Short answer
Agent Settings rules use a shared character budget for each scope. The 6,000-character workspace limit is the total across all workspace rules, not a separate 6,000-character allowance for each rule.
Workspace rules: 6,000 characters total across all workspace rules.
Personal rules: the character limit shown in your personal rules editor is shared across all of your personal rules.
For example, if your workspace has three workspace rules that add up to 4,500 characters, you have 1,500 characters left for all additional workspace rules.
What are Agent Settings rules?
Agent Settings rules let workspace admins and individual users customize how Enterpret's AI agent behaves. Rules can define preferred terminology, source priorities, response format, tone, citation expectations, or other repeatable instructions.
Rules can be set at two scopes:
Workspace rules apply to everyone in your organization.
Personal rules apply only to your own sessions.
How the character limit works
Each scope has its own shared budget. All rules in that scope draw from the same pool.
Scope | How the budget works | Who it affects |
Workspace rules | 6,000 characters total across all workspace rules | All users in the workspace |
Personal rules | The personal rules limit is shared across all personal rules | Only you |
What this means:
The 6,000-character workspace limit is not 6,000 characters per workspace rule.
Adding, editing, or deleting one rule changes the remaining budget for the other rules in the same scope.
Workspace and personal budgets are separate. Personal rules do not reduce the workspace rule budget, and workspace rules do not reduce your personal rule budget.
When configuring rules, treat the character counter in Agent Settings as the total budget available for that scope, not as a per-rule counter.
Example
Suppose your workspace has these rules:
Rule 1: 1,200 characters
Rule 2: 1,800 characters
Rule 3: 1,500 characters
Together, those workspace rules use 4,500 characters. Since workspace rules have a 6,000-character shared budget, your workspace has 1,500 characters left for all additional workspace rules.
If you reach the limit
If you cannot save a new or edited rule because of the character limit, reduce the total content in that same scope. You can shorten existing rules, delete stale rules, or move personal preferences from workspace rules into personal rules when they do not need to apply to everyone.
Splitting one long rule into multiple smaller rules can make rules easier to maintain, but it does not increase the total character budget. All rules in the same scope still count toward the same shared limit.
Best practices for managing rules
Keep each rule focused. Use one rule for one behavior, topic, or convention. Atomic rules are easier to update, debug, and remove.
Be direct and specific. Rules work best as clear instructions, not long explanations. For example, use “Always cite the source in the first sentence” instead of a paragraph explaining why citations matter.
Use workspace rules for shared conventions. Put company-wide source routing, terminology, definitions, and required formats at the workspace level.
Use personal rules for individual preferences. Keep personal style preferences, role context, or personal workflows in your own rules.
Remove stale rules. Rules that no longer reflect current needs still consume your shared character budget.
Avoid restating default behavior. Only add rules for behavior you need the agent to remember or do differently.
Example: splitting one large rule into smaller rules
Instead of one large rule that mixes several instructions:
When answering questions about customer feedback, use Gong and Intercom as the primary sources, always mention the time period in the first sentence, use our internal product names, and format findings as a bullet list.
Split it into focused rules:
Rule 1: When answering feedback questions, prioritize Gong and Intercom over other sources.
Rule 2: Always state the time period and sources reviewed in the first sentence of any customer-feedback answer.
Rule 3: Use our internal product names: [list your names here]. Do not use generic equivalents.
Rule 4: Format findings as a bullet list unless the user requests another format.
This makes each rule independently editable while keeping the overall instruction set easier to maintain. The combined length of all four rules still counts toward the same shared budget for that scope.
FAQ
Is the 6,000-character limit per rule?
No. The 6,000-character limit is the total shared budget for all workspace rules.
Do personal rules also have a shared limit?
Yes. Personal rules use their own shared budget across all personal rules. They do not count against the workspace rules budget.
Should I use many small rules or one large rule?
Use smaller, focused rules when possible. They are easier to maintain and make it clearer which instruction is responsible for a behavior. Just keep the total character budget in mind.
Does splitting a rule into smaller rules give me more characters?
No. Splitting rules can improve maintainability, but it does not increase the shared character budget for that scope.