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

# Connector Filtering Rules

> Control which files are anchored by a connector using inclusion and exclusion rules based on file extension, size, name, and more.

## What are Filtering Rules?

Filtering rules let you define precisely which files a connector should anchor. Without rules, a connector anchors **every** new file detected in the storage. Rules allow you to restrict anchoring to relevant files only — for example, only PDFs, or everything except temporary files.

Rules are configured per connector and evaluated each time a new file is detected.

***

## Default Behavior

If no filtering rules are configured on a connector, **all files are anchored** without restriction.

***

## Rule Structure

Each rule has three parts:

| Part           | Description                                                                                                               |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Action**     | What to do when the rule matches: `INCLUDE` (anchor the file) or `EXCLUDE` (skip the file).                               |
| **Operator**   | How to combine multiple conditions within the rule: `AND` (all conditions must match) or `OR` (any condition must match). |
| **Conditions** | One or more conditions that the file must satisfy.                                                                        |

### Conditions

Each condition targets one **field** of the file and applies an **operator** to a **value**.

| Field               | Available Operators         | Example Value        | Description                                                           |
| ------------------- | --------------------------- | -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `extension`         | `equals`                    | `pdf`                | File extension, without the leading dot. Case-insensitive.            |
| `prefix`            | `starts_with`, `equals`     | `documents/reports/` | The file path or key prefix (useful for S3 prefixes or folder paths). |
| `suffix`            | `ends_with`, `equals`       | `_final`             | A suffix in the filename (excluding extension).                       |
| `size`              | `less_than`, `greater_than` | `1048576`            | File size in bytes.                                                   |
| `filename_contains` | `contains`                  | `invoice`            | A substring present anywhere in the filename (excluding path).        |

***

## How Rules Are Evaluated

1. When a new file is detected, all rules on the connector are evaluated in order.
2. The first matching rule determines the outcome (`INCLUDE` or `EXCLUDE`).
3. If no rule matches, the file is anchored by default (same as if no rules were configured).

<Info>
  Rules are evaluated top to bottom. Order matters when you have overlapping conditions. Place more specific rules before more general ones.
</Info>

***

## Examples

### Anchor only PDFs

```
Action: INCLUDE
Operator: AND
Conditions:
  - extension equals pdf
```

Any file that is not a PDF will not be anchored, because no rule matches it and the default action applies — unless you add an explicit `EXCLUDE` rule for all other files.

To strictly anchor only PDFs, add:

```
Rule 1:
  Action: INCLUDE
  Operator: AND
  Conditions:
    - extension equals pdf

Rule 2:
  Action: EXCLUDE
  Operator: OR
  Conditions:
    - extension equals docx
    - extension equals xlsx
    - extension equals png
    ... (or handle via a more general rule)
```

Alternatively, structure it as a single INCLUDE rule and rely on the default-pass-through not applying since no INCLUDE rule matches other file types.

### Exclude temporary files

Exclude files whose name contains common temporary indicators:

```
Action: EXCLUDE
Operator: OR
Conditions:
  - filename_contains contains .tmp
  - filename_contains contains ~$
  - suffix ends_with _draft
```

### Include only files above 1 MB

```
Action: INCLUDE
Operator: AND
Conditions:
  - size greater_than 1048576
```

### Anchor invoices from a specific folder (S3)

```
Action: INCLUDE
Operator: AND
Conditions:
  - prefix starts_with invoices/2024/
  - extension equals pdf
```

### Exclude large video files

```
Action: EXCLUDE
Operator: OR
Conditions:
  - extension equals mp4
  - extension equals mov
  - extension equals avi
  - size greater_than 524288000
```

***

## Configuring Rules in the Dashboard

Rules are managed on the connector detail page in [app.rootkey.ai](https://app.rootkey.ai):

1. Open the connector.
2. Go to the **Rules** tab.
3. Click **Add Rule** to create a new rule.
4. Set the action, operator, and add one or more conditions.
5. Save. Rules take effect immediately for new files.

<Info>
  Changes to rules do not retroactively affect files that were already processed. Only new files detected after the rule change are evaluated against the updated rule set.
</Info>

***

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