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

# Policy schema

> Evaluation order: deny, confirm, MCP lists, providers, classifier, allow. Missing keys are treated as empty lists

```json theme={"dark"}
{
  "_doc": "optional free text",
  "bash_deny":    [{"pattern": "<regex>", "reason": "<text>"}],
  "bash_confirm": [{"pattern": "<regex>", "reason": "<text>", "when": "immediate"}],
  "path_confirm": [{"pattern": "<regex>", "reason": "<text>", "when": "commit"}],
  "mcp_allow":    ["<regex matched against the full tool name>"],
  "mcp_deny":     ["<regex matched against the full tool name>"],
  "providers": [{"name": "<text>", "command": "<program and arguments>", "questions": ["gate_bearing", "route_gate", "route_callers"], "timeout": 10}],
  "llm_classifier": {"enabled": false, "command": "<program and arguments, run without a shell>"},
  "snapshots": {"enabled": true, "max_per_session": 200, "exclude": [".env*", "*.pem", "*.key", "*secret*", "*credential*", ".gitvow/**", ".claude/**"]},
  "pricing": {"<model name or prefix>": {"input": 0, "output": 0, "cache_read": 0, "cache_write": 0}},
  "decisions": {"mode": "open", "authorities": [], "production_branches": ["main", "master", "production"], "rule_threshold": 3, "rule_decay_days": 90}
}
```

| Key              | Applies to                                        | Match                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  | Outcome                                                                |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `bash_deny`      | Bash command text                                 | `re.search`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | deny                                                                   |
| `bash_confirm`   | Bash command text                                 | `re.search`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | confirm; `when` defaults to `immediate`                                |
| `path_confirm`   | file path of Edit, Write, MultiEdit, NotebookEdit | `re.search`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | confirm; `when` defaults to `commit`                                   |
| `mcp_deny`       | MCP tool name                                     | `re.fullmatch`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | deny                                                                   |
| `mcp_allow`      | MCP tool name                                     | `re.fullmatch`; if the list is non-empty, non-matching tools → confirm                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                        |
| `providers`      | Edit/Write paths and route literals in Edit text  | each provider asked its declared questions; see [Provider protocol](/gitvow/reference/provider-protocol)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               | `yes` → confirm at commit with evidence; failure → confirm immediately |
| `pricing`        | note, ledger, report, digest                      | not a gate rule; USD per million tokens by model, overriding the built-in table                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |                                                                        |
| `snapshots`      | after each agent edit                             | not a gate rule; controls working-tree snapshots, see [Snapshots](/gitvow/concepts/snapshots)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |                                                                        |
| `llm_classifier` | anything not decided above                        | command prints `ALLOW` / `CONFIRM reason` / `DENY reason`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              | as printed, immediately; failure → confirm                             |
| `decisions`      | the card and the git hooks                        | not a gate rule; `mode` `open` (default) or `strict` for commits made by a person while findings are open; `authorities` names whose decisions count, matched against committer email, its local part or name; `production_branches` where scoped decisions are reopened by the report; `rule_threshold` consistent answers by authorities before a finding becomes an earned rule; `rule_decay_days` days without a new confirmation before it lapses |                                                                        |

### `when`

`"when": "immediate"` refuses the call and asks now. `"when": "commit"` records a finding and lets the call run; the finding is put to a person when the agent commits, see [Decisions](/gitvow/concepts/decisions). Deny rules have no `when`; a denial is always immediate. The default policy keeps edits to gitvow's own policy and hooks immediate, so a loosened policy can never take effect before a person has seen it.

Evaluation order: deny, confirm, MCP lists, providers, classifier, allow. Missing keys are treated as empty lists. Every pattern is compiled on load; a compile error or unreadable file makes the gate fail closed.

Lookup order: `<repo>/.gitvow/policy.json`, `~/.gitvow/policy.json`, package default.