Obsidian Clad Labs
Obsidian Clad Labs is a family-run software studio in Tennessee building affordable smart tools for the everyday person — teachers, contractors, freelancers, and the people who love them. Three live products: ClauseShield (contracts), LienShield (mechanic's liens), and TeachShield (teacher tools).
We think the everyday person deserves the same tools the big companies have. A teacher buried in grading. A contractor chasing a payment. A freelancer looking at a contract they don't fully understand. These are the people we build for.
Built by a husband-and-wife team in Tennessee. For the people we love. Now we're sharing it.
Simple. Affordable. Always on your side.
What We Do
Software forged to shield the underdog
The world's most powerful tools are built for corporations. We build them for everyone else. Every product we ship is designed to protect individuals from systems that weren't built with them in mind.
Protection First
Every line of code we write has one purpose: keeping our users safe from exploitation, fraud, and unfair terms.
Smart Automation
We use cutting-edge technology to solve problems that used to require expensive professionals.
Privacy by Design
Your data is yours. We process locally when possible, encrypt everything, and never sell your information.
Products
What we've shipped
ClauseShield
Smart Contract Protection
Upload any freelance contract. Get a risk score from 0 to 100, clause-by-clause analysis, plain-English explanations, and negotiation-ready redlines in seconds. Built for the 59 million US freelancers who can't afford a $300/hr lawyer.
0.9574
Model Accuracy (F1)
40K
Training Clauses
8
Clause Categories
<1s
Analysis Time
LienShield
Lien Protection for Contractors
Enter your project details once. Get instant deadline tracking, auto-generated legal documents, compliance checking, and step-by-step filing guidance for all 56 jurisdictions. Built for the subcontractors who build America but struggle to get paid.
56
Jurisdictions Covered
5
Document Types
<2min
Setup Time
100
Compliance Checks
TeachShield
Teacher Productivity Platform
Grade faster, plan faster, get a few hours of your week back. Essays, math, and multiple choice graded in seconds, with personalized feedback, rubric scoring, originality detection, and a substitute teacher portal. Built for the 3.7 million US teachers losing 15+ hours a week to grading.
<5s
Essay Grading Time
$0.0003
Cost Per Essay
5
Assignment Types
50
Free Gradings/Mo
More Products Being Forged
Protecting the underdog, everywhere
We're expanding our protective toolkit across industries where individuals need tools that used to require expensive professionals.
Security
Your data is locked down
We handle sensitive legal and financial data. Every product we build has security designed in from day one, not bolted on later.
TLS 1.3 Encryption
All data in transit is encrypted with TLS 1.3, the same standard used by banks. Every API call, document, and login is encrypted end-to-end.
Encrypted at Rest
All databases use PostgreSQL with encryption at rest on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure (Railway). Automated daily backups with point-in-time recovery.
bcrypt Password Hashing
Passwords are hashed with bcrypt (work factor 12). We never store plaintext passwords. Even a full database breach can't expose your credentials.
JWT Token Auth
Short-lived access tokens (30 min) with secure refresh rotation. Auto-logout on suspicious activity. No cookies to steal or replay.
Security Headers
X-Frame-Options DENY, X-XSS-Protection, strict CSP, HSTS, and Referrer-Policy on every response. Protection against clickjacking, XSS, and MIME attacks.
Rate Limiting & CORS
API rate limiting prevents brute-force attacks. Strict CORS policy. Input validation and parameterized queries prevent SQL injection on every endpoint.
We never sell your data. We never share it with third parties. Your information is yours. We just build the tools to protect it.
Who We Are
Not a startup. A family business.
We are Charles and Billie Key. We're husband and wife, and we call Tennessee home.
Charles has been writing software since 2008. Much of that time was spent within large corporations, where the best tools were often locked behind paywalls. Billie has been leading non-profits since 2014. She is the one who catches what's broken and asks the questions no one else thought to ask. A product doesn't leave our doors until she's certain it's ready for the people who will actually use it.
We started Obsidian Clad Labs because the people we love kept running into the same walls.
Our roots are in hard work. Our fathers worked in construction; our mothers worked hard their entire lives. Our circle is made up of teachers, photographers, contractors, and parents doing their best. We saw them losing time to paperwork and losing money to missed deadlines — work that used to require a lawyer, an accountant, or a weekend they didn't have.
The software on this site began as personal solutions for our family and friends:
TeachShield began with Charles' sister. What she valued most wasn't just help with her workload; it was the book lists and reading tools that gave her back a few hours every week to be present with her family.
LienShield was built for a friend who roofs and subcontracts. He'd watched lien deadlines slip past more than once, and in his world, that cost is very real.
What started as tools for the people around us are now tools for everyone. We build software that works as hard as you do, designed to keep your business moving and your life a little simpler.
That's the whole story.
Charles
builds it.
Billie
makes sure it works.
At home: our crew, and our two dogs — Roxy and Olive.
Values
What we stand for
Build for the underdog
We build for freelancers, not Fortune 500s. For individuals, not institutions. If a user can't afford the alternative, we make ours free.
No shortcuts
No quick hacks. Every product is tested, documented, and built to last. If it isn't ready, it doesn't ship.
Honest numbers
We publish our accuracy scores. We document our methods. We say what the tools can and can't do. There's nothing to hide.
Good tools for regular people
A freelancer with ClauseShield, a contractor with LienShield, a teacher with TeachShield. Everyday people should have the same quality of software the big companies get.
FAQ
Frequently asked
What is Obsidian Clad Labs?
Obsidian Clad Labs is a family-run software studio in Tennessee that builds affordable smart tools for the everyday person. Co-founded in 2026 by Charles and Billie Key, we ship three live products: ClauseShield, LienShield, and TeachShield.
Who builds Obsidian Clad Labs?
Obsidian Clad Labs is a husband-and-wife team. Charles Key is co-founder and builder. Billie Key is co-founder and head of sales and operations. The company is registered in New Mexico (Entity ID 4424925) and operates out of Tennessee.
What products does Obsidian Clad Labs make?
Three live products: ClauseShield (AI contract analyzer), LienShield (mechanic’s lien protection for contractors), and TeachShield (AI tools for teachers).
How much do Obsidian Clad Labs products cost?
Every product has a free tier. Paid plans range from $3 to $29 per month. ClauseShield is $0/$15/$29; LienShield $0/$15/$19; TeachShield $0/$3/$15/$29.
Is Obsidian Clad Labs safe to use?
Yes. Every product runs CSP and CORS lockdown, org-scoped data isolation, and Stripe payment processing with webhook signature verification. We never share data between users or organizations, and we publish a public security disclosure path at /security.txt.
Where is Obsidian Clad Labs based?
Obsidian Clad Labs is incorporated in New Mexico (registered agent: Registered Agents Inc, 1209 Mountain Road PL NE, STE R, Albuquerque, NM 87110) and the founders work out of Tennessee.
Contact
Let's talk
Whether you want to partner, invest, or just say hello, we'd love to hear from you.
Charles Key
Co-Founder & Builder
Writes the code. Sweats the details. Answers your email.
Billie Key
Co-Founder & Head of Sales + Operations
Runs the business. Makes sure it works before it reaches you.
Reach us at contact@obsidiancladlabs.com. We answer our own email. You'll get one of us, not a ticket number.