---
title: "Policy verdict"
description: "The structured record a policy engine emits each time it evaluates a rule: allow or deny, the versioned rule id, a hash of the input and a timestamp, signed and written to the evidence store."
canonical: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/policy-verdict
author: "Jorge García Aibar"
license: "CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)"
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197
version: "0.5.0"
updated: 2026-09-25
---

# Policy verdict

The structured record a policy engine emits each time it evaluates a rule: allow or deny, the versioned rule id, a hash of the input and a timestamp, signed and written to the evidence store. A release or tool call without a verdict is an audit finding, and one that passed under an exception names it in its verdict.

- Developed in: [ch. 04, Layer 01: Govern-as-Code](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/the-stack#layer-01-govern-as-code); [Toolkit: Policy Card builder](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/toolkit/policy-card)
- Chapters: [ch. 04, The Stack](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/the-stack) · [ch. 05, Patterns](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/patterns) · [ch. 12, Governance Program](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/governance-program) · [ch. 23, AI Agents](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/governing-agents)
- In the glossary chapter: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/glossary#t-policy-verdict

## Sources

Defined by this Body of Knowledge: the section it is developed in is the source.