# Rules
Rules automate your inbox. When a message arrives, gets sent, or someone takes an action - rules check conditions and run actions automatically.
{% hint style="info" %}
Rules require the **Productive** or **Business** plan. [See pricing](https://missiveapp.com/pricing).
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## How rules work
A rule has three parts:
1. [Rule type](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/rule-types) - When the rule runs (incoming message, outgoing message, or user action)
2. [Conditions](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/conditions) - What must be true for actions to fire
3. [Actions](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/actions) - What happens when conditions match
Here's a rule that labels emails from Disney:
| Component | Value |
| --------- | ------------------------------- |
| Rule type | Incoming email |
| Condition | **From** ends with "disney.com" |
| Action | **Add label(s)** → "Disney" |
## Personal vs organization rules
**Personal rules** run on your private conversations only.
**Organization rules** run on conversations shared with your organization - the ones with a colored banner.
If you need a rule to work on both, create it twice - once personal, once organizational.
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Only admins and owners can manage organization rules.
{% endhint %}
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## Creating a rule
Open Rules from your account menu (click your avatar in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar) or go to **Settings** > **Rules**.
1. Select **You** for personal rules, or select an organization for organization rules
2. Click **Create rule**
3. Select the channel (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) and action type (Incoming message, Outgoing message, or User actions)
4. Add conditions to filter which messages trigger the rule
5. Add actions to define what happens when conditions match
6. Give the rule a description and click **Save**
## Duplicating a rule
To create a similar rule without starting from scratch:
1. Find the rule you want to copy
2. Click **•••** > **Duplicate**
3. A copy is created with "COPY" prefix in the description
4. Edit the copy and save
## Enabling and disabling rules
To temporarily stop a rule from running without deleting it, find the rule in the list and click the toggle button on the right to disable it.
Disabled rules appear in light grey. Click the toggle again to reactivate.
## Rule order
Rules run alphabetically by description. To force a specific order, prefix descriptions with numbers:
```
01. Urgent emails
02. Customer routing
03. Auto-archive
```
## Reference
| Topic | What it covers |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| [Rule types](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/rule-types) | When rules fire |
| [Conditions](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/conditions) | What to check |
| [Actions](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/actions) | What to do |
| [Workload balancing](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/workload-balancing) | Round-robin and least-busy assignment |
## Next steps
* Browse [rule examples](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/examples) for common use cases
* Learn about [AI rules](https://missiveapp.com/docs/advanced-features/rules/ai-rules) to analyze message content
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