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

# Write rules

> Plain-English policies compiled into versioned releases.

Rules tell your agent which actions are allowed. Write the rule in plain English; Rippletide applies it to the tools and actions your agent can actually use.

## Create a rule

1. Open **Rules** in the Rippletide app.
2. Choose the action to control, such as `calendar/create_event`.
3. Describe the rule in plain English.
4. Review what Rippletide will match, then save it.

For example:

> Only admins may invite external attendees to calendar events.

## Review and enable it

When you save a rule, Rippletide creates a **release**: a versioned copy of that rule. You can see exactly which action it applies to before enabling it.

* **Releases are immutable.** Changing a rule creates a new release; the history stays intact.
* **New releases start disabled.** Move one to `observe` explicitly when you are ready to monitor live decisions.
* **Releases are bound to the catalogue** they were compiled for. If your agent's tools change, active releases return to `disabled` until you recompile and explicitly change their mode again.

Enable a release in **observe mode** first: Rippletide records the decision it *would* make, but never interrupts your agent. Once you trust the results, move it to **enforce mode** to prevent matching actions.

## Get suggestions

Rippletide can also suggest draft rules based on your agent’s available actions, any documentation you provide, and the context you care about. Review and edit every suggestion before saving it; nothing is enabled or changes mode automatically.

## Use the CLI instead

```bash theme={null}
rippletide rules targets
rippletide rules create --target <targetId> --action calendar/create_event \
  --input "Only admins may invite external attendees."
rippletide rules set-mode --target <targetId> --release <releaseId> --mode observe
```

## Next step

Learn more about [observe and enforce modes](/docs/observe-and-enforce).