Rule Auto-Explanations

If your account has AI explanations enabled, every node in the visual editor gets a one-line plain-English summary above its inputs — automatically, in the background, with no work from you.

In the screenshot, the node configures shipping. The line “Sets shipping to:” with the “UPS: Ground” underneath was generated by AI — DropStream looked at what the node does and produced a short summary.

What they’re for

Rules can grow complicated. A rule with a dozen nested blocks is hard to skim, even for the person who wrote it. Auto-explanations let you read the intent of each node at a glance without deciphering the form fields or the BGL.

They’re especially useful when:

• You’re reviewing someone else’s rule. Skim the explanations to understand the shape of the rule before you dive into the details.
• You’re auditing a rule you wrote a while ago. A node configured months ago is faster to understand from a one-line summary than from re-reading every field.
• You’re comparing two rules. Differences in the explanations highlight differences in behavior.

When they show up

Explanations appear automatically whenever you navigate the editor. If your account doesn’t have explanations enabled, you won’t see them — contact DropStream support to turn the feature on.

The first time you open a rule, expect a brief delay while explanations are generated for the visible nodes. They’re cached after that, so subsequent visits are instant.

What they’re not

Explanations are summaries, not specifications. They tell you what a node does at a high level, not the exact values it sets or every condition it checks. For the full picture you still need to look at the configuration panel, the code, or — best — run the rule in the Test tab and read the trace.

The model is also imperfect. If an explanation looks wrong, trust the rule’s actual configuration over the summary, and let DropStream support know so we can improve the prompt.

Privacy

Explanations are generated by sending the rule’s structure to a language model. No order data, customer data, or any other production data is sent — only the rule itself.