# Guide: build a Business Brain (https://systemhub.com/docs/guides/business-brain)

> Part of systemHUB Docs · Connect: Settings → AI Gateway in systemHUB · Auth: OAuth (scoping is workspace-level today — see Getting started) · MCP tools: 60 · Full corpus: https://systemhub.com/llms-full.txt

A business's systems describe the work. Its **Business Brain** describes the business doing the work: what it sells, who it serves, how it talks and how it runs. It lives in systemHUB so every connected AI, and every person on the team, reads the same context instead of each AI being briefed from scratch.

When a user says **"save this into my Business Brain"** or **"add this to my Business Brain"**, this page is the contract. Follow it so every Business Brain has the same shape, whichever AI built it. Request bodies are **abridged and illustrative**; full contracts are in the [tool reference](/docs/tool-reference).

## The structure

One top-level folder in the **Policies** section, called **Business Brain**, with six numbered subfolders:

| Folder | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| **00 Start Here** | One document, *How to use our Business Brain*: what this is, what's in each section, and "read this before drafting anything for us" |
| **01 The Business** | What we do in our own words, our story, business model, legal structure and ownership, vision, mission, core values, 1, 3 and 5-year goals, key financial metrics |
| **02 Clients & Market** | Ideal clients, main competitors, industry trends, what makes us different, proof (testimonials, reviews, case studies) |
| **03 What We Do** | Products and services, core offers, pricing, how we deliver, our frameworks and IP, marketing channels, sales process |
| **04 How We Communicate** | Brand tone and voice, messaging and elevator pitch, public and social guidelines, writing style and content rules |
| **05 How We Operate** | Org structure and key roles, culture, documented processes, tech stack, dashboards and KPIs, review rhythm |

Start with **one document per section**, titled after the section (for example *The Business*). Split a section into more documents only when it grows long. Keep the numbers in the folder names so the order holds.

Personal context about the owner (personality, leadership style, how they like to work) is **not** Business Brain material. Leave it out.

## 1. Orient: does a Business Brain already exist?

Never build a second one. Check first:

```
→ search_policy { "query": "Business Brain" }
→ get_policy_tree { }
```

If the folder exists, open it one level at a time (`get_policy_tree` with `parent` set to the folder id) and read what's already in each section with `get_policy_details`. You are **adding to** it, not starting again.

## 2. Create the structure (first time only)

```
→ create_policy_folder { "title": "Business Brain" }
→ create_policy_folder { "title": "00 Start Here", "parent": "<Business Brain id>" }
→ create_policy_folder { "title": "01 The Business", "parent": "<Business Brain id>" }
   … and so on to 05 How We Operate
```

Then write the *How to use our Business Brain* document in 00 Start Here: two or three sentences on what the Brain is, a line per section, and the instruction that any AI should read it before drafting systems, emails or content for this business.

## 3. Write each section

Draft from what the user has given you: a research report they've checked, answers to your questions, a document they've pasted, or the output of the Business Brain Builder assistant. Then:

- **Never invent.** Anything you can't confirm goes in as a yellow mark for the user to fill: `<mark class="marker-yellow">[Confirm: year the business started]</mark>`.
- **Keep the owner's own words** for vision, values and voice. Paraphrase everything else.
- **Write to the [authoring contract](/docs/concepts/authoring-content):** a one or two sentence Overview in `description`, the body in `content` with `<h2>`/`<h3>` headings for each topic.
- **Put the content in the create call** and set `state: 1` (ORANGE, needs review). ORANGE means "check this", not "hidden".

```
→ create_policy {
    "parent": "<01 The Business id>",
    "title": "The Business",
    "description": "Who we are, what we do and where we're heading, for anyone (or any AI) who needs to understand the business.",
    "content": "<h2>What we do</h2><p>…</p><h2>Vision and mission</h2><p>…</p><h2>Core values</h2><ul><li>…</li></ul><h2>Goals</h2><p><mark class=\"marker-yellow\">[Confirm: 3-year revenue goal]</mark></p>",
    "state": 1
  }
```

**Ask before writing financials.** Everything in the Business Brain is visible to anyone who can see that folder, and to anyone holding a share link. If the user doesn't want revenue or profit visible to the team, leave those out or yellow-mark them.

## 4. Adding to it later

When the user says "add this to my Business Brain":

1. Read the matching section first (`get_policy_details`).
2. **Update the existing document** with `edit_policy`; don't create a near-duplicate beside it. If the new material is a whole new topic and the section is getting long, add a second document in the same folder.
3. Remove a yellow mark once the user has answered it.
4. Tell the user which sections changed.

## 5. Show the user, and make sure the team can see it

Creating a document with content publishes it. If you created anything empty and added content later, or passed `publish: false`, call `publish_policy` on it before you finish: an unpublished document shows the team a title and nothing else, and reading it back with `get_policy_details` won't tell you, because that returns the content either way.

Then list what you saved, ask the user to open one document in systemHUB and confirm they can see the content, and point out the yellow marks they still need to fill.

## What the user might say

| User says | You do |
|---|---|
| "Save this into my Business Brain" | Steps 1 to 5. Create the structure if it's missing, file each part of the material under the right section |
| "Add this to my Business Brain" | Step 4: read the section, update it, report what changed |
| "What's in our Business Brain?" | Read 00 Start Here and summarise each section, including what's still yellow-marked |
| "Draft a system / email / post for us" | Read the Business Brain first, then draft |

## The checklist

- [ ] Searched for an existing Business Brain before creating anything
- [ ] One **Business Brain** folder in Policies, with **00 Start Here** to **05 How We Operate**
- [ ] *How to use our Business Brain* written in 00 Start Here
- [ ] Each section drafted only from what the user gave or confirmed; every gap yellow-marked
- [ ] Owner's own words kept for vision, values and voice
- [ ] Financials only with the user's OK
- [ ] Every document ORANGE and published
- [ ] User told what was saved and what's still to fill