# Rule types

Pick one rule type. This determines when the rule runs.

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEtmEHa0bo>" %}

## Incoming messages

Fires when a message arrives in your inbox from any of these channels:

| Channel   | What it catches                               |
| --------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Email     | New emails received                           |
| SMS       | Incoming text messages via Twilio             |
| WhatsApp  | Incoming WhatsApp messages                    |
| Messenger | Facebook Messenger messages                   |
| Instagram | Instagram Direct Messages                     |
| Live Chat | Messages from Missive Live Chat widget        |
| Post      | API posts, call logs (Dialpad, Aircall, etc.) |

{% hint style="info" %}
Incoming message rules run before the message appears in anyone's inbox. Actions happen instantly.
{% endhint %}

## Outgoing messages

Fires when you or a teammate sends a message:

| Channel   | What it catches              |
| --------- | ---------------------------- |
| Email     | Emails sent from Missive     |
| SMS       | Outgoing text messages       |
| WhatsApp  | Outgoing WhatsApp messages   |
| Messenger | Outgoing Facebook messages   |
| Instagram | Outgoing Instagram DMs       |
| Live Chat | Agent responses in Live Chat |

Common uses:

* Auto-assign conversations to the person who replied
* Schedule follow-up reminders
* Apply labels to track sent messages

## User actions

Fires when someone does something in Missive:

| Action                | When it fires                                |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| New comment           | A comment or task is added to a conversation |
| Label change          | A label is added or removed                  |
| Conversation closed   | Someone closes a conversation                |
| Conversation reopened | A closed conversation is reopened            |
| Assignee changed      | Assignees are added or removed               |
| Team changed          | Conversation moves to a different team       |

{% hint style="info" %}
User action rules can fire for any user in the organization, or you can filter to specific people using the **Action initiator** condition.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**User action rules only trigger when actual users perform these actions.**

Rules performing these actions (like an incoming message rule adding a label) will not trigger user action rules. Put all your actions in a single rule instead of trying to chain rules together.
{% endhint %}

## Personal vs organization rules

**Personal rules** only fire on your private conversations.

**Organization rules** only fire on conversations shared with that organization.

If you need a rule to work on both, create two rules - one personal, one organizational.

To copy a rule from one type to the other, click **•••** on the rule and select **Export**, then create a new rule and click **Import** in the bottom-right corner of the rule editor.

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