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# Build a playbook

Building a playbook is an admin job in the **Playbooks** library. You give the
agent a goal and break the work into tasks. You pick which
[actions](/workspace/actions/overview) it may run and where it must pause for approval.
You also choose which [space types](/workspace/spaces/space-types) can run it. Nothing
runs from here. A playbook is a reusable definition that people start inside a
space (see [Run a playbook](/workspace/playbooks/run-a-playbook)).

The library and editor are **admin-only**. Non-admins see "You need an admin
role to manage playbooks."

## Create a draft

From **Playbooks**, click **New playbook** and give it a **Name**. This creates
a **draft** and opens it in the editor. Fill in the rest there.

<img src="https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/cloudraker.docs.buildwithfern.com/04eacdf8d26389b55fe4b4fd6717d7d32196a9aa6c006a009538825b09fbdac2/docs/assets/images/guide/playbooks/new-playbook-dialog.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260826%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260826T004939Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=d28c564d1866fcac3ad671de0cf489bb285b98ac9dffaccafcb41ad1f2b0bd25&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject" alt="The 'New playbook' dialog with a Name field and the Cancel and Create playbook buttons" />

## The editor

The header shows the playbook name and its status badge, plus three buttons:

* **Activate** — appears only for a draft. It is disabled while unsaved changes
  exist or the playbook is invalid. A valid playbook has a name and a title on
  every task. Activation runs a server-side check. If anything fails, the
  editor shows **"This playbook cannot be activated"** with a bulleted list of
  issues to fix.
* **Save** — saves your changes.
* **Archive** — retires the playbook. It is hidden once the playbook is
  archived.

The body of the editor has four sections, top to bottom.

#### Goal

A **Name** and a **Description**. The description is the agent's brief. It
is Markdown that describes the goal and context given to the agent. Write
it as you would brief a capable teammate: state the objective and anything
the agent needs to know.

#### Tasks

The ordered outcomes the agent must complete (up to **30**). Add one with
**Add task**. Each task has:

* **Title** (required) — the outcome, in a few words.
* **Instructions** (optional) — extra guidance for completing it.
* **blocked by** — a dependency picker. A task can be set to start only
  after other tasks finish. Only *upstream* tasks are offered. A task
  cannot depend on itself or on a task that runs later. Leave it as
  "Nothing — can start right away" for tasks that are ready from the start.

You can reorder and remove tasks as you build.

#### Actions

Check which of your installed actions the agent may run. For each action
you turn on, you control where it pauses:

* **Approve before running** — a *pre-approval* gate. The run pauses and
  shows what the agent proposes before it dispatches the action.
* **Review output after running** — a *post-approval* gate. The run pauses
  so you can review the action's output before it commits.
* **can only run after** — task gates. Choose the tasks that must complete
  before the agent may run this action.

See [Approvals and steering](/workspace/playbooks/approvals-and-steering) for how
these gates behave during a run.

#### Space types

Checkboxes for the space types that may run this playbook. **Leave every
option clear to make the playbook available in all space types.**

<img src="https://fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/cloudraker.docs.buildwithfern.com/380d5892592e13f6230d2f5d334d2191a0e029ff81a346c24e707511a911df17/docs/assets/images/guide/playbooks/playbook-editor.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA6KXJSKKNFOCF7G4B%2F20260826%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260826T004939Z&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=167ae1aef81e133e785625599eabc0e084c489fd9d40679eee8b53c8930c303c&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject" alt="The playbook editor for 'Invoice intake' showing the Goal, Tasks, Actions with approval toggles, and Space types sections" />

## User-triggered actions

Some actions are **user-triggered**. The agent cannot run them on its own
because they need you. An example is a browser-fill action that fills a form in
your own browser. In the Actions section these show a **User-triggered** badge
and **no approval toggles**. You start that step yourself from the run page.
The agent fills the form and you submit it. Approval gates do not apply. See
[Run a playbook](/workspace/playbooks/run-a-playbook#browser-control-steps) for how the
step works during a run.

## Activate it

When the playbook is valid and saved, click **Activate**. Its status becomes
**active**. It then appears in the run picker for every space type it is bound
to, or all space types if you left them clear. Only active playbooks can run.

Activation is gated on validity. The playbook needs a name and every task
needs a title. It must also pass the server check. If activation fails, fix
the listed issues and try again.

## Where to go next

#### [Run a playbook](/playbooks/run-a-playbook)

Start your playbook in a space and follow the live run.

#### [Approvals and steering](/playbooks/approvals-and-steering)

See how your approval gates and task gates behave during a run.