# Rules FAQ
How do I replicate "Move to label" with a rule?
Labeling and archiving are two separate things in Missive. When you manually use **Move to label**, you're doing two things at once: applying the label and archiving the conversation from your inbox.
Rules don't have a "Move to" action - they have separate **Add label(s)** and **Archive** actions. To replicate the manual **Move to label** behavior, add both actions to your rule:
1. **Add label(s)** - applies the label
2. **Archive (from Team Inbox)** and/or **Archive** - removes it from the inbox
Using only **Add label(s)** will apply the label but leave the conversation in the inbox.
Why are time-based conditions greyed out?
**Delay** and the **Unreplied/Unassigned and open after** conditions are mutually exclusive - a rule can only use one type.
If your rule already has a **Delay** condition, the **Unreplied and open after** and **Unassigned and open after** options will be greyed out, and vice versa.
To switch to a different type, remove the existing time-based condition first.
See [How Delay differs from Unreplied/Unassigned and open after](/docs/advanced-features/rules/conditions.md#how-delay-differs-from-unreplied-unassigned-and-open-after) for an explanation of how each works.
An error says my rule will never match; what can I do?
If you see this error when saving your rule…
…it means the conditions will never match any message.
In the image above, it fails because an email can't come from more than one **From** address, and the rule expects **All** conditions to match.
To fix this, nest one of the **From** conditions in a new block by pressing the > arrow:
In the new block, switch from *All* to *At least one* condition matched:
See [Complex rules](/docs/advanced-features/rules/examples/complex-rules.md) for more on combining conditions.
How do I copy a rule from personal to organization (or vice versa)?
Click **•••** on any rule and select **Export**. Then click the **Import** button in the bottom-right corner of the rule editor (when creating a new rule).
This works in both directions - you can export a personal rule and import it as an organization rule, or export an organization rule and import it as a personal rule. You can also use this to duplicate a rule across multiple organizations if you belong to more than one.
Can I run a rule on existing emails?
No. Rules only run on new incoming messages, outgoing messages, or user actions going forward - they can't be applied retroactively to conversations that already exist.
Once your rule is set up, it handles new emails automatically.
Why is my rule not working?
Most common cause: you created a personal rule when you needed an organization rule (or vice versa).
**Personal rules** only trigger on private conversations.
**Organization rules** only trigger on conversations shared with your organization.
If the conversation has a colored banner, it's shared with your organization - you need an organization rule.
Why doesn't my rule trigger on spam emails?
Rules don't run on emails that land in the spam folder unless you explicitly check for spam.
To apply rules to spam emails, add a **Message properties - Spam?** condition to your rule.
Without this condition, Missive skips rule processing for spam to prevent unwanted automation on junk mail.
How can I see which rules ran on a conversation?
Hover over the word **Rule** on the conversation event to see the rule name.
If you're an admin or it's your personal rule, click **Edit** to modify it.
Can I see when a rule triggers a webhook?
Yes. Go to **Settings** > **Preferences** > **Appearance** and enable **Show rule webhook events**.
Once enabled, a "\[rule name] triggered a webhook" event appears in conversation view each time a rule fires a webhook action.
This setting is off by default.
Can I hide rule events in conversations?
Go to **Settings** > **Preferences** > **Appearance** and disable conversation events.
To show events in a specific conversation, select **Show events** from the conversation menu:
How do I target replies vs new messages?
Two ways:
**Check the message count:**
**Check for "Re:" in the subject:**
Add more conditions for other languages (Re:, AW:, SV:, etc.).
What is the limit on rules I can create?
The maximum number of rules you can create is **1,000 personal rules** and **1,000 organization rules** per organization.
Can I try rules on the Starter plan?
Rules require Productive or Business. Starter users can trial rules for 30 days.
Can I auto follow-up on emails I send?
Yes - create an outgoing email rule with a delay condition and a "Send response" action.
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Can I detect high importance emails from Outlook users?
Yes. Outlook users can mark outgoing emails as "High Importance" using RFC 4021 headers. While Missive doesn't support sending these flags, you can detect them in incoming emails using the **Headers** condition.
Create an incoming email rule with a **Headers** condition and check for either:
* `Importance: high` (standard header)
* `X-Priority: 1` (alternative header)
Then apply actions like adding a label, assigning to someone, or sending a notification.
**Note:** Gmail doesn't support high importance flags. This only works with emails sent from Outlook or other clients that support RFC 4021 priority headers.
Why did my incoming email rule trigger multiple times?
Incoming email rules trigger **once per email account** that receives the message.
When multiple accounts receive the same message (via CC, BCC, or email forwarding), the rule runs separately for each account.
**Actions that produce the same result each time:**
* Adding labels
* Assigning users
* Closing conversations
**Actions that produce different results each time:**
* **Forward** - Sends multiple forwarded messages
**To run the rule only once:**
Add an **Email account** condition to limit the rule to one specific account. This ensures the rule triggers once, regardless of how many accounts receive the message.
Can I chain rules together (use one rule to trigger another)?
No. User action rules only trigger when actual users perform those actions, not when rules perform them.
For example:
* An incoming message rule adds a label → **Does not trigger** a "Label change" user action rule
* An outgoing message rule assigns a user → **Does not trigger** an "Assignee changed" user action rule
* A rule closes a conversation → **Does not trigger** a "Conversation closed" user action rule
Put all your actions in a single rule instead of trying to chain multiple rules together.
Why doesn't my personal rule with a mention condition trigger?
The **Mention** condition on "New comment" rules only works with organization rules, not personal rules.
When you're mentioned in a conversation, it automatically becomes shared with your organization. Personal conversations don't have mentions because mentions only exist in shared conversations.
To use the **Mention** condition, create an organization rule instead.
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