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

# Introduction to Guardrail

> Build safer AI applications with policy-driven guardrail workflows

## Overview

The **Guardrail** module helps you discover, configure, and deploy safety protections for model traffic in Bud AI Foundry. You can combine provider probes, tune severity, choose guard types, and deploy to projects or endpoints through a guided workflow.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A[Discover Probes] --> B[Create Guardrail Profile]
    B --> C[Configure Rules and Severity]
    C --> D[Deploy to Project or Endpoint]
    D --> E[Monitor Status and Coverage]
```

## What You Can Do

**Discover provider probes**
Browse guardrails from Bud Sentinel and cloud providers with searchable metadata, tags, and status indicators.

**Compose reusable profiles**
Create profiles with selected probes, guard types, and thresholds to standardize safety policy across teams.

**Deploy with flexibility**
Deploy as a standalone Guardrail Endpoint or attach to an existing deployment.

**Operate with visibility**
Review details through profile pages and project-level tables with status, timestamps, and deployment context.

## Core Capabilities

| Capability          | Description                                                      | Why It Matters         |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Catalog & Discovery | Search, tags, and status-based filtering                         | Faster probe selection |
| Multi-step Setup    | Guided provider → probe → deployment flow                        | Reduced setup errors   |
| Guard Types         | Configure input/output (and applicable retrieval/tools contexts) | Better risk control    |
| Severity Tuning     | Profile-level threshold with probe/rule refinements              | Policy precision       |
| Project Integration | Guardrail visibility inside project details                      | Easier governance      |

## Typical Use Cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Pre-Response Safety" icon="shield-halved">
    Screen prompts and outputs before they reach users.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compliance Enforcement" icon="scale-balanced">
    Apply consistent policies to regulated workloads.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Prompt Injection Defense" icon="lock">
    Block jailbreak and misuse patterns early in request flow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="PII Protection" icon="user-shield">
    Detect sensitive data exposure and reduce leakage risk.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Getting Started

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Quick Start" icon="play" href="/guardrail/quickstart">
    Create and deploy your first guardrail quickly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Guardrail Concepts" icon="book" href="/guardrail/guardrail-concepts">
    Learn profiles, probes, rules, and execution behavior.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Step-by-Step Tutorial" icon="graduation-cap" href="/guardrail/creating-first-guardrail">
    Build a production-ready guardrail profile.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>