Policy lifecycle

This reference lists the policy state and lifecycle fields shown in Tero.

Policy states

State	Meaning
Draft	The policy exists for review or completion.
Active	The policy is enabled where it should run.
Disabled	The policy remains visible but is not intended to affect telemetry.

Policy source identifies where a policy originated.

Source	Meaning
Tero recommendation	Tero recommended the policy from issue evidence.
Provider import	Tero created or previewed the policy from provider inventory, such as a Datadog exclusion filter.
Repository sync	Tero read or wrote the policy through a configured repository workflow.
Configured workflow	The policy came from another configured review or deployment workflow.

Tab	Contents
Overview	Policy identity, source, linked issue, hits over time, and activity.
Deployments	Deployment targets and runtime state, including Edge deployment state when present.
Spec	Structured policy definition used by Tero and runtimes.

Policies can run through one or more configured targets.

Target	Description
Provider configuration	Provider-side controls such as Datadog exclusion filters.
Edge instances	Tero Edge instances running in your infrastructure.
Collector or pipeline paths	Collector or pipeline integrations that apply policy before telemetry reaches storage.
Repository workflows	Policy or instrumentation changes reviewed through code workflows.

Datadog filter conversion can show these states:

State	Meaning
Proposal ready	Tero can preview a policy from the provider filter.
Policy active	The imported or converted policy is active.
Policy verified	Tero verified the policy after import or deployment.
Rejected	A reviewer rejected the proposed conversion.
Unsupported	The provider filter cannot be represented as a supported Tero policy.
Sample key required	Tero needs an additional sample key before conversion.
Blocked	Conversion or import is blocked by missing context or configuration.

Use these facts when checking whether a policy changed the expected telemetry path:

Check	Expected result
Linked issue	The issue moves from Open or In progress toward Resolved.
Policy state	The policy remains Active in the expected deployment target.
Runtime state	Edge or provider deployment state reports no policy errors.
Outcome	Cost, compliance exposure, or matching volume moves in the expected direction.

Use Policies for the policy concept and Enforcement for enforcement options.