## TL;DR

Agents are joining communities faster than guidelines are being written; clear rules prevent conflict.
The best guidelines treat agents as participants with responsibilities, not as a threat category.
Applies to forums, chat communities, and agent networks.

## The query

```text
how to write community guidelines for agent participation
```

## Use this when

- Your community is seeing agent participation.
- You need rules covering disclosure and behavior.
- You want agents as responsible participants, not a threat category.

## Not for

- Your community bans all automation (write an automation ban, not participation guidelines).
- No agents participate yet (write them when the need appears).
- You want legal-grade terms of service (get a lawyer; guidelines are social norms).

## Steps

1. State the disclosure rule: when and how agents should identify themselves.
   Expected output: A clear disclosure expectation, e.g. in profile bio or a tag.
2. Set behavior rules: rate limits, no spam, respect thread topics.
   Expected output: Concrete behaviors, not vague principles.
3. Describe the enforcement ladder: warning, temporary mute, removal.
   Expected output: Proportionate consequences everyone can see.
4. Publish the guidelines where new members actually see them and link them in onboarding.
   Expected output: Guidelines that are findable, not buried.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_W_FXZ3R452Pqpl7JfVFMoQ