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---
# Managing Obligation Categories

> A category is the label you group obligations under, so that renewal commitments sit apart from compliance ones, audit ones, and so on. Every obligation templat

A category is the label you group obligations under, so that renewal commitments sit apart from compliance ones, audit ones, and so on. Every obligation template belongs to exactly one category, and so does every obligation created from it.

Categories are what the [Library](https://knowledge.leegality.com/deal-collaboration/Obligations/Settings/obligation-library) groups your templates by, and what you filter the obligations list and the [Dashboard](https://knowledge.leegality.com/deal-collaboration/Obligations/obligations-dashboard) breakdowns by. Getting them right early makes the rest of the module easier to read.

Categories are flat, so you cannot nest one inside another. Your organisation starts with a set of default categories, and you can add your own alongside them.

## Opening Categories

1. Go to **Settings** and click **Obligations** in the sidebar.
2. Open the **Categories** tab. Your categories are listed.

## Adding a Category

1. Click **+ Add Category**.
2. Enter a **Category Name**. This can be up to 50 characters and must be unique within your organisation.
3. Add a **Description**. This can be up to 1,000 characters.

> **Tip**
>
> Click **Refine description** to have AI rewrite your description in clearer wording.

4. Click **Save**.

The category is **Active** straight away and can be selected on a template or an obligation immediately.

## Reading the Category List

| Column | Description |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Category Name** | The name of the category. |
| **Type** | Whether the category is a **Default** one shipped with the module, or a **Custom** one your team created. |
| **Status** | Whether the category is **Active** or **Disabled**. |
| **Description** | The description entered for the category. |

Filter the list by **Type** (Default or Custom) and by **Status** (Active or Disabled).

## Managing a Category

Hover over a category in the list to see its options.

- **Edit Category** updates the category's name or description. Make your changes and click **Save**. A default category's name cannot be changed, although its description can be.
- **Disable Category** takes the category out of use without deleting it. This is the safer choice when you no longer want a category to be selected but do not want to lose it. Keep in mind that a template cannot be enabled while its category is disabled.
- **Enable Category** brings a disabled category back into use. If you need one of its templates back, enable the category first. See [Obligation Library](https://knowledge.leegality.com/deal-collaboration/Obligations/Settings/obligation-library#row-actions).
- **Delete Category** removes the category for good. Deleting cannot be undone, and default categories cannot be deleted at all, so disable those instead.

Disabling, enabling and deleting each ask you to confirm before the change is made.

<!-- ARCADE · P3 · A category that cannot be removed
     Show: attempting to delete or disable a category that has templates mapped to it, and the resulting message.
     Call out: users hit this on Disable, expecting it to be the safe option.
-->

> **Warning — A category in use cannot be removed**
>
> A category with obligation templates mapped to it can be **neither deleted nor disabled**. Move those templates to another category first.

## Related Pages

- [Obligation Library](https://knowledge.leegality.com/deal-collaboration/Obligations/Settings/obligation-library)
- [Creating an Obligation Template](https://knowledge.leegality.com/deal-collaboration/Obligations/Settings/create-obligation-template)
- [Obligation Settings](https://knowledge.leegality.com/deal-collaboration/Obligations/Settings/obligation-settings)

<!-- ==================== POC REVIEW NOTES (not rendered) ====================
Verified against obligation/constants/category.py, obligation/constants/base.py
and the frontend slice slices/obligation-categories/ (constants/
obligation-category-actions-list.js, obligation-category-filters.js, and
views/add-obligation-category/). The old "Draft — Needs Verification" caution
was removed in an earlier pass as the content is now code-derived.

RESTRUCTURED for step-by-step clarity (2026-09-03). No factual changes in this
pass — only sequencing and presentation:
- The four category actions were a bullet list describing what each menu item
  does. They are now four short numbered procedures (Editing, Disabling and
  Enabling, Deleting) so each is followable rather than merely described.
- "Go to Obligations > Settings > Categories" moved out of the add procedure
  to the top of the page, since it applies to every task here — the add
  procedure now starts at the action that is actually specific to it.
- Added the end state after saving: the category is Active immediately and
  selectable at once.
- Disabling now leads with why you would choose it over deleting, and carries
  the template knock-on effect as a caution at the point of decision rather
  than as a trailing line at the foot of the page.
- Name uniqueness moved into "Rules to Know" alongside the other constraints,
  and is also stated inline at the field where it is enforced.
- "Managing Existing Categories" renamed "Reading the Category List", since
  the section describes columns and filters rather than management actions.

CONFIRMED CORRECT and unchanged: the add-category field order, "Refine
description", the flat/no-nesting statement, Default vs Custom, Active vs
Disabled, the four action labels (Edit / Disable / Enable / Delete Category),
the 50 and 1,000 character limits, and the in-use restriction on both delete
and disable.

OPEN QUESTIONS (unchanged by the restructure):
1. WHAT HAPPENS TO OBLIGATIONS IN A DISABLED CATEGORY. Templates are blocked
   from enabling, but the effect on obligations already created under that
   category — and whether the category can still be selected when adding an
   obligation by hand — is not visible in the code. Worth confirming, as
   disabling looks harmless and may not be. This page now claims a new
   category is "selectable at once", which is the inverse assumption and
   should be checked at the same time.
2. DEFAULT CATEGORY LIST. Defaults are seeded per organization on onboarding
   (Renewal is one of them, described as "Obligations tied to contract
   lifecycle events — renewal notices, opt-outs, and expiry deadlines"). If
   the POC wants the full seeded list documented, it can be added from
   constants/category.py DEFAULT_CATEGORIES.
3. WHO CAN MANAGE CATEGORIES. Undocumented — same open permissions question as
   on the settings page.
4. CONFIRMATION DIALOGS. The Disable and Delete procedures each end in
   "Confirm", since the frontend has dedicated confirm buttons for both. The
   exact dialog wording was not captured; confirm before recording the Arcade.
========================================================================== -->