Organize procedure categories
Handbook procedures live inside categories. Categories serve two jobs: they keep the procedure list scannable, and they let you scope access rules to whole groups at once instead of one procedure at a time.
You don’t need a complex hierarchy. Most teams do well with five to ten categories that match how they actually think about scenarios — Refunds, Escalations, Tone, Billing, Returns, Account access, Verification, and so on.
1. Open the Handbook
Go to Handbook in the main navigation. The page shows procedures grouped by category, with a search bar at the top.
2. Open Manage Categories
Click Manage Categories. A collapsible panel opens above the procedure list.
The panel lists every existing category, with an inline input for adding new ones and edit / delete affordances next to each.
3. Add a category
Type the category name into the input — placeholder text is Category name. Click Add.
The new category appears in the list immediately. There’s no separate Save step.
A few naming tips:
- Keep it short. Category names show up in the sidebar and in procedure-list groupings. “Refunds” beats “Customer refunds and reversals.”
- Use plural nouns. “Refunds,” “Escalations,” “Verifications.” This matches how the rest of the Handbook is shaped.
- Don’t over-categorize. A category with one procedure is a sign you’ve split too fine. Merge or rename.
4. Rename or delete a category
In the Manage Categories panel, each row has edit and delete controls.
- Rename: click the edit icon, change the name, save. Procedures inside the category move with it; their content doesn’t change.
- Delete: click the delete icon. The system asks what to do with procedures in the deleted category — you can move them to another category before the delete completes. A category that still has procedures can’t be deleted outright.
5. Reorder categories
Drag categories in the panel to change their order. The order applies everywhere the Handbook lists categories — sidebar, search results, the procedure list.
When to use a category vs. when not
Use a category when:
- You expect at least three procedures in it.
- You’d reach for it as a folder when looking for a related procedure.
- You want to scope access rules to the whole group (“only escalation specialists see Escalations”).
Don’t use a category when:
- A single procedure would live in it. Keep it in a broader category and use keywords instead.
- The grouping is temporary or experimental. Just write the procedures; cluster them later if a pattern emerges.
Category-level access rules
Categories are the natural unit for access rules. If your Refunds category has 12 procedures and they all should be restricted to your billing specialists, set an access rule on the category once instead of on each procedure. See Restrict procedure access.
Common gotchas
- Categories don’t translate. The Handbook isn’t multi-language. Name categories in the language your AI agents respond in.
- There’s no nesting. Handbook categories are flat — you can’t have subcategories. If you find yourself wanting one, that’s usually a sign the parent should be split into two top-level categories.
- There’s no archive for categories. Delete is delete. If you might want a category back, move its procedures out first, delete the category, and recreate it later if needed.