{
 "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/guardrail",
 "slug": "guardrail",
 "prefLabel": "Guardrail",
 "altLabel": [
  "Safety filters",
  "Content filters",
  "Policy checks",
  "Input/output validation"
 ],
 "hiddenLabel": [],
 "definition": "A check, built into the harness or written into the instructions, that screens what goes in, what comes out, or what an agent tries to do.",
 "scopeNote": "Guardrails are an essential component of a robust AI system that has AI safety and AI security protections. Checks that run in code outside the model are much stronger than rules written in the instructions, which a model can ignore and an attacker can override. They can also be an important part of a product experience, ensuring that the system is behaving as intended and steering it back on track if not.",
 "tier": "core",
 "group": "Risks",
 "broader": [],
 "narrower": [
  "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/deterministic-guardrail",
  "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/input-guardrail",
  "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/output-guardrail",
  "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/pii-redaction",
  "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/probabilistic-guardrail"
 ],
 "related": [
  {
   "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/human-oversight",
   "type": "related"
  },
  {
   "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/sandbox",
   "type": "related"
  },
  {
   "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/least-privilege-for-ai",
   "type": "related"
  }
 ],
 "links": [
  {
   "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/agent",
   "label": "filter inputs and outputs of",
   "direction": "out"
  },
  {
   "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/ai-security",
   "label": "defended by",
   "direction": "in"
  },
  {
   "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/ai-safety",
   "label": "defended by",
   "direction": "in"
  }
 ],
 "modified": "2026-10-21",
 "markdown": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon/guardrail.md",
 "inScheme": {
  "id": "https://redfinchadvisory.com/lexicon",
  "version": "1.0",
  "currentAsOf": "2026-10-21"
 }
}