It was commonly accepted that Engi Gishiki was compiled in parallel with Engi Kyakushiki during the Engi era -- According to "Honcho hoke mokuroku monjo" (Catalogue of legalist documents in our country) and "Honcho shoseki mokuroku" (Catalogue of books in our country), Engi Gishiki and Engi Kyakushiki were in ten volumes respectively and ninety items were listed for the former; and such documents as "Hokuzansho" (Manual of court rules and customs), "Goke shidai" (Ritual Compendium by the House of Oe), and "Chuyuki" (The Diary of the Minister of the Right, written by Munetada FUJIWARA) recorded the parts which was considered to be a surviving fragment of the former; and "Kanju hisho" (also referred to as Kanzu hisho; Secret Notes by Head Chamberlain) written by FUJIWARA no Toshinori recommended the former as a must for Shikiji (Chamberlains).
通説によれば、延喜年間に延喜格式と並行して編纂が行われたとされ、『本朝法家目録文書』及び『本朝書籍目録』によれば、ともに10巻とし、前者には約90条の目録を掲げているが、『北山抄』・『江家次第』・『中右記』などにその逸文とされるものが記載されており、藤原俊憲の『貫首秘抄』でも職事が持つべき書として挙げている。