> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.contraforce.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Gamebook Preview: Test Before You Run > Preview a Gamebook before you run it. See each action's target, the policy verdict, approvals needed, and hourly limits left, with nothing run or stored. Gamebook Preview shows you exactly what a Gamebook would do if you ran it right now: the target of every action, which workspace policy allows, blocks, or requires approval for it, who has to approve it and why, and how many runs each action has left this hour. One click, and nothing is run, stored, or recorded. It's the easiest way to test your workspace policies and make sure they work the way you expect, before a single action touches your environment. > [!NOTE] > > **Who is this for?** SOC analysts who want to check a response before they run it, and workspace Owners who build and tune [workspace policies](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/workspace-policies.md) and want to confirm each one does what they intended. *** ## Why Use Gamebook Preview? Running a Gamebook on a live incident should never be a guess. Preview turns "I think this will work" into "I know this will work" in a single click. > [card] Act with confidence > > See the exact users, devices, and addresses each action will hit before you click **Run**. No surprises on a production incident. > [card] Test policies without trial and error > > See which policy allows, blocks, or requires approval for each action, so you can fix a plan or a policy before you submit anything. > [card] Avoid hitting action limits mid-response > > See how many targets each action has left in the current hour, so a large Gamebook isn't refused halfway through an incident. > [card] Know who has to approve, and why > > Every approval rule that applies, whether a policy, an end-customer approval, or your role, is listed in plain language. ### The Easiest Way to Test Your Policies You don't need a test incident, a test device, or a run you have to undo to find out whether a policy works. Build the Gamebook you're worried about, click **Preview**, and read the verdict next to each action: * A policy meant to protect VIP accounts should show **Blocked by** that policy on a VIP user. * A policy that requires approval for isolations should show **Approval:** that policy on **Isolate Endpoint**. * An action you expect to run freely should show **Allowed**. If the verdict isn't what you expected, adjust the policy in **Workspace Policies** and preview again. Nothing ran, so there's nothing to clean up. *** ## Preview a Gamebook Preview is available on any new Gamebook you're building for an incident. **1. Open the incident's Gamebook tab** Open an incident and go to the **Response** panel → **Gamebook** tab. **2. Add your actions** Add the response actions you want to run, as you normally would. See [Building a Gamebook](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/what-are-gamebooks.md#building-a-gamebook) if you're new to the builder. **3. Click Preview** Click **Preview** next to **Run Gamebook**. ![Response panel Gamebook tab with three pending actions, Block User Location, Invalidate Existing Sessions, and Unlock User, and the Preview button next to Run Gamebook](https://mintcdn.com/contraforce/sBOENrkkTo-7fsNr/images/gamebook-preview/preview-action.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=sBOENrkkTo-7fsNr\&q=85\&s=ad8c779c1aa2fe347da894a342cad4fe) **4. Read the Preview** The Preview replaces the action list. You should see the overall verdict at the top and each action, in run order, with its target, policy verdict, and remaining hourly limit. ![Gamebook Preview showing a Would run verdict, each action Allowed, and hourly limits such as 100 of 100 left this hour, with Go to Plan and Run Gamebook buttons](https://mintcdn.com/contraforce/sBOENrkkTo-7fsNr/images/gamebook-preview/preview-output.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=sBOENrkkTo-7fsNr\&q=85\&s=0cc636827d8e2fab685370a6fb4c526e) **5. Run it or go back to the plan** Click **Run Gamebook** (or **Request Approval**) to submit the Gamebook straight away, or click **Go to Plan** to return to the action list and make changes. > [!TIP] > > If you change the plan after you previewed it, the Preview tells you so. Click **Preview** again to see the current verdict. *** ## What the Preview Shows | Part of the Preview | What it tells you | | - | - | | **Verdict** | **Would run**, **Would wait for approval**, or **Would be refused** | | **Approval required** | Every reason the Gamebook would wait for an approver, in plain language | | **Findings** | Anything that would stop the Gamebook entirely, such as a permission your workspace hasn't consented to | | **Each action's target** | The user, device, address, or other entity the action would act on, as ContraForce resolves it | | **Each action's policy verdict** | **Allowed**, **Approval:** (policy name), or **Blocked by** (policy name) | | **Hourly limit** | For actions with an hourly limit, how many targets are left this hour, for example **24 of 25 left this hour** | | **Simulated** | Shown when the Gamebook would run as a [simulation](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/gamebook-simulation.md) | ### Approval Reasons You Might See The **Approval required** section lists every rule that would send the Gamebook to an approver. For example: * "Policy 'Approve isolations' requires approval." * "An action needs the end customer's approval." * "Your role can request approval for this gamebook but not run it." *** ## Good to Know * **Preview has no side effects.** It doesn't store the Gamebook, run anything, write to the audit log, or count toward your hourly action limits. * **Approval-bound Gamebooks are checked against limits at approval time.** A Gamebook that would wait for approval is checked against the hourly action limits when it's approved, not when it's submitted. Its Preview still shows where each limit stands now, as a warning. * **Only new Gamebooks can be previewed.** Gamebooks that were already submitted (queued, running, or finished) show their status instead of a Preview. * **Preview works for every role that can build a Gamebook.** Roles that can only request approval, such as Incident Analyst, can still preview, and the Preview says the Gamebook will wait for approval. *** ## Preview Through the API You can request the same Preview from the ContraForce API before submitting a Gamebook from your own automation. `POST /api/v2/workspaces/{workspaceId}/gamebooks/preview` * **Scope:** `gamebooks:execute`, with access to the workspace. * **Request body:** the same body as `POST /api/v2/workspaces/{workspaceId}/gamebooks/run`. * **Response:** what would happen, with nothing stored, run, or recorded. | Field | What it tells you | | - | - | | `canRun` | Whether the Gamebook would run | | `requiresApproval`, `approvalReasons` | Whether it would wait for approval, and why | | `isSimulation` | Whether it would run as a simulation | | `findings` | Anything that would stop the Gamebook entirely | | `actions[]` | For each action: `sequence`, `actionId`, `actionName`, `target`, `policyEffect` (`Allow`, `RequireApproval`, or `Deny`), `policyName`, `hourlyLimit`, `remainingThisHour`, `exceedsLimit`, and `isBlocked` | Only a new Gamebook can be previewed. A request to approve or retry an existing Gamebook is refused. *** ## FAQ > [accordion] Does a Preview count toward my hourly action limits? > > No. A Preview runs nothing, stores nothing, and counts toward nothing. > [accordion] Why does a Preview say my role can only request approval? > > Only workspace Owners and Incident Responders can run a Gamebook directly. Other roles can preview a Gamebook and submit it for approval. See the [Roles and Permissions Reference](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/general-support/roles-and-permissions-reference.md). > [accordion] An action shows Blocked by a policy. What do I do? > > Remove the action from the plan with **Go to Plan**, or, if the policy is stricter than you intended, ask a workspace Owner to adjust it in [Workspace Policies](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/workspace-policies.md). Then preview again. > [accordion] What's the difference between Preview and Simulation? > > Preview tells you what would happen without running anything. [Simulation](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/gamebook-simulation.md) actually runs the Gamebook end to end, through approvals, tracking, emails, and webhooks, but every action only reports what it would have done. *** ## Related Guides > [card] [Gamebook Simulation](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/gamebook-simulation.md) > > Run a Gamebook end to end without changing anything in your environment > [card] [Workspace Policies](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/workspace-policies.md) > > Allow, block, or require approval for Gamebook actions > [card] [What Are Gamebooks?](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/getting-started/what-are-gamebooks.md) > > Build, run, and approve Gamebooks with the built-in response actions > [card] [Roles and Permissions Reference](https://docs.contraforce.com/guides/general-support/roles-and-permissions-reference.md) > > See which roles can run Gamebooks and which can only request approval *** > [!NOTE] > > Questions about Gamebook Preview? Contact us at [support@contraforce.com](mailto:support@contraforce.com). This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.