Playbook
A playbook is the saved logic a SOAR runs when an alert or case meets a trigger. It lists steps such as enrich, decide, approve and act, in an order the author fixed in advance. Each vendor stores it in its own artefact format, which is why playbooks do not move between products.
What Playbook means
A playbook usually mixes read steps, write steps, branches and sometimes code. The mix decides how hard it is to move, and the portability matrix splits playbooks into seven types for that reason.
Agent-run platforms replace some playbooks with procedures the agent interprets. A playbook stays the right tool where a fixed, audited sequence is required.
Playbook in Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR's own words
Cortex XSOAR builds playbooks from manual, conditional, automated and communication tasks in a visual editor, and a content pack holds Playbooks, Integrations, Scripts and TestPlaybooks folders. Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR documentation, read 2026-11-03