Understanding the workspace baseline
The one ruleset that applies everywhere automatically — what belongs in it, why it is capped, and why its prohibitions cannot be overridden.
Every workspace has exactly one baseline ruleset. It applies to every workflow automatically, cannot be detached, and is where your non-negotiables live.
New workspaces start with one already created, holding a few example rules. Edit or delete those freely — they are a starting point, not a requirement.
Baseline or ordinary ruleset?
| Baseline | Ordinary ruleset | |
|---|---|---|
| How many | Exactly one per workspace | As many as you like |
| Applies to | Every workflow, automatically | Only where you attach it |
| Detachable | No | Yes, instantly |
| Rule cap | 20 | 50 |
| What belongs | Safety and compliance | Conventions and house style |
The test: if forgetting it once could cause an incident, it belongs in the baseline. If a project could reasonably say "we do it differently here", it belongs in an ordinary ruleset.
"Must not commit credentials" is a baseline rule. "Prefer date-fns over Moment.js" is not — a legacy project might genuinely need the alternative.
Why prohibitions cannot be overridden
A workflow can override a baseline must or prefer. A documentation project can legitimately override "use British English" with "use US spelling".
A baseline must not can never be overridden by anything. Prohibitions are usually about safety and compliance; requirements are usually about convention. A project can reasonably say "we do it differently here" about a convention — it should not be able to say it about "never log customer data".
If a rule tries to override a baseline prohibition, the attempt is refused and shown on the rules-in-effect view, so whoever wrote it can see it did not take effect.
Why it is capped at 20 rules
The baseline is the one place with no escape valve: it cannot be detached, and its prohibitions cannot be overridden. A poor rule there degrades every project in the workspace and no team can opt out.
The cap is a forcing function. Twenty slots makes you ask "is this genuinely non-negotiable everywhere?" rather than "is this a good idea?". Without it, the baseline becomes the default dumping ground, because it is the easiest place to put a rule — you do not have to attach anything.
It also keeps the cost predictable. Rules ride along on every agent call in every workflow, so a small, fixed baseline stays cheap where a large one would not.
What only a person can do
An AI assistant can create rulesets and add rules when you ask it to. It cannot create the baseline, add rules to it, or delete existing rules anywhere.
That line exists because a baseline rule reaches everything and cannot be escaped — so designating one stays a human decision.