> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.rytz.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Refresh and export

> Keep the Master Case File current with one-click refresh, and export the right format for the right audience — full PDF for archive, lawyer brief for first consultations, sectional exports for specific contexts.

import { Steps, Step, Frame, Note, Tip, Warning, CardGroup, Card, Check } from '@mintlify/components'

The Master Case File is most useful when it reflects the current state of your matter and when the right version reaches the right audience. This page covers both: the refresh flow that keeps the MCF current, and the export options for sharing it.

## Refreshing the MCF

The platform regenerates the MCF automatically when material changes happen, plus on a weekly sweep. Most of the time you don't need to think about it. Click Refresh manually before:

* A lawyer consultation (so the lawyer reads the most-current version)
* A court event
* A negotiation session
* An FDR session
* Any moment where the MCF will leave your hands and reach a third party

### How to refresh

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Master Case File">
    Go to `app.rytz.com.au/master-case-file`. The current MCF loads with a "Last refreshed" timestamp at the top.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Refresh">
    The Refresh button sits in the top toolbar. Two refresh modes:

    * **Full refresh** — regenerates all six sections. Takes 30–90 seconds.
    * **Section refresh** — regenerates only the section you click. Faster (10–30 seconds per section) when you know specifically what changed.

    For most pre-consultation refreshes, full refresh is the right choice.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for completion">
    The screen shows progress per section. The MCF stays readable during refresh — you see the prior version with a "refreshing in background" indicator on each section.

    When complete, the timestamp updates and any changed content briefly highlights.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review what changed">
    The platform shows a "What changed" panel at the top of the refreshed MCF. Lists the substantive differences from the prior version. Particularly useful if you haven't opened the MCF in a few weeks — the diff tells you what's new.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What triggers automatic refresh

The platform watches for material changes. Auto-refresh fires when:

| Trigger                                                                                          | Sections affected                                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| You upload high-impact evidence (court documents, lawyer correspondence, court-ordered material) | Chronology, Evidence Matrix, Executive Summary                          |
| You file an affidavit or form                                                                    | Chronology, Strategy, Next Actions                                      |
| You complete a settlement-planner step                                                           | Evidence Matrix, Strategy, Next Actions                                 |
| You add a parenting-plan clause                                                                  | Strategy, Next Actions                                                  |
| You log a consultation insight                                                                   | Consultation Insights, Next Actions                                     |
| Weekly sweep                                                                                     | All sections (lighter touch — only updates where something has shifted) |

You can disable automatic refresh in [Settings](/account/settings) if you prefer manual control. Default is enabled.

## Exporting the MCF

Three export formats serve different audiences.

### Full PDF

The most-common export. Every section, formatted for print or PDF reading.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use for" icon="file-pdf">
    Archiving · Emailing the full picture to a barrister · Pre-trial preparation · Court-mandated disclosure (rare but happens) · Yourself, when you want to read everything in one place
  </Card>

  <Card title="Format" icon="ruler">
    A4, sentence-case headings, page-numbered, indexed at the front, footer with matter name + export date. Typically 15–35 pages depending on matter activity.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Lawyer brief

A condensed version of the MCF tailored to a first lawyer consultation.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use for" icon="briefcase">
    First consultation with a new lawyer · Briefing a barrister · Sharing with a paralegal who will work on the matter · Any moment where the recipient needs to "get up to speed fast"
  </Card>

  <Card title="What's different from full" icon="filter">
    Drops casual language and personal commentary. Foregrounds the chronology and strategy. Includes the evidence matrix in tabular form. Roughly 60% the length of the full PDF.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Sectional exports

Export individual sections — chronology only, evidence matrix only, etc. — when you need just one part for a specific context.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Chronology only" icon="timeline">
    For affidavit drafting, FDR preparation, or sharing the factual spine without the strategic synthesis.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Evidence matrix only" icon="grid-2">
    For lawyer-evidence-position reviews, or when the question is specifically "what evidence do I have?"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Strategy only" icon="chess">
    For strategic conversations with someone who already knows the facts (e.g. a lawyer mid-matter who wants your synthesis of where you are).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Next Actions only" icon="list-check">
    For your own task management or for handing to a paralegal.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### How to export

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Master Case File">
    `app.rytz.com.au/master-case-file`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Refresh first (if not just refreshed)">
    Stale exports waste everyone's time. If the "Last refreshed" timestamp is more than 24 hours old, click Refresh.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Export in the toolbar">
    The export menu opens. Choose:

    * **Full PDF**
    * **Lawyer brief**
    * **Specific section** — sub-menu for chronology / evidence matrix / strategy / next actions / consultation insights

    All exports respect the current refresh state.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm what's included">
    Some sensitive material (family-violence detail, mental-health history, financial detail) can be excluded if not relevant to the audience. The platform asks before generating sensitive content.

    For consultation insights, the platform asks whether to include lawyer-advice content (which may be privileged) — typically excluded from exports going to the other party but included in exports to your own lawyer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate and download">
    The export generates in 10–30 seconds. The PDF downloads to your browser; the platform also stores a copy under the MCF's export history (so you know which version you sent to whom and when).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Note the export in your records">
    The platform auto-records the export with a timestamp and (optionally) a recipient note. "Sent to Mary at Smith & Co. on 14 May 2026 for first consultation."

    The export history is visible at the bottom of the MCF surface — useful for "wait, which version did I send Mary?" later.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Versioning

The MCF is a living document. The platform handles versioning so you always know which version was current when:

* Every refresh creates a new version
* Every export is timestamped and stored
* You can view any prior version (read-only) from the MCF's version history
* You can roll back to a prior version's content (rare, but supported — useful if a refresh produced something notably worse)

## Privacy when sharing

The MCF is sensitive. Some practices that pay off:

<Warning>
  **Email vs portal.** Sending the full MCF as an email attachment puts your entire case position in a third-party email server. For known recipients (your lawyer, your barrister), the platform's portal-based sharing (a time-bound, password-protected link) is safer. For first-consultation lawyers, ask them how they prefer to receive briefings — most have secure-portal options.
</Warning>

<Warning>
  **Watch for confidential mediation content.** If you've had FDR or mediation, statements made there are confidential under section 10H of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). The platform tries to flag mediation-derived content and exclude from exports going to the other party — but the responsibility is ultimately yours.
</Warning>

<Tip>
  **Lawyer-brief exports work well as PDF email attachments** because they exclude lawyer-advice content by default and are explicitly framed as a briefing document. Full PDFs are better via portal-share.
</Tip>

## When the MCF stops being useful

A pattern worth noting: when an MCF has been heavily exported but lightly refreshed, exports stop reflecting reality. If you have a habit of exporting the MCF without refreshing first, you're broadcasting old information.

The platform tracks the gap between last-refresh and last-export. If you've exported without refreshing for the last 5 exports, a banner appears reminding you. Pay attention.

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What it shows" icon="list" href="/master-case-file/what-it-shows">
    Detail on each of the six MCF sections.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Master Case File overview" icon="folder-tree" href="/master-case-file/overview">
    Step back to the framing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Privacy and data" icon="lock" href="/account/privacy-and-data">
    How exports are stored and protected.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="gear" href="/account/settings">
    Configure auto-refresh behaviour and export preferences.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>