How to add an approval workflow

Goal: A Business Flow pauses until an Owner or Admin approves (or rejects) in the Admin Console — for example before a refund tool runs.

Who does what

Role	Tasks
Engineering	Declares .approval() (or equivalent) in the Backend SDK flow definition and syncs the flow
You (admin)	Accepts the flow version, monitors Flow Runs, approves or rejects

Steps (operator)

1. Agree the business rule with engineering (when to pause, approval prompt text, what happens after approve/reject).
2. Engineering ships the flow with an approval step — Approvals (developer).
3. In Admin Console, open Business Flows (or SDK flows list) and Accept the new version when prompted.
4. Run a safe test (staging workspace or test order):
   • Start the flow from chat or a test event
   • Confirm run status becomes waiting for approval
5. Open Flow Runs / Approvals — Approvals overview.
6. Approve or reject with a note if available.
7. Confirm the customer conversation continues (tool ran or rejection message shown).

Note

Only Owner/Admin can approve via API-enforced checks. Members can usually view conversations but not clear approval gates.

Workflow

Approval path live

1. Define the gate — Which actions need a human?
2. Ship flow version — Engineering + Accept in Console.
3. Test wait state — See waiting_for_approval.
4. Approve as Admin — Flow Runs queue.
5. Verify customer outcome — Tool side effects + message.

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