How to Make Rules

Every time you correct your Zo — "too formal," "I didn't ask for bullet points," "always confirm before sending" — that's a preference it should remember. Rules make those corrections stick. Instead of repeating yourself every conversation, tell your Zo once and it follows the instruction from then on.

Rules are persistent instructions that apply across every conversation, SMS, Telegram, and email interaction. They shape how your Zo communicates, works, and makes decisions.

The fastest way to create a rule

Just tell your Zo:

Your Zo creates the rule automatically. It's active immediately across all channels.

Other examples:

• "Always confirm with me before sending any email"
• "When writing code, use TypeScript and avoid any/unknown types"
• "Never suggest Jira. I use Linear."
• "Use metric units unless I specify otherwise"

Or create rules manually

Go to Settings > AI > Rules. Click Add Rule and write a clear instruction. You can optionally add a condition that scopes when the rule applies.

Unconditional rules apply everywhere:

• "Be concise. No preambles, no summaries at the end."
• "Default to markdown formatting for all responses."

Conditional rules apply only in specific contexts:

• Condition: "When writing emails" — Rule: "Use a professional tone. Keep emails under 150 words."
• Condition: "When writing code" — Rule: "Follow PEP 8. Use type hints on all functions."
• Condition: "When helping with social media" — Rule: "Match my brand voice: casual, direct, no corporate jargon."

What makes a good rule

Good rules are specific and testable. Bad rules are vague and subjective. The difference matters because your Zo interprets rules literally.

Good rules:

• "Always include source links when citing statistics or data" — clear, verifiable
• "When drafting tweets, keep them under 200 characters and include a hook in the first line" — specific constraints
• "Ask me before creating or deleting any files in my workspace" — clear boundary
• "When summarizing emails, include the sender, subject, and one-sentence summary" — defined format

Bad rules:

• "Be better at emails" — what does "better" mean? This gives your Zo nothing to act on
• "Be more creative" — too subjective, no way to measure compliance
• "Try harder" — meaningless

If you wouldn't give the instruction to a new hire and expect them to follow it consistently, it's too vague for a rule.

Rules vs personas

Personas and rules do different things, and they work best together.

Personas give your Zo a specific personality: a social media strategist, a strict code reviewer, a fitness coach. They shape tone, expertise, and communication style.

Rules set behavioral constraints that apply regardless of persona: always confirm before sending emails, always use metric units, never suggest tools I don't use.

Think of it this way: a persona is a costume. Rules are principles. You can switch costumes (personas) while keeping the same principles (rules).

A common setup:

• Persona: "Content Writer — casual, punchy tone for social media"
• Rules: "Always suggest 3 hashtag options. Include a hook in the first line. Keep posts under 280 characters for X and under 1,300 characters for LinkedIn."

The persona sets the voice. The rules set the guardrails. When you switch to a different persona (say, "Code Reviewer"), the persona-specific voice changes, but your global rules still apply.

Layering rules for different workflows

You can create multiple rules with different conditions to handle different parts of your workflow. Some examples:

Writing workflow:

• Condition: "When writing blog content" — "Use short paragraphs. No jargon. Write at an 8th-grade reading level."
• Condition: "When writing technical documentation" — "Be precise. Include code examples. Use imperative voice."
• Condition: "When drafting emails" — "Professional but warm. First-name basis. Under 200 words."

Development workflow:

• Condition: "When writing Python" — "Use type hints. Follow PEP 8. Prefer f-strings over .format()."
• Condition: "When writing TypeScript" — "Strict mode. No 'any'. Use zod for validation."
• Condition: "When reviewing code" — "Focus on correctness, then readability, then performance. Be direct."

Communication workflow:

• Unconditional: "Always confirm before sending any message on my behalf."
• Condition: "When responding to clients" — "Formal tone. CC me on all replies. Include next steps."
• Condition: "When messaging teammates" — "Casual. Skip the pleasantries. Get to the point."

Debugging when rules conflict

If you have many rules, they can sometimes contradict each other. For example:

• Rule 1: "Be concise. Keep responses under 100 words."
• Rule 2: "When explaining code, include detailed examples with comments."

When your Zo explains code, should it be concise (Rule 1) or detailed (Rule 2)? Generally, conditional rules take priority over unconditional ones. But if you notice inconsistent behavior, the fix is to make the rules more explicit about when each applies:

• Revised Rule 1: "Be concise — under 100 words — for general questions and quick lookups."
• Rule 2 stays as-is.

You can also ask your Zo to show you what rules are active:

• "What rules do you have active right now?"
• "Are any of my rules conflicting?"
• "Which rule is making you respond so formally?"

Your Zo can surface the rules that are influencing its behavior, so you can edit or remove the ones that aren't working.

Managing rules over time

Rules accumulate. After a few months, you might have 15 rules and some of them are outdated or redundant. Periodically review:

• Go to Settings > AI > Rules and scan the list
• Delete rules that no longer apply (you stopped using a tool, changed your writing style)
• Combine rules that overlap (three separate formatting rules can often become one)
• Check for conflicts between older and newer rules

Getting started

Start with one or two rules that address your most common corrections. If you find yourself saying "no, more concise" every other conversation, make it a rule:

Once that's working, add rules for specific workflows. Over time, your rules build up a profile of how you like to work, and your Zo adapts to match.