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

# Rules

> Set the standing instructions Pluvo applies to every answer, so the whole organization works from the same definitions.

## What it does

A rule is a standing instruction the assistant applies to every response. Where a skill is picked up when it happens to be relevant, a rule is always in force, for everyone, with nothing to switch on.

Rules are for the things that must never be got wrong: what revenue means, which accounts are excluded, which currency figures are reported in. Write them once and every answer your organization gets follows them.

<Note>
  Rules are managed by organization admins. If you are not an admin you will not see Rules in the sidebar, and the standing instructions your admins have set still apply to your answers.
</Note>

## Writing a rule

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a new rule">
    Open **Rules** and choose **New rule**. You get a conversation on the left and the rule itself on the right, and you can work in either.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Describe what Pluvo should always do">
    Tell the assistant the instruction you want enforced, such as a definition, a boundary, or a pitfall in your data. It asks a question or two and fills in a draft as you go. You can also type straight into the editor.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review what it proposes">
    When the assistant drafts wording you can **Accept** or **Reject** it, so nothing lands in your rule without your say.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name it">
    Give it a clear **Name**, such as "Revenue definitions", and write the **Instructions**. Markdown is supported, up to 10,000 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate it">
    Choose **Activate**. From that moment the assistant applies it to every answer across your organization. Until then it stays a draft and is not used.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  A good rule states the instruction, the pitfall, and the boundary. For example: revenue means recognized revenue net of refunds and never bookings, intercompany accounts are excluded from all rollups, and all figures are reported in USD.
</Tip>

## Managing your rules

The **Rules** list shows each rule with an excerpt, whether it is **Active** or a **Draft**, and when it was last updated and by whom. You can search rules and filter by status.

Click a rule to read it in full and change its settings, or use its menu to **Edit rule**, **Activate** or **Deactivate** it, or **Delete rule**.

Deleting is permanent and the assistant stops applying the rule immediately.

<Warning>
  Rules apply to everyone with no opt-out, so keep them few and deliberate. A long list of competing instructions dilutes the quality of every answer your team gets.
</Warning>

## Rules or Skills?

Both teach Pluvo how your organization works, and the difference is who they apply to.

|                     | Rules                    | Skills                            |
| ------------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| Applies to          | Everyone, always         | Only people who switch it on      |
| When it is used     | Every answer             | When the question calls for it    |
| Who can create them | Admins                   | Anyone                            |
| Sharing             | Always organization-wide | Private to you until you share it |

Use a rule for something that must hold every time. Use a skill for guidance that is useful in context, or that only part of the team needs.

## What's next

See **Skills** for the guidance people opt into themselves, and the **Library** for the metric and table definitions your answers are calculated from.