1
Open the Tool Register and select Add tool
Tool Register is in the left-hand navigation.
2
Start typing the tool name
Required. As you type, guardbook matches against its built-in catalogue and offers suggestions beneath the box. Selecting one fills in the vendor and category for you, and links the tool to the catalogue entry so it picks up the right logo.You do not have to use a suggestion. Type the full name and carry on if the tool is not there. See the built-in catalogue.
3
Vendor
Who supplies it. Filled in automatically if you picked from the catalogue.
4
Category
Choose from General-purpose assistant, Drafting & writing, Research & summarisation, Transcription, Image analysis, Data analysis, Code generation, or Other.
5
Status
Required, and defaults to Pending review.
- Pending review. On the register, not yet cleared for use.
- Approved. Cleared for the purpose recorded.
- Restricted. Permitted, but only in defined circumstances. Say which in Notes.
- Banned. Not to be used.
6
Purpose
How this tool is actually used at your firm. Not what the vendor says it does.It is one of the details guardbook checks for your clause 3.2 register, and it goes into the written explanation a client can ask for under clause 4.4. So it is worth writing properly.
7
Known limitations
What the tool can get wrong, and what your firm does not use it for. Write it for a client to read: it goes into the written explanation a client can ask for under clause 4.4. Up to 2,000 characters.
8
Date first used
When your firm started using it. Cannot be set in the future.
9
Next review date
Must be in the future. guardbook stores the date but does not currently remind you, so put it in your own diary as well.
10
System owner
The person responsible for this tool. Clause 3.2 expects your policy to make roles and responsibilities clear, and a named owner per tool is the simplest way to do it.
11
Processes client data
Choose Yes or No once someone has checked. Leave it as Not yet recorded until then: your evidence pack reports this answer, and an unchecked tool is not the same as a No. Clause 3.1 places real limits on putting private and confidential data into AI systems, which covers more than client data, so this deserves a moment’s thought rather than a reflex.
12
Automated or high volume
Choose Yes if the tool produces outputs automatically or in volume, such as automated valuations or bulk report drafting. This turns on dip sampling for the tool under clause 4.2.
13
Dip sample
Shown only when the tool is automated or high volume. Choose every month, 3 months, 6 months or 12 months. The standard sets no interval. Every 3 months is the default.
14
Notes
Internal only. Not included in your generated policy, so it is the right place for arrangements you would not publish, such as the exact terms of a Restricted status.
15
Add tool
Saves and returns to the register.
What happens next
Adding the tool is the start. Open the tool’s record and you will find two sections at the bottom, each showing No assessment recorded or No due diligence recorded until you complete them. Those two are where the RICS obligations are actually met. See the appropriateness assessment and supplier due diligence. guardbook also adds four starter risks for the tool to your Risk Register: data exposure, hallucination and inaccuracy, bias, and limited information about the system. If the tool still has no signed supplier due diligence 14 days after you add it, guardbook reminds you.Removing a tool takes it off the register but does not delete it. Oversight Log entries and risks linked to it are kept, but they no longer show the tool’s name. Its starter risks stay in your Risk Register, so close them if they no longer apply. The removal is recorded in your audit trail.