[miyoungc]

Description

Update the GitHub README around agent workflows, using Monika's product proposal and a technical introduction. Add a runnable, model-free refund-policy quickstart, four integration use cases, and a linked list of NeMo Guardrails capabilities. Describe the current coverage and limitations of the SDK, API server, hooks server, and experimental proxy.

Remove the hard-coded README release notice and the release workflow step that updated it. Apply the NVIDIA documentation style guide. Keep the release announcement in release-notes tracking and focus the README on NeMo Guardrails capabilities.

Preview: https://github.com/NVIDIA-NeMo/Guardrails/blob/miyoungc/ngr-1020-guardrails-github-overview-update/README.md

Related Issue(s)

• NGR-1020: Guardrails Github Overview update
• NGUARD-1015

The tracking issue is in Linear; there is no linked triaged GitHub issue.

Verification

• Audited every README section against the implementation, schemas, and existing tests. Corrected explicit tool-rail selection, error handling, LangChain framework requirements, action terminology, and telemetry/privacy guidance.
• 805 targeted tests passed across tool rails, the checks API, hooks, LangChain, proxy contracts, telemetry, framework selection, error handling, and speculative generation. No live model/provider calls were made.
• Executed the exact README quickstart with network connections prohibited; output matched. Seven additional policy/schema boundary cases passed. A separate supplied-LLM check confirmed RunnableRails works without changing the default framework.
• Verified 27 local targets/anchors and 14 published NVIDIA documentation URLs, plus GitHub workflow and Discussions metadata. Every capability item links to supporting documentation.
• uv run --locked pre-commit run --files README.md .github/workflows/release.yml and git diff --check passed.
• make docs-fern passed with 0 errors and 567 warnings.

Source references for the factual audit

• Tool-check selection and no main-model generation
• Tool allowlist and schema validation
• Tool-result structural validation
• Rail failures and upstream HTTP exceptions
• Coding-agent adapters
• Proxy text-only request projection
• LangChain middleware boundaries
• Telemetry schema and collection

These checks establish implemented behavior; they do not establish detector effectiveness or qualify every remote service.

AI Assistance

Codex helped prepare the README and perform local verification. Human review is pending.

• No AI tools were used.
• AI tools were used; a human reviewed and can explain every change (tool: Codex).

Checklist

• I've read the CONTRIBUTING guidelines.
• This PR links to a triaged issue assigned to me.
• My PR title follows the project commit convention.
• I've updated the documentation if applicable.
• I've added tests if applicable. The README example was executed and checked against policy boundaries.
• I've noted verification and any checks I couldn't run.
• I did not update generated changelog files manually.
• I addressed all CodeRabbit, Greptile, and other review comments, or replied with why no change is needed.
• @mentions of the person or team responsible for reviewing proposed changes.

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Documentation
  • Reworked the README to explain how applications can apply programmable safeguards for AI agents, including workflow checks and verdict enforcement.
  • Added a refund-tool example, deployment options, supported checks, limitations, and telemetry information.
  • Updated installation, contribution, and license references. The release process no longer updates the README’s release link.

[greptile-apps]

Confidence Score: 5/5

[Low impact] The PR appears safe to merge, with the previous privacy issue fixed and no new actionable issues found.

Summary

Reworks the GitHub overview around agent workflows.

• The README shows where agents can check prompts, tools, and results.
• Developers can check a refund tool against a $500 limit without a model.
• The README explains how agent checks fit into services, hooks, and frameworks.
• The README maps Guardrails capabilities to checks and agent checkpoints.
• The README summarizes usage reporting and separates it from provider data sharing.
• Release pull requests no longer update the README version notice.
• The README points contributors to current support and citation details.

The previous privacy-guidance finding is fully addressed. No new actionable issues were found.

_{Reviews (2) · Last reviewed commit: "docs: ground overview claims in implemen..." · Reviewed by Greptile}

[greptile-apps]

Promised privacy guidance is missing

The linked page only covers library telemetry; it does not contain the promised third-party endpoint terms. This PR also removes the README's explanation that third-party services have separate privacy terms and that the library's opt-out does not cover them. Readers following this link cannot find that guidance. Move it into the linked page or link to a page that contains it.

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: README.md
Line: 253

Comment:
**Promised privacy guidance is missing**

The linked page only covers library telemetry; it does not contain the promised third-party endpoint terms. This PR also removes the README's explanation that third-party services have separate privacy terms and that the library's opt-out does not cover them. Readers following this link cannot find that guidance. Move it into the linked page or link to a page that contains it.

---

For each issue above, determine whether it is valid and should be fixed. If so, fix it directly.

Note: If this suggestion doesn't match your team's coding style, reply to this and let me know. I'll remember it for next time!

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review.

Recent review info

Run configuration

• Source mode: Auto
• Repository: NVIDIA-NeMo/Guardrails
• Branch: miyoungc/ngr-1020-guardrails-github-overview-update
• File: .coderabbit.yaml
• Commit: bec712d
• Layers: Repository YAML
• Review profile: CHILL
• Plan: Enterprise
• Run ID: a3e69471-0703-48fe-8184-0cf2dbaa32af

Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 731f6d0 and bec712d.

Files selected for processing: 2

• .github/workflows/release.yml
• README.md

Files with no reviewable changes: 1

• .github/workflows/release.yml

Included review availability: This review used your included allowance. Your plan provides up to 12 included reviews per hour; 11 remain after this review.

Walkthrough

The README is rewritten around programmable safeguards for AI agents, with a new quickstart and updated deployment, check, telemetry, and project information. The release workflow no longer updates README release references; version, changelog, and lockfile updates remain.

Changes: Agent safeguards documentation

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Project framing and release updates README.md, .github/workflows/release.yml	The README introduces configurable checks for agent workflows and updates project links. The release workflow stops editing the README and removes the related pull request text and path entry.
Check workflow and quickstart README.md	The README explains check verdicts and tool execution boundaries, then adds a refund-tool example using a CEL rule, check_async(), and IORails.
Deployment and check coverage README.md	The README describes the HTTP proxy, coding-agent hooks, framework integration, check coverage, and supported engines.
Telemetry and project policies README.md	The README shortens its telemetry description and updates contribution, license, and citation links.

Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~10 minutes

Change: Other

Suggested labels: documentation

Suggested reviewers: pouyanpi

Merge Risk: Minimal · up to bec71

No actionable merge-blocking risk remains.

Pre-merge checks: 5

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check		Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check		The title clearly describes the main change: repositioning the GitHub README around agent workflows. The release workflow update is secondary.
Linked Issues check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Test Results For Major Changes		The PR makes a substantial README and release-workflow documentation change. Its description includes testing information: a network-disabled quickstart run, seven policy and schema boundary checks, t…

Full details: Test Results For Major Changes

Explanation

The PR makes a substantial README and release-workflow documentation change. Its description includes testing information: a network-disabled quickstart run, seven policy and schema boundary checks, target and URL validation, pre-commit, diff, and documentation checks. No numeric, convergence, or performance change is introduced.

Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Commit to this branch
• Create a new PR

• Autofix · Keep fixing CodeRabbit findings and required CI, and resolving merge conflicts

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