> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getkantilever.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Key Concepts

> Core concepts in Kantilever

# Key Concepts

Understanding these concepts will help you get the most out of Kantilever.

## Desks

A **desk** is a workspace for managing submissions. Typically, you create one desk per line of business or underwriting team.

Each desk has its own:

* Submissions queue
* Data extraction schema (fields)
* Intake rules (email routing)
* Desk rules (workflow automation)

## Submissions

A **submission** represents an insurance submission request moving through your workflow. Submissions have:

### Status

* **Intake** - Newly received, awaiting initial review
* **Extracting** - AI is extracting data from documents
* **Review** - Ready for underwriter review
* **Needs Info** - Waiting for additional information
* **Quoted** - Quote has been issued
* **Bound** - Policy bound
* **Declined** - Submission declined

### Priority

* Low, Normal, High, Urgent

### Source

* Email (ingested via intake rules)
* Upload (manually uploaded)
* API (programmatic creation)

## Intake Rules

**Intake rules** determine how incoming emails are routed to desks. When an email arrives, Kantilever:

1. Checks if it matches any intake rule conditions
2. Uses AI to classify the email (new submission, reply to existing, or irrelevant)
3. Creates a new submission or links to an existing one

## Data Fields

**Data fields** define what information to extract from submission documents. Field types include:

* Text, Number, Currency, Date, Boolean
* Enum (predefined options)
* Computed (calculated from other fields)

The AI extraction uses your field definitions to pull structured data from emails and attachments.

## Desk Rules

**Desk rules** automate actions based on submission data. When conditions match, rules can:

* Change submission status
* Set priority
* Draft response emails

Rules are evaluated whenever submission data changes.

## Action Items

**Action items** are tasks requiring your attention:

* **New Submission** - Review a newly created submission
* **Review Draft** - Approve or edit an auto-generated email
* **Triage Review** - Manually classify an ambiguous email