Configuring Approval Requirements

Set up who needs to approve and how.

Overview

An approval requirement is the set of options on a Human node that controls who can decide, what they see, how long the workflow waits, and how they are notified. Configuring it well is the difference between an approval that lands in the right inbox and gets acted on, and one that times out and fails the execution.

Approval requirements live on the node itself, so they are versioned with the workflow. A workspace can also toggle Require Workflow Approval on globally in Settings -> General, which adds a workspace-wide gate on workflow changes - but the per-node Human approver list described here is where most teams configure approvals.

Before You Start

You need edit access to the workflow.
The workspace members you plan to name as approvers must already be invited to the workspace.
You should know the longest acceptable wait for the workflow to be paused.

Steps

Open the workflow in the designer and drag a Human node onto the canvas at the point where the pause should happen.
Connect the previous step's output to the Human node's input.
Select the node and open the properties panel on the right.
Set Approvers. Pick one or more workspace members. Any named approver can resolve the request.
Write the Message shown to the approver. Reference upstream variables with {{ step.field }} so the request includes real context.
Choose an Urgency (low, normal, high). This controls sort order on the Pending list.
Set Timeout in minutes. The execution fails if no decision is made in this window.
Toggle Email notification on if approvers should also be emailed when the request is created.
Save the workflow. The new requirement applies to the next execution.

Configuration Reference

Approvers - One or more workspace members allowed to act. Required.
Message - Plain text shown on the approval card. Supports {{ variable }} templating. Keep it self-contained.
Urgency - One of low, normal, high. Default normal. Sort hint only.
Timeout (minutes) - Integer. After this elapses, the execution fails with a timeout error.
Email notification - Boolean. When on, every approver also receives an email with a deep link to the approval.

Multiple Approvers

Add more than one Human node in sequence when you need staged sign-off, for example a manager approval followed by a finance approval. Each Human node is its own approval and is recorded separately in the history.

Tips

Name at least two approvers so the workflow keeps working when one person is on leave.
Include the value being approved in the message, e.g. Refund {{ order.amount }} for {{ order.customer }}.
Match the timeout to your team's working hours. A 30-minute timeout overnight will fail every time.

Common Pitfalls

Naming a single user as approver - if they are unavailable the workflow fails.
Leaving the message blank. Approvers see only the workflow name and have no context.
Setting timeouts that do not account for weekends or time zones.
Turning on email notifications for a large team on a high-frequency workflow, which floods inboxes and trains people to ignore them.