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

# Setting up Categories

> Set up Ravenna categories to automatically classify and organize new tickets by topic, department, or any structure that matches your reporting.

Categories provide a workspace-wide classification system for organizing tickets. Use categories to group tickets by type, department, or any other organizational structure that helps your team track and report on requests.

Once you create categories, Ravenna automatically classifies new tickets based on your category list, assigning the most appropriate category to each ticket as it's created.

<Tip>
  Categories work alongside [Forms](/documentation/tickets/forms/custom-fields). Use Forms to capture specific details for different request types, and use Categories to provide high-level classification across your entire workspace.
</Tip>

## Using categories

Once created, categories can be:

* **Assigned to tickets** during creation or at any point in the ticket lifecycle
* **Referenced by agents** using `@Category Name` in agent rules
* **Used for reporting** to track ticket volume by category
* **Filtered** in views to focus on specific types of requests

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Interactive walkthrough">
    <div style={{ position: 'relative', paddingBottom: 'calc(62.55208333333333% + 41px)', height: 0, width: '100%' }}>
      <iframe src="https://demo.arcade.software/EEiimDx3Sj7yCATkmXaG?embed&embed_mobile=tab&embed_desktop=inline&show_copy_link=true" title="Setting up first request channel" frameBorder="0" loading="lazy" allowFullScreen allow="clipboard-write" style={{ position: 'absolute', top: 0, left: 0, width: '100%', height: '100%', colorScheme: 'light' }} />
    </div>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Step-by-step">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open workspace settings">
        Navigate to your workspace settings by clicking your workspace name and selecting <strong>Settings</strong>.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Go to Categories">
        Click <strong>Categories</strong> in the left sidebar.

        You can create your own categories or import pre-built categories from the template library to get started quickly.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create a new category">
        Click <strong>New Category</strong> to create a custom category, or browse the <strong>Template Library</strong> to import ready-made categories.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Enter category details">
        Fill in the category by:

        * Naming it clearly to reflect the type of tickets it will classify
        * Adding a description that explains when this category should be used
        * Selecting a color to help visually distinguish categories
      </Step>

      <Step title="Set as default (optional)">
        If this category should be the default selection when creating tickets, toggle the <strong>Set as default</strong> option.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save your category">
        Click <strong>Save</strong> to create your category. It will now be available workspace-wide for ticket classification.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create additional categories">
        Repeat these steps to create categories for different types of requests your team handles, such as:

        * Software Access
        * Account Issues
        * Equipment
        * Network & Connectivity
        * Security & Compliance
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>