A template tells Lupa Notes how to structure the AI-generated note for a given type of consult. A vaccination consult, a pre-op surgical, a dermatology follow-up, and an emergency triage all have very different shapes — and your notes will be framed for that specific purpose. This article covers the AI Clinical Notes template library, how to favourite the templates you use most, how to hide ones you don't need, and how to create or edit your own templates with the template builder.

💡 In short: Open Settings > Templates and select the AI Clinical Notes tab to browse the library, favourite the templates you use most, hide ones you don't need, or create your own. Write templates as plain-text instructions — use the built-in guide to structure headings, placeholders, and instructions for the AI.

Why customise templates

⚠️ **Pick a template before you record. No problem if you choose the wrong template, you can add a new thread (which allows you to select an alternative template) to format your consult into a different format. **

What templates do	Why it matters
Tell the AI what each section should contain	Each section can have its own instructions (e.g. "Bullet list of the owner's main concerns, in their words") so the output matches your house style
Set a clinical specialisation	Tags the template for the area of medicine it's used in, so the AI's vocabulary and emphasis fit the case
Make the team consistent	Company templates mean every vet writes a vaccination, a dental, or a discharge in the same shape — easier handovers, easier audit

View your template during a consult

Once you've selected a template and started recording, you can pull up the template as a reference without leaving the notes editor.

In the template list (the template picker in the recording controls), click the eye icon on the currently selected template. The template opens as a read-only overlay over the Clinical Notes editor — you can read it while the consult is running. A note at the bottom of the overlay reads "Reference only - this isn't part of your notes." to make clear it won't be saved as note content.

To close the overlay:

Click the × button in the overlay header, or
Press Escape, or
Click Finish recording — the overlay closes automatically so your notes are revealed.

To show it again, open the template picker and click the eye icon on the selected template. Clicking the eye icon on an already-visible template hides it again.

💡 The overlay is reference only. Everything you type in the notes editor is saved normally — the template overlay sits on top without affecting your notes.

Where templates live

The home for AI notes templates is Settings > Templates in Lupa Notes. Open the settings sidebar on the left, click Templates, then select the AI Clinical Notes tab. You'll see templates arranged in groups:

Group	What's in it
Lupa templates	Pre-built templates provided by Lupa. Read-only — you can favourite and use them, but not edit them.
Inherited templates	Templates shared down from a parent organisation in your group. Read-only for your practice.
Owned templates	Templates created by your practice. These are the ones you can edit, hide, or delete.
Descendant templates	Templates created by practices below yours in a group hierarchy.

A search box at the top filters across all groups by name. Each template card has a star icon to mark it as a favourite and a hide icon to remove it from view — see the next sections.

Above the template groups you'll also find a Template layout toggle. Click List view to see templates as a compact list of names, or Grid view to see the full preview cards. Lupa remembers your choice in this browser, so it stays set between sessions.

Favourite the templates you use most

A favourited template appears first in the template list when you start a recording, so it's always quick to find. Starred templates also show a filled star icon in the recording picker. To favourite a template:

Open Settings > Templates and select the AI Clinical Notes tab.
Hover over a template card and click the star icon. It fills in yellow to confirm.
Click the star again to remove it as a favourite (Remove favourite).

✅ Favourite fewer than you think. Three to five well-chosen favourites for the consults you do most often will save you more time than starring twenty templates and then scrolling. New starters at the practice usually start with the SOAP, Vaccination, and one or two specialisation-specific ones.

Create a new template

Open Settings > Templates and select the AI Clinical Notes tab.
Click New Template in the top-right of the page. A chooser appears asking how you'd like to start:
Create from scratch — opens the template builder with a blank template.
Create from clinical notes — picks a past appointment or lets you paste your own notes, then uses AI to generate a template automatically.
Select your preferred option and follow the steps below.

Create from scratch

Select Create from scratch. The template builder opens with a blank template, ready to be filled in (see the next section).

Create from clinical notes

Select Create from clinical notes. A new screen opens with two areas: an appointment list on the left and a notes editor on the right.
To use notes from a past appointment, find it in the list — it shows your last 100 appointments that have clinical notes. Use the search box to filter by pet, client or title. Click an appointment to load its notes into the editor on the right.
Alternatively, paste or type your own clinical notes directly into the Clinical notes editor on the right — you don't have to pick an appointment.
Review and trim the notes if needed, then click Generate template. Lupa uses AI to turn the notes into a reusable template structure.
The generated template opens in the template builder, prefilled and ready to name, preview, and save.

💡 If you're not sure where to start, look at the Lupa templates for inspiration. The built-in guide in the builder explains the syntax you can use.

Use the template builder

The builder has two panels: the editor on the left where you write the template, and the Customise your AI template guide on the right to help you with syntax. You can also switch the right panel to Preview mode to test the template against a real past recording.

Name and body

Field	What it does
Template name	A short, obvious name — Routine Vaccination, not Template 7. This is what you'll see in the recording picker.
Template	The body of the template. Write plain-text instructions that tell the AI how to structure and write the notes. Use the Customise your AI template guide (right panel) for syntax tips.
Save / Close	Save commits your changes. Close exits without saving — make sure you save before you leave the builder.

Template guide — the syntax

The Customise your AI template guide on the right explains the four building blocks you can use:

Marker	What it does	Examples
Headings	Structure your notes with section headings.	e.g. History / e.g. Physical Exam
Placeholders [ ]	Use square brackets to signal what information to insert.	e.g. Heart rate: [heart rate] / e.g. Parasite treatment: [names of treatments used, route, and when last applied]
Instructions ( )	Use round brackets to signal how to write the information: format, detail, and what to do if something isn't mentioned.	e.g. History: [Description] (write as short bullet points) / e.g. Oral: [Description] (only include if gingivitis, tartar or dental disease is mentioned, otherwise omit)
Verbatim " "	Use quotation marks for a fixed statement that must appear word-for-word in every note, even on its own.	e.g. "This note was generated with the help of AI"

Preview — test against a real recording

Toggle Preview on in the right panel to test your template before saving it for daily use:

Click Select recording. The Select a recording picker opens, showing your past recordings with transcripts, most recent first.
Pick a recording and click Use this recording.
Click Generate preview. Lupa runs the template against that recording's transcript and shows the result.
If you want to try again with different wording, edit the template body and click Regenerate.
To test against a different recording, click Change recording.

Save when you're happy

Click Save in the top bar. Saved changes apply the next time the template is used to generate a note — they do not change notes that have already been generated.

Edit, hide, or restore a template

Action	Who can do it	What happens
Edit an owned template	The owner (or admin)	Click the template card to open the builder. Save to apply.
View an inherited or Lupa template	Anyone	Opens in read-only view. You can run a preview but cannot save changes.
Hide a template	Anyone	Hover over the template card and click the Hide icon. The template disappears from your template list and the recording picker. Other team members are not affected.
Unhide a template	Anyone	Click Hidden Templates in the top-right of the Templates page to open the hidden templates list, then click Unhide next to the template you want to restore. The button is greyed out when you have no hidden templates.
Delete an owned template	The owner (or admin)	Opens the builder — use the delete option inside. Existing notes generated from it are unaffected.

⚠️ Editing an owned template affects everyone who uses it. Any team member who uses it from that moment on gets the updated structure. Tell the team before you change a heavily used template — and consider creating a new one alongside the old until everyone has migrated.

Tips

✅ Habits that lead to templates the team actually uses:

Build templates from real consults — record a few of the kind of consult you want to template, see what the AI naturally produces, and copy that structure into a template.
If you're starting from an existing house style, use Create from clinical notes to let AI draft the template structure for you — then refine it in the builder.
Keep section headings short and consistent across templates (e.g. always History not sometimes Hx and sometimes Background). It makes scanning notes easier.
Use instructions ( ) for things you'd otherwise repeat in every section — tone, language style, what to do when information is missing.
Use the Preview panel to test a new template against a real recording before you favourite it for daily use — adjust based on what the AI struggles with.
Don't make templates too long. The AI does best with focused, clear instructions rather than an exhaustive list of every possible scenario.
Hide templates you rarely use to keep the recording picker tidy — you can always unhide them later.
During a consult, use the eye icon on your selected template to pull it up as a reference — useful for complex or unfamiliar case types where you want to check the structure mid-consult.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
I can't find a template I created at recording time	Templates appear in the recording picker once they're saved and not hidden. Favourite the template to push it to the top of the list.
A template has disappeared from my recording picker	You may have hidden it. Open Settings > Templates, go to the AI Clinical Notes tab, and click Hidden Templates in the top-right of the page to find and unhide it.
The AI ignored my template instructions	Make your instructions specific and concrete — "List the owner's main concerns as bullet points" works better than "Concerns". Use the Preview panel to test the template against a real recording and see exactly what the AI produces. If the conversation didn't cover what you asked for, the AI has nothing to populate that section with.
The template overlay is covering my notes editor	Click the × button at the top of the overlay, press Escape, or click Finish recording to dismiss it. The overlay is reference-only and has no effect on your notes.
My template changes haven't shown up for a colleague	Edits apply the next time the template is used — already-generated notes don't update retroactively. Ask your colleague to start a new recording to test.
I can't edit a Lupa or inherited template	Lupa templates and inherited templates are read-only. You can view them and run a preview, but you cannot save changes. Create your own template from scratch, or use Create from clinical notes to generate one from your existing notes.
The Preview panel says there are no recordings available	The preview needs a past recording that has already been transcribed. Complete at least one recorded consultation first, then come back to test your template.

Frequently asked questions

Can I share a template with a specific colleague?

Not directly to one person. Templates in the Owned templates group are visible to your whole practice. If you want a teammate to use your template, make sure it's saved as an owned template for your practice — they'll see it in their list too.

What happens if I delete a template that someone has used?

Notes that were generated from the template stay exactly as they were — deleting a template doesn't affect past notes. The template just disappears from the picker.

Why doesn't my template change update my older notes?

Templates are applied when the AI generates a note. Once the note exists, it's a separate document — editing the template afterwards doesn't reshape past notes. To rebuild a past consult against a new version of the template, regenerate it (see ).

What's the difference between a template and a snippet?

A template is the structure of an entire AI-generated note — the headings, the order, the instructions for the AI. A snippet is a short, reusable bit of text you drop into a note while editing (e.g. discharge instructions, post-op warnings). Templates live in Settings > Templates; snippets live in Settings > Snippets.

Can I have a template for a phone consult that's different from an in-person one?

Yes. Create two templates with different instructions (e.g. add (This is a phone consultation, so don't infer physical exam findings) to one and (This is an in-person consultation, include physical exam findings) to the other) and favourite both. Pick the right one when you start the recording.

What's the difference between hiding and deleting a template?

Hiding removes the template from your view and the recording picker, but it stays in the system — you can unhide it at any time from the Hidden Templates list. Deleting removes it permanently. If you're not sure, hide it first.

Custom templates and template library