The agreement is crucial for me. Partly because I'm a former lawyer, and partly because the OCD that accompanies my social and general anxiety means that I need things to be as clear as possible to avoid unnecessary attacks or just plain meltdowns.
The sections I include are:
(1) Safe words (both personal and sexual - I have one for mental health alerts and one for needing space without anyone getting hurt feelings, it's SPACE lol)
(2) Personal needs ... defines what and how they can be met for both sides (mine includes a self-care routine and my support for my mental health issues)
(3) Sexual needs ... defines the specific kinks or needs that are most important to both and necessary for them to feel fulfilled in the relationship (mine includes an orgasm a day, alone if my partner isn't available hehehe)
(4) Follow-Through .... short and sweet, just sets out rules that require consistency and accountability for both when it comes to meeting personal and sexual needs
(5) Communication ... short and sweet, just sets out rules regarding scheduling (minimum expectations for contact and pre-defined times for space) ... I also include something that states "okay" is never an acceptable answer for either side when it comes to the how are you question (good to have when mental health issues are at play)
(6) Hard limits ... obvious
(7) Rewards & Punishments ... defining what can be expected generally and/or specifically
(
Monthly Agreement Review ... it requires that both sides read the agreement again, think about any issues regarding it (needs/wants not being met etc.), and discuss them openly and freely (this can be important to some subs who wouldn't normally, or don't feel that they can, speak up about things - it's a safe time to do so)
For me, even if there isn't a physical agreement, almost all of these things are really important to discuss and be clear on before entering into any type of dynamic. It ensures that needs, wants, and boundaries are clear and understood, and it also ensures that there aren't any obvious clashes/differences that would have the whole thing going down in a painful ball of flames later on
P.S. a fun way to work through the sexual needs and limits sections is working through the 200+ kinks on
https://badgirlsbible.com/list-of-kinks-and-fetishes together ... some of them are kind of funny/out there and working through them can be both a fun and relaxed way to talk about kinks/needs and open up new possibilities of something you might not have known interested you before.