> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dev-docs.altrum.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Guardrails

> Understand what a guardrail checks, what it does when it fires, and how a draft becomes the live version.

A guardrail checks text going to or from an AI system: what people send to it, what the model answers, or both. When it finds what it looks for, it fires, and does one of three things.

| When it fires | What happens |
| - | - |
| **Log only** | The text goes through, and Altrum records what was found. |
| **Block** | The text is stopped. |
| **Mask** | The sensitive part is replaced before the text goes on. Available for the two data protection guardrails. |

Every AI system has the same eight guardrails, all off until you switch them on. See [Guardrail types](/guardrails/types).

## Draft and live version

You change an AI system's guardrails in its draft. **Save draft** keeps your changes without enforcing them. **Apply** turns the saved draft into the next numbered version and makes it the live version. A version never changes once applied. To go back, roll back to an earlier version, which applies it again as a new version. See [Versions](/guardrails/versions).

The AI system's **Guardrails** tab always shows what is live: a badge reads **Live: version N** or **Nothing is live**, and **Changes saved, not applied** when the draft differs from the live version. You can always tell what is enforced now, what is only drafted, and what is waiting for you.

## Where guardrails come from

* **From an assessment.** Submitting an assessment switches on the guardrails its controls map to, in **Log only** and with nothing chosen yet. The assistant then suggests settings from your answers. See [Guardrail suggestions](/guardrails/suggestions).
* **By hand.** Owners, admins and the AI system's owner can configure guardrails at any time, with or without an assessment.

## Who can change them

Every member can see an AI system's guardrails and versions. Owners, admins and the AI system's owner can save, test, apply and roll back. Anyone else sees "Read only. Owners, admins and the owner of this AI system can change these."

## Whose guardrails

An AI system has its own guardrails, and so does your organization. The organization's apply to traffic that does not belong to a registered AI system. See [Organization guardrails](/guardrails/organization).

## Where they are enforced

The live version is what the AI Gateway enforces on your applications' requests: applying a version sends it there. See [Guardrails at runtime](/guardrails/at-runtime). Use [Test guardrails](/guardrails/test) to check what a draft would do before you apply it.


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