---
title: "The ICF Generator (from a PDF) | Trelice User Guide"
description: "Upload an existing protocol PDF and let Trelice draft a consent form from it."
canonical_url: "https://www.trelice.com/docs/icf-generator"
---

# The ICF Generator (from a PDF)

Sometimes the protocol was not written in Trelice, it exists only as a PDF from a partner, a CRO, or an older system. The ICF Generator takes that PDF and drafts an informed consent form from it. You upload the file, Trelice reads it, and a few moments later you have a consent form you can edit, review, and export like any other.

## Who can use it

Uploading a PDF and generating a consent form is limited to these roles: **System Admin**, **Sponsor Admin**, **Medical Writer**, and **Regulatory Affairs**. Anyone who is signed in can *view* the lists of past uploads and generated forms. If the upload area rejects your action, your role is likely a different one, see [Roles and permissions](/docs/roles-and-permissions).

## Opening the generator

1. In the menu on the left side of the screen, click **ICF Generator**.
2. What you'll see: a page titled **PDF to ICF Generator**, with the subtitle "Upload a protocol PDF, extract content, and generate an Informed Consent Form". The page has three parts, top to bottom: an upload card, a generation card (hidden until a file is ready), and a history table.

## Step 1, Upload the protocol PDF

The card at the top is titled **Upload a Protocol PDF**. Inside it is a large dashed rectangle that reads **Drag and drop a PDF here, or click to browse**, with the note **Only .pdf files are accepted**.

1. Drag the protocol PDF from your computer onto the rectangle, or click the rectangle and choose the file in the window that opens.
2. What you'll see: the text changes to **Uploading...**, then the rectangle is replaced by a card showing your file's name, its size, and a status badge.
3. Wait for the badge to read **COMPLETED**. That means Trelice has finished reading the text out of your PDF.

> **Troubleshooting:** If the badge reads **FAILED**, a red box explains why, most often the PDF is a scanned image with no selectable text, or the file is protected. Trelice needs a PDF whose text can be selected and copied. If you picked the wrong file, click **Change** to start over.

## Step 2, Generate the consent form

Once extraction succeeds, a second card appears: **Generate Informed Consent Form**.

1. In the box labeled **ICF Title \***, type a name for the consent form, for example "Informed Consent for Study XYZ". This field is required.
2. Under **Region**, choose **USA**, **EU**, or **Global**. The region decides which regulatory sections the form includes.
3. Under **Version Number**, keep the suggested "1.0" or type your own.
4. Click the **Generate ICF** button.
5. What you'll see: the button shows a spinner and reads **Generating...**. This step uses AI to read the extracted protocol text and draft every consent form section, so it can take a little while. When it finishes, the consent form editor opens automatically.

## Editing the result

The generated form opens in the same consent form editor described in [The master consent form](/docs/master-consent-form), the same sections, the same reading-level badge, the same section review, and the same **PDF** and **Word** export buttons.

There are two small differences, because this form has no linked protocol in Trelice:

- A purple banner at the top reads **Generated from PDF:** followed by your file's name, so everyone knows where the content came from.
- The breadcrumb at the top-left leads back to **ICF Generator** instead of to a study and protocol.

Everything else works the same, including translations, see [Translations and country versions](/docs/translations-and-country-consent-forms).

> **Note:** AI drafts are a starting point, never a finished document. Read every section against the source protocol before sending anything for review. The reading-level check applies here too: a drafted section above the target grade must be rewritten or regenerated before it can be submitted.

## Your history: uploads and generated forms

The table at the bottom of the page has two tabs:

- **Uploads**: every PDF you and your colleagues have uploaded, with its filename, size, status, and date. The trash-can button at the end of a row deletes an upload you no longer need. If the list is empty it reads "No uploads yet. Upload a protocol PDF above to get started."
- **Generated ICFs**: every consent form created from a PDF, with its title, region, status, source PDF, and date. Click **Open** at the end of a row to continue working on a form. Click any column heading to sort the table.

> **Note:** Deleting an upload removes only the stored PDF and its extracted text. Consent forms already generated from it are separate documents and are not deleted.