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

# Guardrails

> Understanding AI safety policies and why they matter

<Note>
  **Guardrails are now a core Civic feature!** For the complete documentation on using guardrails, see [Guardrails in Civic](/civic/concepts/guardrails).
</Note>

## Overview

Guardrails are security policies that control how AI assistants interact with tools and data. Unlike traditional access controls that simply grant or deny access, guardrails provide nuanced, context-aware rules that make AI systems safer and more predictable.

## Why guardrails matter

AI assistants are increasingly powerful, with access to email, code repositories, databases, and more. This power comes with unique risks:

* **The AI is not a human**: Cannot distinguish between legitimate requests and prompt injection attacks
* **Scale amplifies risk**: What takes a human hours, an AI can do in seconds
* **Context windows have limits**: Large responses can overwhelm the AI

## Learn more

For complete documentation on guardrails, including:

* How to manage guardrails through natural conversation
* Built-in PII protection and prompt injection detection
* Request and response guardrail types
* The guardrail hierarchy (account, toolkit, user)
* Common examples and best practices

See the [Guardrails documentation](/civic/concepts/guardrails) in Civic.