What a rule is

    A rule fires the instant something happens in your inbox, with no conversation and no judgment calls.

    4 min read · Updated 13 September 2026

    Some jobs need thinking about. Others are the same every time. Rules are for the second kind.

    What a rule is

    A rule fires the instant something happens in your inbox. There is no conversation and no judgment call. If the conditions match, the action happens.

    Adding a label, setting a priority, sending a thread to a team: these are the jobs rules are for. They are the steps you would otherwise do by hand, every time, without thinking about them.

    When, If, Then

    Every rule is three parts, and they are decided in that order.

    When
    The thing that starts the rule, such as a message arriving.
    If
    The test that has to pass, such as the sentiment being strongly negative.
    Then
    What Gruvi does about it, such as setting the priority to High.

    A rule with no If acts on everything that matches its When. That is occasionally what you want, and usually not.

    How a rule differs from a skill

    Rules and skills sit on the same page in Gruvi and do different jobs.

    A rule fires instantly.
    It matches a condition and takes an action. It never talks to the customer, and it never decides anything.
    A skill handles a job.
    It can hold a conversation, check a record, and act in another tool. It goes live only once its gates are green.

    If you can write the step as "when this happens, do that", it is a rule. If it needs judgment or a conversation, it is a skill.

    Where rules live

    1. 1Click Skills in the left-hand sidebar.
    2. 2Open the Your skills tab.
    3. 3The middle section is headed Rules, with a count beside it.

    The same page holds your skills above and the built-in automations below.

    If the count is zero, the quickest way to start is to describe the rule you want to Chloe. There are three worth having early.

    Draft and published

    Nothing a rule does reaches your inbox until you publish it. While you are building, Save as draft keeps it without switching it on.

    A published rule acts on every conversation that matches, from the moment you publish. Read the If line once more before you publish. A condition that is broader than you meant will act on far more threads than you expected. ---

    Was this helpful?