A Keyword Rule tells DoTally Sense, the AI that classifies your apps, that any window containing your keyword, such as a client name or job code, is always Productive, Neutral or Unproductive for you. You add rules in Profile Settings → Personal Keyword Rules, and they apply to every day analysed from then on.

Before you start

Keyword Rules are part of DoTally Sense on Team Professional, including the 14-day trial. On Team StartUp, rules you’ve saved stay stored and read-only, and they apply again after an upgrade. Rules belong to your account only. They never change anyone else’s classifications or scores.

Add a Keyword Rule

On my.dotally.app, open Profile Settings.
Go to Personal Keyword Rules and select Add Rule.
Under Keyword, type the word or code, for example ACME-214 or Northwind.
Under For me is always, choose Productive, Neutral or Unproductive.
Select Add Keyword.

The Add Keyword Rule window with a keyword typed and For me is always set to Productive

You can also add a rule while reclassifying an app. Fill in Add Keyword rule (optional) in the reclassify window.

How keywords match

Anywhere in the app name or window title. ACME matches “Excel — ACME-214 budget.xlsx” and “Re: ACME kickoff” in Mail, whichever app it’s in.
Upper and lower case don’t matter.
Part of a word counts. art would also match “Start” and “Party”. Use keywords that are specific enough, such as a full client name or job code.
If two rules match, the longer keyword wins. ACME-214 beats ACME.

What a rule can’t override

DoTally checks these in order and uses the first that applies:

Adult content is always Unproductive.
Video calls and meetings are always Productive. That includes video call and chat apps, and any window whose title mentions things like a meeting, call, standup, huddle or sync.
Your Keyword Rules.
Your own reclassifications: a single window first, then a site or tab, then the whole app.
The AI’s call.

So a rule beats your reclassifications and the AI. It can’t change the first two.

Which days a rule changes

Days you log from now on are classified with your rules in place.
Days you’ve already logged keep their old labels until they’re analysed again. To apply a new rule to a past day, open the day in My Work and select Re-run AI Breakdown.
Days older than your workspace’s history setting can’t be re-analysed.

Change or remove a rule

To change a rule’s label, add the same keyword again with the new label. It replaces the old one.
To remove a rule, select the bin icon next to it in Personal Keyword Rules.

Past days keep the labels they had until they’re analysed again.

Available on: Team Professional, including the 14-day trial. Every role can add their own rules. On Team StartUp, saved rules are kept read-only.

Related

Still stuck? Email awesome@dotally.app.