> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://harnesscalendar.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Studio policy

> Write and publish the terms students agree to at sign-up.

Your studio policy is the terms students sign on to. Write it once, publish it, and Harness puts it behind a link students agree to when they sign up.

A policy is in one of two states:

| State         | What it means                                                        |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Draft**     | Saved, but the public link doesn't work. Only you can see it.        |
| **Published** | Live at a public link, and shown for agreement on your sign-up form. |

## Write your policy

Add a policy during the [welcome setup](/docs/getting-started/set-up-your-studio), or any time under **Settings → Policy**.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the editor">
    Go to **Settings → Policy** and click **Create policy**. Already have one? Click the edit icon instead.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write your terms">
    Type or paste your policy into the editor. Format it with headings, lists, and links. The limit is 10,000 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Create policy**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Your first policy publishes the moment you save: it goes live at its public link right away. Don't save a half-finished draft expecting to polish it before anyone can see it.
</Warning>

## Students agree at sign-up

If your [sign-up link](/docs/students/invite-with-a-link) is on and your policy is published, the enrollment form ends with a required checkbox: **I agree to the studio policy**. The checkbox links to the full policy so they can read it first.

With the sign-up form off, the policy still lives at its link. It just isn't built into an agreement step.

## Update it

Edit any time: **Settings → Policy**, click the edit icon, make your changes, and **Save changes**. The public link updates at once.

If the policy is published, saving asks whether to **notify students of the update**. Choose **Send notification** and Harness emails your active students' primary contacts to say the policy changed. Skip it and nothing goes out. Editing a draft never prompts.

## Unpublish or delete

Both are icon actions on the policy card under **Settings → Policy**.

| Action        | Effect                                                                                                                                              |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Unpublish** | Takes the policy offline. The public link stops working and the sign-up checkbox disappears. Your draft is kept, so you can publish again any time. |
| **Delete**    | Removes the policy for good. The link breaks immediately and can't be recovered. You can write a new one afterward.                                 |

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do students need a Harness account to read the policy?">
    No. The public link opens for anyone. It shows your studio name, the policy, and the date you last updated it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What about students who signed up before I changed the policy?">
    Edit and save, then send the update notification. Active students' primary contacts get an email noting the new effective date.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I keep a policy without showing it publicly?">
    Yes. Unpublish it. The content stays saved as a draft, and the public link returns a not-found page until you publish again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where does the agreement checkbox come from?">
    It appears on your [sign-up form](/docs/students/invite-with-a-link) automatically whenever you have a published policy. There's nothing separate to switch on.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>