Overview
A playbook is a ready-to-use rule template. Instead of building targeting and actions from a blank slate, you start from a pattern that already encodes a known-good combination of conditions and data layer events. Cloning a playbook drops an editable copy onto your company, where you customize it like any other rule before going live.
Playbooks never change when you clone them. The library is a read-only catalog; your clone is fully independent, so you can adapt the targeting, rename the events, and adjust priority without affecting the original or anyone else's copy.
Open the library
Go to Activate > Playbooks, or click Browse Playbooks from the Rules page. Playbooks are grouped into category sections to help you find a relevant starting point. Each card shows the title, a short description, and three quick stats: how many conditions the rule uses, how many actions it fires, and its priority.
If the library shows no playbooks, none have been published yet. In that case, build a rule from scratch on the Rules page instead.
Preview a playbook
Click Preview on any card to open a modal that breaks the template down. It lists the description, the conditions that decide when the rule triggers, the actions and their data layer event names, and the settings such as priority and category. Use the preview to confirm a playbook fits before you commit to cloning it.
Clone to your rules
Click Clone to My Rules to copy the playbook into your company. This opens the rule editor pre-filled with the template's conditions and actions, so you can change the title, tighten the targeting, and rename events to match your site. Save it, and the clone becomes a normal rule that appears in your Rules list.
Cloning requires edit access on the company. Without it you can still open the preview, but the Clone button is hidden.
Customize and activate
Treat the clone like any rule you authored. Adjust the conditions to fit your audience, confirm the action event names line up with the GTM tags you intend to wire, set the priority, then set the status to Active. Use the Generate GTM Code page to create the triggers and render tags that turn the rule's events into a visible change on your site.
Cloning never edits the original; you always get an independent copy on your own company. Playbooks are organized by category so you can find a relevant starting point quickly. A clone is a normal rule, so everything you can do to a rule (priority, status, fire once, audiences) applies to it.
Troubleshooting
The library is empty
No playbook templates are published yet. This is expected on a fresh account. Build your first rule directly on the Rules page; you can always revisit Playbooks later as the catalog grows.
I don't see a Clone button
Cloning needs edit access on the company. If you only see Preview, ask an administrator to grant you an edit role, then reload the Playbooks page.
My cloned rule isn't live
Cloning creates the rule, but it does not activate it or deploy code. Open the clone, set its status to Active, then re-generate and re-copy your GTM code so the SDK picks up the new rule.