Rule enforcement levels
Every governance rule (policies, naming conventions, accessibility rules) carries a status that tells your team and your AI tools how seriously to take it. You'll see it as a colored dot next to each rule in the list, and as a labeled status readout in the rule's detail panel. Hover either one for a one-line explanation.
The three levels
| Status | Dot | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Enforced | red | Teams and agents must follow this rule; exceptions need review. |
| Recommended | amber | Follow by default; deviate only with a documented reason. |
| Optional | blue | Adopt where it helps; no expectation of universal use. |
Changing a rule's status
For policies and naming conventions, use the Enforced / Recommended / Optional toggle on each rule's row and in its detail panel (Policies page). The change applies immediately and the status readout updates everywhere the rule appears.
Accessibility rules display their status read-only: new accessibility rules are created as Enforced and stay that way. Policies and naming conventions default to Recommended.
FAQ
Why does my rule say "enforced" but the toggle stores "required"?
They're the same level. "Enforced" is the status your team sees; required is the underlying value stored on the rule and used by filters and the API.
Does "enforced" mean violations are automatically blocked? Enforcement level expresses your team's policy intent. How each surface acts on it (validation, drift detection, agent guidance) depends on the integrations you've connected.
Can I filter rules by status? Yes. The Enforcement section of the filter sidebar on the Policies and Accessibility pages filters by Enforced / Recommended / Optional.