Escalation Rules: Flag the Feedback That Matters

A rule watches new feedback. When an item matches, it gets a red Escalated badge, it shows under the inbox’s Escalated filter, and it records the rule’s name. Nothing is moved or deleted.

Write a rule

Only owners see New Rule and the buttons on each rule. Members see the list.

1. Open the Rules tab

   Open the project’s Settings and click Rules, then New Rule.

2. Name it

   Type a Rule Name you will recognise on a badge, such as “Checkout errors”.

3. Set the conditions

   Fill in only what you need. An item must match every field you fill in, and a rule needs at least one.

4. Set the priority and save

   Priority runs from 0 to 100 and starts at 1; higher is checked first. Leave Active ticked and click Create.

Every field must match, so one condition catches a lot and four catch little. Give “Checkout errors” the pattern /checkout, the keywords error, declined, stuck and the type Negative, and it wants all three at once: a thumbs down, on a checkout page, using one of those words. To catch either of two things, write two rules.

What each condition matches

Condition	Matches when
Keywords	The message contains any of the words, in any case. A word matches inside longer words too: bug matches “debug”
Feedback Type	Negative is a thumbs down and Positive a thumbs up. Single-button and video feedback match neither. Any skips the check
URL Pattern	The page’s path fits the pattern. See the next section
Console errors	The embed captured at least one console line. Warnings and plain logs count as well as errors. A crash that logged nothing does not
Has screenshot	The item arrived with a screenshot

Console lines and screenshots only arrive on Pro projects that turned them on in the embed. A screenshot Qaid takes on its own server after the item arrives can come too late for the rule.

Match on a page

A pattern is compared with the page’s path only, so https://acme.com/checkout/pay?step=2 is read as /checkout/pay. Case is ignored.

1. A pattern matches from the start of the path, and the path may carry on after it.
2. * stands for any text inside one part of the path. ** also crosses /. Every other character, ? and . included, stands for itself.
3. A pattern with no leading / matches anywhere in the path.
4. Each rule takes one pattern. A comma is part of the pattern, not a separator, so /checkout, /billing never matches. Write two rules.

Pattern	Matches	Does not match
/checkout	/checkout, /checkout/pay, /checkout-old	/eu/checkout
/checkout/	/checkout/pay	/checkout
/shop/*/reviews	/shop/lamp/reviews	/shop/lamps/red/reviews
/shop/**/reviews	/shop/lamp/reviews, /shop/lamps/red/reviews	/shop/lamp
checkout	/eu/checkout/pay	/cart

A * or ** at the end changes nothing, since the path may carry on anyway.

Order rules by priority

Rules are checked from the highest priority down, and the first to match wins. Its name goes on the item. An item escalates once, so priority decides which rule’s name you see, not how urgent the item is. The Rules tab lists rules highest first.

Pause or delete a rule

Each rule shows its conditions on one line, and buttons for owners:

1. Disable stops the rule and fades it to Disabled. Enable starts it again.
2. Edit opens the same form. Click Update to save.
3. Delete asks first, then removes it with Delete Rule.

Switching a rule off or deleting it leaves past items flagged. There is no way to clear the flag.

Find what got escalated

Click Escalated in the inbox’s filters. Each item there carries the red badge; hover it to read “Rule:” and the rule’s name. The item’s own page shows the same badge. See triaging feedback for the rest of the inbox.

When rules run

1. When feedback arrives. From the thumbs embed, that is the moment of the click, before any message.
2. Again when the visitor sends a message or switches between thumbs up and down. This is when keyword rules fire for embed feedback.
3. For a recording, once, with its description.

Rules never run on feedback that was already there when you wrote them, and they skip an item once it is escalated. They run only while the project’s owner is on Pro. After a downgrade they stop, though you can still delete them.

On Free, saving a new or edited rule, Enable and Disable each open the plans window.

What an escalation sets off

The first time an item escalates, Qaid:

1. Adds the badge and lists the item under Escalated.
2. Emails ”🚨 Escalated” to teammates who turned on Escalate. See notifications and email.
3. Sends feedback.escalated to any webhook that listens for it. See webhooks and Slack.
4. Opens a Linear or Jira issue where auto-create is on. See Linear and Jira.