Guidelines

‍Guidelines let you set rules and preferences that shape how Quin behaves. Instead of repeating yourself, you write it once and Quin follows it automatically — across meeting summaries, CRM updates, follow-up emails, and more.

How guidelines work

Quin reads your guidelines as context whenever it takes action. If a guideline is relevant to what Quin is doing — summarizing a meeting, drafting a follow-up, updating a contact record — it applies automatically.

Example guidelines:

• "When summarizing meetings, focus on decisions made and next steps — skip small talk"
• "Never include pricing details in follow-up emails unless I explicitly mention them"
• "Use formal language in all client-facing emails"
• "If a contact's title includes 'VP' or above, flag them as high priority in the CRM"

How to create a guideline

1. Go to Settings > Guidelines
2. Click Add guideline
3. Give it a clear title
4. In the Instructions field, describe the rule in plain language
5. Select who can use the guideline:
   • Just me - Only you follow this guideline
   • All team members - Anyone on your team follows this guideline
6. If sharing with the team, choose whether the guideline is Optional or Required. Optional guidelines can be turned on or off by each individual team member. Required guidelines apply to everyone and can't be turned off.
7. Click Publish
8. (Optional) Click Save Draft to save without activating. Draft guidelines won't apply until you publish them.

Tip: Keep guidelines short and specific. The clearer the rule, the more consistently Quin applies it.

Use Optimize to improve your guidelines

Click Optimize next to the Instructions field to have Quin suggest clearer, more effective wording. This is helpful when you know what you want but aren't sure how to phrase it so Quin applies it reliably.

Create guidelines from chat

You can create guidelines directly from a conversation with Quin. Say something like "Always address clients by first name in follow-up emails" and Quin will turn that into a draft guideline for you to review and save.

This works through in-app chat, text messages, or email.

What to expect

Once published, Quin applies your guideline to all interactions with Quin. If a teammate shares an Optional guideline with you, you can leave it on, turn it off, or copy and customize it for your own needs.

Sharing guidelines with your team

Admins can share guidelines with all team members or keep them private. When sharing, choose whether the guideline is Required — meaning it applies to all users — or Optional, meaning each user can toggle it on or off. You can also choose whether to share within your account only, or across your account and all subaccounts.

Customizing a shared guideline

When a teammate shares a guideline with you and marks it Optional, you can copy it and edit the instructions for your own needs instead of using it as-is.

1. Open the shared guideline from your Shared with me list
2. Click Copy and customize
3. Edit the title or instructions as needed
4. Click Publish to activate your copy

Once you copy and customize a shared guideline, the original is automatically turned off and removed from your Shared with me list. Your copy applies in its place and you can edit it freely, since it's a separate guideline that belongs to you.

If you later delete your customized copy, the original shared guideline reappears in your Shared with me list, turned off, so you can turn it back on or copy it again if needed.

Editing or removing guidelines

Click the edit icon next to any guideline to update the title or instructions, change who it applies to, or delete it entirely.

Troubleshooting

My guideline isn't being applied

• Make sure the guideline is published, not saved as a draft
• Check that the situation matches what you described in the instructions
• Try making the rule more specific about when it should apply
• Click Optimize to clarify the wording

Quin is interpreting my guideline differently than I intended

• Be more specific about the context (e.g., "in client emails" vs. "in all emails")
• Break complex guidelines into multiple simpler ones
• Use Optimize to refine the wording

I'm not sure how to word my guideline

• Write what you want in plain language, then click Optimize for suggestions
• Tell Quin in chat what you want and it will create a draft for you

Can I turn off a guideline without deleting it?
‍Yes. Toggle the guideline off to stop Quin from following it. It stays in your library and can be turned back on anytime.

Can I save changes without publishing them?
‍Yes. Click Save Draft to store your changes without activating them. The guideline stays in draft status until you click Publish.

What happens to the original guideline when I copy and customize a shared one?
‍It's automatically turned off and hidden from your Shared with me list. Only your customized copy applies.

Can I get the original shared guideline back?
‍Yes. Delete your customized copy and the original shared guideline reappears in your Shared with me list, turned off.