> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gradial.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Managing Rules (Legacy)

> Reference documentation for Gradial's Rules system — the legacy guardrail layer. Existing rules remain active. New organizations use Skills.

<Warning>
  **Rules is the legacy guardrail system.** New organizations start with Skills, which is the evolution of Rules and the recommended approach for encoding organizational knowledge going forward. If your organization was set up before Skills was available, your existing rules remain fully active — nothing changes unless you choose to transition.
</Warning>

Rules are organization-wide and workspace-level standards that every agent checks before completing a task. They define the non-negotiables: what every output must meet, automatically, every time.

***

## Rules Manager

Access Rules from **Rules & Skills** in the left sidebar, then select the **Rules** tab.

The Rules Manager shows all active rules across your organization, organized by:

* **Scope**: Organization-wide or workspace-specific
* **Type**: Brand, Compliance, Accessibility, SEO, Custom
* **Status**: Active or Inactive
* **Agent assignment**: Which agents the rule applies to

***

## Adding a rule

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="From scratch">
    1. Click **New Rule** in the Rules Manager
    2. Enter a rule name and description
    3. Write the rule content — describe the standard every output must meet
    4. Set the scope (Organization or Workspace)
    5. Assign to relevant agents
    6. Set status to **Active**
    7. Save
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="From a template">
    Gradial provides starter templates for common rule types:

    1. Click **New Rule → From Template**
    2. Browse templates by category (Brand, Compliance, Accessibility, SEO)
    3. Select a template
    4. Customize for your organization
    5. Activate
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Rule types

| Type              | Use for                                                                                 |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Brand**         | Voice, tone, terminology, style standards — what must be true of every piece of content |
| **Compliance**    | Legal, regulatory, and disclosure requirements                                          |
| **Accessibility** | WCAG compliance standards and accessibility requirements                                |
| **SEO**           | Metadata requirements, heading structure, keyword standards                             |
| **Custom**        | Organization-specific standards that don't fit a standard category                      |

***

## Agent assignment

By default, rules apply to all agents. To restrict a rule to specific agents:

1. Open the rule in the Rules Manager
2. Go to **Agent Assignment**
3. Toggle off any agents that shouldn't apply this rule
4. Save

Use agent-specific assignment when a standard only applies to certain task types — for example, an email-specific compliance rule that shouldn't run on web content tasks.

***

## Transitioning from Rules to Skills

Rules and Skills serve different layers of the Marketing Brain:

* **Rules** define the floor — standards every output must clear
* **Skills** build the ceiling — expertise that makes outputs excellent

If you have rules that describe *how* to do something well (rather than a standard every output must meet), those are good candidates to migrate into Skills.

To identify candidates:

* Look for rules that are long and process-oriented
* Look for rules with conditional logic ("if the page is a product page, then...")
* Look for rules that describe approach, structure, or workflow

You don't need to delete rules to add skills. Rules and Skills work together — rules handle the non-negotiables, skills handle the expertise.

<Tip>
  Contact your Gradial account team if you'd like guidance on transitioning your rules library to a Skills-first approach.
</Tip>

### Migrating rules in bulk

For organizations ready to move off legacy Rules entirely, [Foundational Guidelines](/docs/marketing-brain/foundational-guidelines) provide a structured migration path: import your existing rules from a spreadsheet into a versioned, sheet-style guideline library managed alongside Skills, validate it, and then cut Grady's rulebook over — with rollback available. Contact your Gradial team to plan a migration.

***

## Related

* [Managing Skills →](/docs/marketing-brain/managing-skills) — the recommended approach for new organizations
* [Foundational Guidelines →](/docs/marketing-brain/foundational-guidelines) — the migration path for legacy rules
* [Learning System →](/docs/marketing-brain/learning-system) — how Rules and Skills fit into the Marketing Brain