Draft Didn't Complete or Stopped Mid-Process in Eve

Last updated: March 10, 2026

Overview

This article resolves the issue when a Blueprint draft in Eve does not complete, stops mid-process, or shows an error before finishing. This typically occurs when drafting large or complex documents, when session timeouts are reached, when document or file limits are exceeded, or when the document requires extensive processing. The incomplete draft may leave you with a partial file or no output at all.

Before You Start — Diagnosis

Confirm the following before attempting any fixes:

  • Check the Files section of your matter for a draft file (usually labeled with "Draft" in the name or showing a text document icon) to see if a partial draft was created

  • Review the scope of what you asked Eve to draft — count the number of discovery requests, check how many files were selected, and estimate the total document length

  • Verify that your individual files don't exceed 2,000 pages per file and that your matter doesn't exceed 10,000 files total

  • Check if your draft has been processing for longer than typical times (simple demand letters: 3-5 minutes, standard complaints: 5-10 minutes, discovery responses for 30-50 requests: 10-15 minutes, complex motions: 10-20 minutes)

  • Note whether the draft stopped at a specific point or never started generating content

Fixes

Possible Cause: Document Too Large or Complex for Single Draft

Cause: Drafting very long or complex documents (like comprehensive discovery responses with 100+ questions, complaints with extensive exhibits, or documents requiring processing large volumes of evidence across many files) requires more processing than Eve can complete in one session. The drafting process stops before finishing when the document scope exceeds reasonable single-draft limits.

Steps:

  1. Go to the Files section and check if a partial draft exists — even incomplete drafts may have useful content you can build on

  2. Break your document into smaller pieces: for discovery responses, create separate drafts for groups of 30-50 requests instead of 100+ at once; for long complaints or motions, draft major sections separately (introduction, then facts, then argument), then combine them; for documents with many exhibits, draft the main document first, then add exhibits separately

  3. Start a new drafting session using "Draft from Blueprint" with your reduced scope

  4. Provide clear, specific instructions for the smaller section: "Draft responses to Interrogatories 1-30 using the medical records and police report" instead of "Draft complete discovery responses using all files"

  5. Repeat the process for additional sections as needed

Expected Outcome: Each smaller draft completes successfully within 10-20 minutes, giving you manageable sections you can combine into your final document.

Possible Cause: Session Timeout (4-Hour Maximum)

Cause: Eve has a maximum processing time of approximately 4 hours for drafting sessions. If your draft requires more time than this limit, the session times out and the draft stops. This happens most often with extremely complex documents that require analysis across numerous files simultaneously or discovery responses with detailed fact-finding across many requests.

Steps:

  1. Check if your draft has been processing for an unusually long time (significantly longer than the typical processing times listed in the diagnosis section)

  2. Cancel the current drafting session if it's still running

  3. Reduce the scope of your draft by selecting fewer files (focus on the 10-20 most relevant documents rather than selecting everything), breaking the document into smaller sections (draft 30-50 discovery requests at a time), or simplifying your instructions to focus on one specific task

  4. Start a new drafting session with the reduced scope

  5. If you need content from additional files, run subsequent drafts with different file selections and combine the results

Expected Outcome: Your draft completes well within the 4-hour limit, typically in 10-20 minutes for complex sections or 3-10 minutes for simpler documents.

Possible Cause: Document or File Limits Exceeded

Cause: Eve has specific limits for processing documents: individual files have a maximum of 2,000 pages per file, matters have a maximum of 10,000 files total, Medical Overviews can process up to 30,000 pages across selected documents, and draft exhibits can include up to 10,000 pages total across all exhibits. When your matter or selection exceeds these limits, drafting cannot complete successfully.

Steps:

  1. Review your matter files and identify any individual files larger than 2,000 pages — these files may need to be split into smaller documents before Eve can process them

  2. Count your total matter files — if you have more than 10,000 files, you may need to archive or remove less relevant files

  3. If drafting with exhibits, check that your total selected files for exhibits don't exceed 10,000 pages

  4. If drafting using a Medical Overview, verify that your selected documents don't exceed 30,000 pages total

  5. Remove files that exceed limits or reduce your file selection to stay within the appropriate limit for your task

  6. Start a new drafting session with files that meet the size and count requirements

Expected Outcome: Your draft processes successfully without hitting file size or count limits, completing within normal processing times.

Possible Cause: Too Many Files Selected

Cause: Selecting too many files for a single draft (even if under the hard limits) can cause processing issues and incomplete drafts. More files aren't always better — Eve performs better with focused, relevant file selections rather than trying to analyze everything at once.

Steps:

  1. Review the files you selected for the draft and identify which ones are most directly relevant to the specific task

  2. Create a new draft and select only the 10-20 most important files for this particular document (for example, for drafting responses to medical interrogatories, select the key medical records and expert reports rather than all case files)

  3. Provide specific instructions that reference the selected files: "Draft responses using the attached medical records and police report"

  4. Start the drafting session with your focused file selection

  5. If you need to incorporate information from additional files, run a subsequent draft with a different focused file selection and combine the results

Expected Outcome: Your draft completes successfully with the reduced file selection, typically processing faster and producing more focused content.

Possible Cause: Complex Document Formatting Requirements

Cause: Some document types require more processing than others due to complex formatting with tables, exhibits, or special structures. When a Blueprint tries to handle both content generation and complex formatting simultaneously, it may not complete the draft successfully.

Steps:

  1. Revise your Blueprint or drafting instructions to focus on content generation rather than complex formatting

  2. Start a new draft with instructions that prioritize substance over format: "Draft the argument section content" instead of "Draft the argument section with formatted tables and exhibits"

  3. Let the draft complete with basic formatting

  4. Export the completed draft to Word

  5. Apply complex formatting, tables, exhibits, and special structures manually in Word — these are often easier and more reliable to finalize outside Eve

Expected Outcome: Your draft completes successfully with solid content and basic formatting, ready for you to apply final formatting touches in Word.

Possible Cause: Document Requires Extensive Cross-File Analysis

Cause: Documents requiring detailed analysis across numerous files simultaneously (such as discovery responses with fact-finding across many requests or complex motions requiring synthesis of multiple evidence sources) can exceed Eve's processing capacity for a single Blueprint draft.

Steps:

  1. Use Talk to Eve with a Playbook instead of Draft from Blueprint for the initial analysis phase

  2. In Talk to Eve, ask for analysis of your case, generation of key arguments and facts, or response content for groups of questions

  3. Review the Playbook output and identify the most important content for your document

  4. Use the Playbook analysis to inform your Blueprint draft by providing specific instructions based on what you learned

  5. Copy relevant content from the Playbook into your template manually, or use it as reference material when drafting

  6. If you still want to use Draft from Blueprint, provide very focused instructions based on your Playbook analysis

Expected Outcome: You successfully complete complex analytical work using Playbooks, then either copy that content into your template or use it to create more focused Blueprint drafts that complete successfully.