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

# Contracts and policies

> Contract YAML lists policy files; each policy file contains rules. Paths, combine behavior, and init layout.

## Contract file (`contract.yaml`)

A **contract** is the unit Geval loads for an evaluation run (you can pass several contracts to one `geval check`).

### Typical fields

| Field      | Required | Description                                                                                                                                          |
| ---------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `name`     | Yes      | Human-readable gate name (audit).                                                                                                                    |
| `version`  | Yes      | Semver string; bump when policies or expectations change.                                                                                            |
| `policies` | Yes      | List of `{ path: "..." }` entries relative to the contract file’s directory.                                                                         |
| `combine`  | No       | How to merge policy outcomes **inside** this contract. If omitted, the engine applies **worst-case by severity** (BLOCK > REQUIRE\_APPROVAL > PASS). |

### Example

```yaml theme={null}
name: ai-release-quality-gate
version: "1.0.0"
policies:
  - path: policies/safety-and-blocking.yaml
  - path: policies/quality-and-approval.yaml
```

### `geval init` layout

Running **`geval init`** creates a contract plus **two starter policies** with descriptive filenames so teams know what to edit first:

* `policies/safety-and-blocking.yaml` — example hard blocks
* `policies/quality-and-approval.yaml` — example review / approval style rules

Your own repos can use any filenames; keep paths in `contract.yaml` in sync.

## Policy file

Each referenced YAML file is a **policy**: metadata (`name`, `version`) plus a **`policy`** block with **`rules`**. See [Policy rules](/configuration/policy-rules).

## Combining policies inside one contract

When a contract lists multiple policies, each policy produces an outcome; those outcomes are merged using the contract’s **`combine`** rule, or the default worst-case merge if omitted.

## Multiple contracts in one CI job

Pass multiple `--contract` flags to `geval check`. Cross-contract merge is controlled by **`--combine-contracts`** (default `worst_case`). See [geval check](/cli/check).

## Validate before CI

```bash theme={null}
geval validate-contract path/to/contract.yaml
```

## Next

[Policy rules](/configuration/policy-rules) · [Versioning](/configuration/versioning) · [geval init](/cli/init)