How rules work
A rule has three parts:- Condition — What event triggers the rule (label added or removed)
- Audience — Which members the rule applies to (by status, tier, or labels)
- Actions — What happens when the condition is met (subscribe or unsubscribe from a newsletter)
Creating a rule
Go to Labs → Rules Engine in the left navigation and click Create New Rule.
Basic settings
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Enabled | Toggle the rule on or off. Disabled rules do not fire. |
| Rule Name | A descriptive name for the rule. Required. |
| Rule Slug | Auto-generated from the name. Cannot be changed after creation. |
| Rule Explanation | Optional text field to document what the rule does and why. Useful for team reference. |
Condition
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Condition Type | Member Label Added — fires when a specific label is applied to a member. Member Label Removed — fires when a specific label is removed. |
| Label | The specific label that triggers the rule. |
Audience
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Apply to members who are | Check one or more: Free, Paid, Complimentary. |
| Tiers | When Paid or Complimentary is selected, narrow to specific tiers. |
| Only include members that have one or more of these labels | Additional label filter for targeting. |
| Exclude anyone who has one or more of these labels | Exclude members with specific labels. |
Actions
Each rule can have one or more actions, click Add Action to add multiple actions to a single rule.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Timing | When the action executes relative to the trigger (immediately, or after a delay). |
| Action Type | Subscribe Newsletter — adds the member to a Ghost newsletter. Unsubscribe Newsletter — removes the member from a Ghost newsletter. |
| Newsletter | The specific Ghost newsletter to subscribe to or unsubscribe from. |
Apply timing
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Apply to all subscribers now | Run the rule immediately against all existing members who match the criteria. |
| Apply only in future | Only trigger for future label changes — don’t apply retroactively. |
Example rules
Newsletter opt-in via label:- Condition: Label
premium-newsletteradded - Audience: Paid members
- Action: Subscribe to “Premium Weekly Digest” newsletter
- Condition: Label
cancelledadded - Audience: All member types
- Action: Unsubscribe from “Paid Members Only” newsletter
- Condition: Label
vipadded - Audience: Paid members on the “Founder” tier
- Action: Subscribe to “Founders Circle” newsletter
Disabling rules
Toggle the “Enabled” button and the status will change to “Disabled” in the dashboard.
Related features
Autoresponder
Use autoresponder flows for multi-step email sequences.
Labels
Labels are the triggers for rules engine conditions.
Auto-Subscribe Rules
Grant tier or complimentary access automatically when a new member’s email matches a pattern.
FAQ
How is the Rules Engine different from the Autoresponder?
How is the Rules Engine different from the Autoresponder?
The Rules Engine responds to label changes and manages newsletter subscriptions. The Autoresponder is for sending email sequences triggered by registration, renewal, or other lifecycle events. They complement each other — use labels to connect the two.
Can rules fire for existing members?
Can rules fire for existing members?
Yes. When creating a rule, choose “Apply to all subscribers now” to run it against all existing members who match the criteria. Otherwise, it only fires for future label changes.
What happens if multiple rules match the same member?
What happens if multiple rules match the same member?
All matching rules run independently. If two rules both subscribe a member to the same newsletter, the duplicate subscription is simply ignored.
Can I use the Rules Engine to send emails?
Can I use the Rules Engine to send emails?
No. The Rules Engine only manages newsletter subscriptions (subscribe/unsubscribe). To send emails based on conditions, use the Autoresponder with a “Member Label Added” start condition.