# Policies Policies are the configurable rules that tell Cogna8 what state an action needs before it can proceed. ## What a Policy Contains A policy defines: which action type it applies to, what state must be present and in what condition, any additional constraints or requirements, and how violations should be handled (block vs warn). ## Default Policies {% hint style="info" %} Cogna8 ships with a default policy: **no silent overwrite**. Existing confirmed state cannot be replaced without explicit conflict resolution. This policy is always active and cannot be disabled. {% endhint %} ## Creating Custom Policies Custom policies are created through the [Policy Management](https://github.com/Cogna8/docs/blob/main/settings/policy-management.md) settings. Each policy defines a specific action type and its requirements. Policies are declarative and deterministic - the same state always produces the same evaluation result. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://cogna8-io.gitbook.io/docs/core-concepts/policies.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.