diff --git a/core/matcher.go b/core/matcher.go
index 54d906cd..acc049a4 100644
--- a/core/matcher.go
+++ b/core/matcher.go
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ func getProccessedInputAndHitValue(messageInput, ruleRespondValue, ruleHearValue
 }
 
 // handleChatServiceRule handles the processing logic for a rule that came from either the chat application or CLI remote
+// nolint:gocyclo // mark for refactor
 func handleChatServiceRule(outputMsgs chan<- models.Message, message models.Message, hitRule chan<- models.Rule, rule models.Rule, processedInput string, hit bool, bot *models.Bot) (bool, bool) {
 	match, stopSearch := false, false
 	if rule.Respond != "" || rule.Hear != "" {
@@ -87,6 +88,35 @@ func handleChatServiceRule(outputMsgs chan<- models.Message, message models.Mess
 			return true, true
 		}
 
+		// check if limit_to_rooms is set on the rule
+		if hit && len(rule.LimitToRooms) > 0 {
+			bot.Log.Debug().Msgf("rule '%s' has 'limit_to_rooms' set - checking whether message should be processed further", rule.Name)
+			// do we have a channel name to work with?
+			if message.ChannelName != "" {
+				// keep track of whether room is in list
+				isInLimitToRooms := false
+
+				for _, room := range rule.LimitToRooms {
+					if strings.EqualFold(room, message.ChannelName) {
+						// found the room in the list,
+						// stop looking
+						isInLimitToRooms = true
+						break
+					}
+				}
+
+				// if the room the message came from is not
+				// in the list of rooms the rule is limited to
+				// suppress the response
+				if !isInLimitToRooms {
+					bot.Log.Debug().Msgf("rule '%s' was matched but skipped due to message not coming from a room defined in 'limit_to_rooms'", rule.Name)
+					return true, false
+				}
+			}
+
+			bot.Log.Debug().Msgf("rule '%s' has 'limit_to_rooms' set, but the message didn't include the channel name to compare against", rule.Name)
+		}
+
 		// if it's a 'respond' rule, make sure the bot was mentioned
 		if hit && rule.Respond != "" && !message.BotMentioned && message.Type != models.MsgTypeDirect {
 			return match, stopSearch
@@ -449,16 +479,23 @@ func handleMessage(action models.Action, outputMsgs chan<- models.Message, msg *
 	}
 
 	msg.Output = output
+
+	// bridge for deprecation of LimitToRooms on action
+	if len(action.LimitToRooms) > 0 && len(action.OutputToRooms) == 0 {
+		bot.Log.Warn().Msgf("'limit_to_rooms' on actions is deprecated and will be removed in the next version - update action '%s' to use `output_to_rooms' instead", action.Name)
+		action.OutputToRooms = action.LimitToRooms[:]
+	}
+
 	// Send to desired room(s)
-	if direct && len(action.LimitToRooms) > 0 { // direct=true and limit_to_rooms is specified
+	if direct && len(action.OutputToRooms) > 0 { // direct=true and limit_to_rooms is specified
 		bot.Log.Debug().Msgf("'direct_message_only' is set - 'limit_to_rooms' field on the '%s' action will be ignored", action.Name)
-	} else if !direct && len(action.LimitToRooms) > 0 { // direct=false and limit_to_rooms is specified
-		msg.OutputToRooms = utils.GetRoomIDs(action.LimitToRooms, bot)
+	} else if !direct && len(action.OutputToRooms) > 0 { // direct=false and limit_to_rooms is specified
+		msg.OutputToRooms = utils.GetRoomIDs(action.OutputToRooms, bot)
 
 		if len(msg.OutputToRooms) == 0 {
 			return errors.New("the rooms defined in 'limit_to_rooms' do not exist")
 		}
-	} else if !direct && len(action.LimitToRooms) == 0 { // direct=false and no limit_to_rooms is specified
+	} else if !direct && len(action.OutputToRooms) == 0 { // direct=false and no limit_to_rooms is specified
 		msg.OutputToRooms = []string{msg.ChannelID}
 	}
 	// Else: direct=true and no limit_to_rooms is specified
diff --git a/core/matcher_test.go b/core/matcher_test.go
index d5df5fc6..e9d3e7bd 100644
--- a/core/matcher_test.go
+++ b/core/matcher_test.go
@@ -699,6 +699,18 @@ func Test_handleChatServiceRule(t *testing.T) {
 		IgnoreThreads: true,
 	}
 
+	ruleLimitToRooms := models.Rule{
+		Name:         "Test Rule with limit_to_rooms set",
+		Respond:      "hello",
+		LimitToRooms: []string{"foo"},
+	}
+
+	ruleSkipDueToLimitToRooms := models.Rule{
+		Name:         "Test Rule with limit_to_rooms set",
+		Respond:      "hello",
+		LimitToRooms: []string{"foo"},
+	}
+
 	testBot := new(models.Bot)
 	testBot.Name = "Testbot"
 
@@ -740,6 +752,24 @@ func Test_handleChatServiceRule(t *testing.T) {
 		ThreadTimestamp: "x",
 	}
 
+	testMessageLimitToRooms := models.Message{
+		Input:           "hello",
+		Vars:            map[string]string{},
+		Timestamp:       "x",
+		ThreadTimestamp: "x",
+		BotMentioned:    true,
+		ChannelName:     "foo",
+	}
+
+	testMessageSkipDueToLimitToRooms := models.Message{
+		Input:           "hello",
+		Vars:            map[string]string{},
+		Timestamp:       "x",
+		ThreadTimestamp: "x",
+		BotMentioned:    true,
+		ChannelName:     "bar",
+	}
+
 	tests := []struct {
 		name         string
 		args         args
@@ -759,6 +789,8 @@ func Test_handleChatServiceRule(t *testing.T) {
 		{"respond rule - hit true - valid vargs", args{rule: ruleVarg, hit: true, bot: testBot, message: testMessageVargs, processedInput: "arg1 arg2 arg3 arg4"}, true, true, "", map[string]string{"arg1": "arg1", "argv": "arg2 arg3 arg4"}},
 		{"respond rule - hit true - invalid", args{rule: rule, hit: true, bot: testBot, message: testMessage}, true, true, "you might be missing an argument or two - this is what i'm looking for\n```foo <arg1> <arg2>```", map[string]string{}},
 		{"hear rule - ignore thread", args{rule: ruleIgnoreThread, hit: true, bot: testBot, message: testMessageIgnoreThread}, true, true, "", map[string]string{}},
+		{"respond rule - limit_to_rooms set", args{rule: ruleLimitToRooms, hit: true, bot: testBot, message: testMessageLimitToRooms}, true, true, "", map[string]string{}},
+		{"respond rule - skip due to limit_to_rooms", args{rule: ruleSkipDueToLimitToRooms, hit: true, bot: testBot, message: testMessageSkipDueToLimitToRooms}, true, false, "", map[string]string{}},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/models/action.go b/models/action.go
index d81cdc34..b80b7db4 100644
--- a/models/action.go
+++ b/models/action.go
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ type Action struct {
 	Auth             []Auth                 `mapstructure:"auth"`
 	ExposeJSONFields map[string]string      `mapstructure:"expose_json_fields"`
 	Response         string                 `mapstructure:"response"`
-	LimitToRooms     []string               `mapstructure:"limit_to_rooms"`
+	LimitToRooms     []string               `mapstructure:"limit_to_rooms"` // deprecated
+	OutputToRooms    []string               `mapstructure:"output_to_rooms"`
 	Message          string                 `mapstructure:"message"`
 	Reaction         string                 `mapstructure:"update_reaction" binding:"omitempty"`
 }
diff --git a/models/rule.go b/models/rule.go
index dc556e99..6757950d 100644
--- a/models/rule.go
+++ b/models/rule.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ type Rule struct {
 	Actions            []Action `mapstructure:"actions" binding:"required"`
 	Remotes            Remotes  `mapstructure:"remotes" binding:"omitempty"`
 	Reaction           string   `mapstructure:"reaction" binding:"omitempty"`
+	LimitToRooms       []string `mapstructure:"limit_to_rooms" binding:"omitempty"`
 	// The following fields are not included in rule file
 	RemoveReaction string
 }