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Pins

A pin is a saved excerpt from a document — usually something you might cite later. Pins store the text, the source document, page and pinpoint information, the query that found it, an optional category, and free-text notes.

Pins are scoped to a matter. You'll mostly use them when writing, to insert excerpts and citations into Word.

Creating a pin

Two ways:

  1. From a text selection in the PDF viewer. Select text in the center pane, then use the "Create pin" action. Recall derives the page number and pinpoint from the selection.
  2. From a search result. Each row in the Research-mode results list has a pin action. The pin captures the result's excerpt, the query that found it, and the match location.

Every pin carries:

Field Description
Excerpt The saved text (verbatim from the document)
Source Which document it came from
Page The page the excerpt starts on
Pinpoint Pinpoint reference (e.g. 789 or *123)
Query The search query that found the excerpt (blank for PDF-selection pins)
Category Optional single tag, free text
Notes Optional free-text notes
Insertion count How many times this pin has been inserted into Word

Viewing pins

The left pane in Write mode shows the current matter's pins. The pane has two sub-tabs:

  • Pins — all pins for the matter
  • Suggested — reserved for future suggestions; currently an empty-state placeholder

A search box at the top filters by excerpt, category, or source filename. You can sort by date, category, or usage count.

Click a pin to:

  • Show its full excerpt inline
  • Switch the right pane to the PDF view, scrolled to the pinned position
  • Enable insertion actions

Editing a pin

Right-click a pin (or use its context menu) to edit:

  • Category — free text; pick from the list of categories already in use or type a new one
  • Notes — free text

Changes save immediately.

Deleting a pin

Right-click → Delete. Permanent, no undo.

Inserting pins into Word

With Word open and connected (see the status pill), inserting a pin into your current cursor position is one click.

Insertion styles

Right-click a pin and pick one of four styles:

  • Insert Inline Quote. The excerpt as a quoted phrase, followed by a trailing citation.
  • Insert Cite Only. Just the formatted citation — no excerpt.
  • Insert Block Quote. The excerpt as a set-off block (the citation isn't appended automatically).
  • Insert Parenthetical Cite. The citation followed by a Clerk-generated explanatory parenthetical.

Each style produces a properly formatted citation for the document, using the matter's citation style and the document's citation metadata. The pin's insertion count increments each time.

Context-aware citations

When inserting a pin into Word, Recall automatically asks Recall Core to pick the right citation form based on what you recently cited in the surrounding Word text:

  • If you recently cited the same authority, Recall picks a short form.
  • If not, it uses the full citation.
  • If the last citation is to the same pin, it uses Id. (with pinpoint if relevant).

This applies to Inline Quote, Cite Only, and Parenthetical Cite insertions to Word. Block Quote inserts only the excerpt, so context-aware citation logic doesn't apply. If the lookup fails (Word busy, COM error), Recall falls back to a full citation.

Parenthetical generation

Pick Parenthetical as your insertion style and Recall asks the Clerk generator for a short explanatory phrase built from the pin's excerpt and the surrounding proposition. Output is 8–20 words, lower-case present participle, no outer parentheses — Recall wraps it.

Output example: 

(holding that summary judgment is appropriate when the movant demonstrates no genuine dispute)

Generation requires a generator model (Llama 3.1 or Phi-3.5 or remote). If Generation is set to Disabled, the Parenthetical option is unavailable.

Categories

Pin categories are free-text tags, one per pin. Typical uses:

  • Organize by issue (liability, damages, procedure)
  • Organize by authority weight (binding, persuasive)
  • Organize by claim or defense

The sort/filter UI surfaces existing categories in a dropdown; you can also type a new one.

Pins and deleted documents

Deleting a document does not delete its pins. The pins remain, but without a live document they can't be opened in the viewer or re-inserted with a formatted citation. Clean them up manually or re-upload the PDF.

Tips

  • Pin as you read, not after. Pins are cheap; culling later is easier than remembering where a passage was.
  • Use the query field. Recall stores the search query that led you to the pin, which is often the best summary of why the excerpt mattered.
  • Tag pins with categories matching your outline. When you're ready to write, the left pane becomes your filing system — filter by category and insert pins in order.