Approvals

Pause a workflow until someone actually approves it

Approvals lets you stop a workflow at any point until a specific person signs off, rejects it, or picks another status you define. A comment thread and file attachment live right inside the step, so the decision and the reasoning behind it stay in one place instead of scattered across email or chat.

How it works

Add a Create Approval step anywhere in your flow. Give it a title and pick an assignee from your team. You can attach a file straight from an earlier step's output, so the person deciding has the actual document in front of them instead of a description of it.

Accepted and Rejected come as the default statuses, but you're not locked into them. Rename Accepted to Confirmed if that fits your process, or add a new status like On Hold with its own color. The approval screen adapts to whatever you set up.

Once the workflow runs, it pauses at that step and the approval lands in Action Center under Approvals, waiting on the assignee. They open it, review the attached file and comment thread, leave a comment, and pick a status. The workflow picks back up automatically, and you route what happens next based on that exact status: an email confirming approval down one path, a different one down the rejection path, each pulling the decision straight from the approval step's output.

Where this is useful

Freight and logistics operations

A shipment release or a rate exception often needs a dispatcher's say-so before it moves forward. Attach the rate confirmation or BOL directly to the approval, and the workflow pauses right there instead of relying on someone checking a shared inbox for load manifests or PODs.

Customs brokers

A compliance check before an entry gets filed needs the file reviewed alongside the decision, not after it. Attach the commercial invoice, HS code table, or declared value sheet to the approval, and you get a record of who cleared it, when, and what they noted before the entry summary goes out.

Lending and mortgage

A loan shouldn't move to disbursement without a person confirming it. Attach the loan application, income verification sheet, or closing cost disclosure to the approval step, and you get a record of who signed off and what they noted, right alongside the document itself.

Manufacturing and procurement

A purchase order over a certain amount usually needs sign-off before it goes out. Attach the PO or supplier price list directly to the approval, and the person deciding isn't hunting for the file somewhere else first.