How to Use Smart Keynotes

1 Finding Smart Tools in the Ribbon

After installing Smart Keynotes, open any Revit project. You'll find the Smart Tools tab in the Revit ribbon. It contains two primary buttons and a "More" dropdown with additional tools.

The Smart Tools tab with Keynote Manager, Keynote Browser, and the More dropdown menu.

The More dropdown gives you access to:

• Generate Project Keynotes — create or import a keynote file
• Usage Inspector — see which keynotes are placed in your model
• Duplicate Notes — find and merge duplicate keynote entries
• Missing Keynotes — detect keynotes referenced in the model but missing from the file
• Batch Renumber — renumber keynotes by division or category
• Office Standard — manage your firm-wide master keynote file
• Purge Unused — remove keynotes not placed in the model
• Settings & About

2 Generate Project Keynotes

If your project doesn't have a keynote file yet, click Generate Project Keynotes from the More menu. You'll see three options:

Choose how to start your keynote file.

• Create Blank — start with an empty keynote file and add entries manually or with AI assistance.
• Copy from Project — browse for an existing .txt keynote file from another project.
• Create from Office Master — generate from your firm's office standard keynote file (set in Settings).

3 The Keynote Manager

The Keynote Manager is your central hub for viewing, editing, and organizing all keynotes in the current project. Click Keynote Manager in the ribbon to open it.

The full Keynote Manager interface: keynote tree (left), create/edit form (center), and smart suggestions (right).

The interface is divided into three panels:

• Left: Project Keynotes tree — browse your full keynote hierarchy organized by CSI divisions. Click any keynote to edit it.
• Center: Create / Edit form — enter keynote text, set the parent and ID, and use AI Assist to draft keynote descriptions.
• Right: Smart suggestions — suggested locations, reference standards, and recommended products that update based on the keynote you're working with.

4 Creating a New Keynote

Click the New Keynote button at the bottom of the keynote tree (or click into any division to add a child). The center panel switches to the creation form.

Keynote Text

Enter your keynote description. The character counter helps you keep notes concise. Use the arrow buttons to cycle through AI-generated alternatives.

The keynote text field with character count and AI suggestion cycling (4/4 shown).

Parent & ID

Choose the parent division from the dropdown and assign a keynote ID. Smart Keynotes suggests the next available ID automatically.

Placement Preview

Before saving, the placement preview shows exactly where your keynote will appear in the file hierarchy, along with neighboring entries for context.

Set the parent, assign an ID, and preview placement in the keynote hierarchy.

Suggested Locations

Smart Keynotes analyzes your keynote text and suggests where it might fit in the hierarchy. Click Use this location to apply a suggestion.

AI-powered location suggestions based on your keynote content.

Reference Standards & Suggested Products

The right panel automatically surfaces relevant ASTM, ANSI, and IBC standards, plus manufacturer products related to the keynote material.

Relevant standards and manufacturer products update in real time.

5 AI Assist — Generate & Discuss

AI Assist is the fastest way to draft keynote descriptions. Describe what you need in plain language, then let AI write the specification text.

Generate

Type a brief description of the material or assembly in the AI Assist field — for example, "Ceramic tile for the floor in a commercial restroom." Click Generate and Smart Keynotes will draft professional keynote text, assign the correct ID, and suggest a location in the hierarchy.

Type a plain-language description and click Generate.

Discuss

Need help refining a keynote? Click Discuss to open a chat with AI. It can help clarify spec language, suggest alternatives, or refine your wording for clarity.

Chat with AI to refine keynote text. Click "Use This" to apply its suggestion.

6 The Keynote Browser

The Keynote Browser is a dockable side panel for quick keynote lookup and placement while you work in Revit. Click Keynote Browser in the ribbon to open it.

The Keynote Browser: search, browse, and place keynotes without leaving your view.

From the browser you can:

• Search — type in the search bar to instantly filter the keynote tree.
• Tag Element — select an element in Revit and tag it with the highlighted keynote.
• Apply to Selection — apply a keynote to one or more selected elements.
• Place User Keynote — place a user keynote annotation directly in the view.
• Refresh — reload the keynote file if it was edited externally.
• Open Keynote Manager — jump to the full manager for detailed editing.

7 Keynote Types: Element, User & Material

Revit supports three types of keynotes. Smart Keynotes lets you place any of them from the ribbon dropdown:

The Keynote dropdown with all three placement types.

• Element Keynote — reads the keynote parameter from the element's type. Automatically updates if you change the element type.
• User Keynote — a free-text keynote that you assign manually. Useful for notes not tied to a specific element type.
• Material Keynote — reads the keynote from the material assigned to the element. If an element has multiple materials, a dialog lets you choose which one to keynote.

Material Keynote — Multiple Materials

When you place a Material Keynote on an element with multiple materials (e.g., a wall assembly), Smart Keynotes shows a picker so you can select the correct layer.

Choose which material layer to keynote on multi-material elements.

8 Batch Renumber

Need to renumber an entire division? Batch Renumber lets you apply a consistent numbering scheme to all keynotes under a category — and automatically updates all placed tags in the model.

Step 1: Select a Category

Choose which division to renumber. The dialog shows how many children each division contains.

Select a division to renumber.

Step 2: Configure & Preview

Set your prefix, separator, numbering style (01, 02... or A, B, C... or A01, A02...), and starting number. The preview table shows the current ID alongside the new ID so you can verify before applying.

Configure the numbering scheme and preview the result before applying.

9 Settings & Office Standard

Open Settings from the More dropdown in the ribbon. Here you can configure:

The Settings dialog.

• Office Standard File Path — point to your firm's master keynote file. This enables "Create from Office Master" in the Generate dialog and syncs firm-wide standards.
• AI Assist — enable or disable the AI-powered keynote drafting feature.
• Auto-backup before edits — automatically back up your keynote file before any changes are saved.

10 About, License & Activation

Open the About dialog from the More dropdown to view your version, license status, and manage your subscription.

The About dialog: version info, license status, and subscription management.

• Status — shows "Licensed" when activated, or your trial status.
• License Key — enter the license key from your purchase confirmation email and click Save to activate.
• Get a license — links to the pricing page if you haven't purchased yet.
• Manage Subscription — opens the billing portal to update payment, change plans, or cancel.