Reference
Publish requirements
Choose which readiness checks — summary, cover image, guide membership, tags — must pass before an item can be published from the editor.
Settings → Publish requirements decides which readiness checks must pass before content can be published. Open it from Organization → Settings, then the Publish requirements card.
Every check is always shown to the person editing an item, as a checklist in the editor's Publish card. Only the checks you tick here block publishing; the rest appear marked "(optional)" as a reminder.
Required checks
Tick a check to make it required; untick it to make it optional.
| Check | Applies to | Passes when | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summary is filled in | Every content type | The Summary field is not blank | Required |
| Cover image is set | Articles and guides — the only editors with a cover image | A cover image is chosen | Optional |
| Belongs to at least one guide | Everything except guides, because a top-level guide sits in none | At least one guide is picked under In guides | Required |
| Has at least one tag | Every content type | At least one tag is added | Optional |
Until someone saves this page, the defaults in the last column apply.
Select Save. "Saved." appears beside the button. The new settings apply to everyone in the agency; an editor that is already open picks them up the next time it is opened. If the save is refused, the database's message appears beside the button and nothing changes.
What authors and publishers see
While an item is not yet published — a draft, or in review — its Publish card lists every check that applies to its type:
- a passing check shows a tick;
- a failing required check is marked in red;
- a failing optional check is greyed out, with "(optional)" after it.
A failing required check disables Publish, and Schedule in the article and guide editors, until the item passes it.
The checks never block Save draft, Save changes or Submit for review. An author can send an item for review before it meets every requirement; the publisher has to complete it before it goes live. Once an item is published, the checklist is no longer shown.
Checks that are not on this page
Some readiness rules are always on and cannot be switched off here:
- Article and guide bodies. An empty body, a body with no text, or an internal link to content that no longer exists blocks publishing. Images without alt text, skipped heading levels and links to unpublished content are shown as warnings but do not block.
- Checklists, quizzes, video and audio. Publish stays disabled until the content itself is complete — every checklist step has text, the quiz is ready, or the video or audio is attached or linked.
- Two-person sign-off. Whether an item needs approvals before it can be published is set by approval policies and the item's own Required box.
The page appears only for people who hold Manage settings; the database refuses changes to these requirements from anyone else.
See also
- ReferenceThe content editorEvery card, field and button on an item's edit page — save, submit for review, publish, schedule, unpublish, restore — who can use each, and what operators receive.
- ReferenceApproval policiesMake two-person sign-off automatic — require one to three approvers for every item of a content type, every item carrying a tag, or everything inside a guide.
- How it worksHow publishing worksThe path a piece of content takes from a blank draft to something an operator can read offline — and what the database will and won't let you skip.
- ReferenceSettings hubThe starting point for agency-wide settings — a card for each settings page you can manage, plus your plan and how much of it you are using.