, cost code 16-100, total $640.
Approval deadline: Tue 20 Oct. Sent to the client after your OK, status Pending.
No other open change orders on this job mention kitchen electrical.

• Buildertrend applies tax on change orders only on line items, never on a Flat Fee, and end-to-end tax shows only on jobs created on or after 14 Jan 2026.
• With Invoice upon client approval checked, Buildertrend creates and sends an invoice for the change order amount as soon as the client approves.
• Buildertrend clients can approve a change order straight from the email or, if invited to the job, from the Client Portal; the builder can also approve internally with an e-signature after a verbal OK.
• To edit a Buildertrend change order after it is sent, the builder has to Unrelease it first and release it again.
• Company Settings decide whether Buildertrend shows line items to the client and whether internally declined change orders stay visible to them.

create_change_order and release_change_order ask for your OK by default. To run it on a schedule without you, switch confirmation off for those tools in your dashboard.

Sources: Change Order Overview (Buildertrend help) · Change Orders on Mobile (Buildertrend help) · Project Management Settings (Buildertrend help)

curl https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/buildertrend/create_change_order \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"job_id":"4815162","title":"Added kitchen outlets","description":"Eight added outlets along the kitchen island and back wall.","line_items":[{"description":"Add 8 outlets, kitchen","cost_code":"16-100","quantity":8,"unit_cost":80,"markup_percent":0}],"deadline":"2026-10-20"}'

{
  "change_order_id": "771204",
  "job_id": "4815162",
  "title": "Added kitchen outlets",
  "total": 640,
  "released": false,
  "deadline": "2026-10-20"
}

MCP: add https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 with the same key; the tool is buildertrend_create_change_order. Example data.

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