---
title: "Quick Start: Your First Rule"
description: "Create your first order limit rule in five minutes with this step-by-step walkthrough."
contentType: "docs"
locale: "en"
localized: true
source: "https://orderrules.com/docs/getting-started/quick-start-first-rule"
slug: "getting-started/quick-start-first-rule"
---
## Create Your First Rule in 5 Minutes

Once OrderRules is installed and the theme embed and checkout rule are on, you can set up your first rule right away. OrderRules starts in setup mode, so nothing affects your store until you click **Enable OrderRules** on the dashboard.

### Set Your Business Hours (1 minute)

1. Go to **Schedule** from the dashboard or onboarding guide
2. For each day of the week, choose **Closed all day**, **Custom hours** or **Open all day**
3. Set the open and close times for each **Custom hours** day
4. Click **Save**

**Example setup:**

```
Monday-Friday:  9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday:       10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday:         CLOSED
```

Orders will only be accepted during these hours. Checkout is automatically blocked outside your schedule.

### Set a Daily Order Limit (30 seconds)

1. Go to **Order Limits** from the dashboard
2. Enter your daily limit (for example, 50)
3. Optionally add a weekly or monthly limit (Pro plan)
4. Click **Save**

```
Daily:   50 orders
Weekly:  300 orders
Monthly: (leave blank if not needed)
```

When the daily limit is reached, checkout is blocked automatically. The counter resets at midnight in your timezone. On the free Starter plan, the daily limit goes up to 100 orders a day.

### Test Your Setup

1. **Enable OrderRules** -- if the dashboard shows "OrderRules is in setup mode", click **Enable OrderRules**
2. **Check the dashboard** -- your store status should show OPEN or CLOSED, and the order counter should display 0 out of your limit
3. **Visit your storefront** -- the banner should appear at the top showing your current status
4. **Try a test checkout** (optional) -- go through checkout on your storefront outside business hours or when the limit is reached, including with Shop Pay, to confirm it gets blocked

## Common Use Cases

**Bakery with production limits:**
Set a daily limit of 40 orders. Open Monday through Friday 8 AM to 6 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM. On Pro, add a per-customer limit of 2 custom cakes per week.

**Limited-edition product drop:**
On Pro, add a per-customer limit scoped to that product: 3 units, Lifetime period. Shoppers must log in to check out while customer limits are on. No store-wide time restrictions needed.

**Local delivery service:**
Set a daily limit of 30 deliveries. Close orders at 2 PM each day as a cutoff for same-day fulfillment.

## Which rule to start with

| If your constraint is… | Start with | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Hours you can fulfill | Business hours | Schedule |
| How many orders a day | Daily order limit | Order Limits |
| One buyer taking too much | Per-customer limit | Customer Limits (Pro) |
| A single product's capacity | Product limit | Product Limits |
| Which day it arrives | Delivery date rule | Delivery Dates (Advanced plan) |

Pick the one that matches your actual bottleneck. One rule that fits beats four that don't.

## Next Steps

- [Customize your closed message](/docs/store-hours/custom-closed-messages)
- [Add product-specific limits](/docs/product-limits/per-product-limits)
- [Set up capacity alert emails](/docs/notifications/capacity-alerts)
- [Schedule holiday closures](/docs/store-hours/holiday-calendar)