Approvals
An approval is a sign-off before a rule version goes into production, the review step of the repository's decision workflow. A person who writes a rule but may not put it into production asks for approval; a person who may approve looks at the version and approves it or declines it. A version that is waiting for approval cannot go live until it is approved, so a change never reaches production without the people responsible having seen it.
With approvals you can:
- ask the people who may publish rules to review your version,
- approve a version so that it can be put into production, now or later,
- approve a version and make it live in one step,
- decline a request, with a reason that stays with the version,
- take back an approval that was given too soon.
Who can do what depends on the permissions your application gives each person:
- A requester writes rules and asks for approval, but cannot make versions live.
- A publisher may make versions live. A publisher can make live any version that is not waiting for approval, and any approved one, but not one whose approval is still requested.
- An approver may make versions live and also approve and decline requests.
Nobody can approve their own request. A person may, however, approve what an AI agent saved on their behalf: that is how work done by an AI is reviewed. Everything an AI agent saves asks for approval automatically.
The components it uses:
- The approval line in the Rule Version dialog, beside the live line. It reads Approval is not requested, Approval is Requested, Approved or Approval was Declined, with the buttons for what you may do. Hover over it to see who asked, approved or declined, and when, and whether an agent asked on someone's behalf.
- The Approval column of the Rule Versions grid, and the Approval... filter: Not Requested, Requested, Approved and Declined.
- The save's question, which offers Request Approval when you save a version.
- The Pay Attention confirmation, used to decline, to revoke an approval, and to approve and go live.
Your application can be told about every request, approval and decline, for example to send an email to the people concerned. The repository itself sends no messages.
Requesting Approval When You Save
If you may ask for approval but not make versions live, saving a new rule, a new version or a converted draft asks: "Would you like to request approval of the rule version you are about to save? The people who can put rule versions into production will be asked to approve it."
- Click Request Approval. The version is saved, and a notification says that approval was requested.
- Or click No Approval to save the version without asking. Nobody is asked to review it, and it is not held back from going live.
Requesting Approval Later
- Open the version's Rule Version dialog. The approval line reads Approval is not requested.
- Click Request Approval. The line now reads Approval is Requested.
Request Approval is offered only to people who cannot make versions live, and never on a live version. A version that was declined can be requested again.
Finding Versions Waiting for Approval
- Click the Rule Versions tab.
- Click Approval... and select Requested.
Approving a Version
- Open the version's Rule Version dialog. The approval line reads Approval is Requested.
- Review the version: read its rule, compare it with the live version (Compare to...), and test it (Test...).
- Click Approve. The line now reads Approved. Approving changes nothing in production: a publisher or you can make the version live later with Go Live.
Approving and Making Live in One Step
- On the approval line of a requested version, click ⋯ and select Approve & Go Live.
- The Pay Attention confirmation opens. Optionally type an internal note, and click Next →.
- Type live and click Approve & Go Live.
The version is approved and becomes the rule's live version. See Going Live.
Declining a Request
- On the approval line of a requested version, click ⋯ and select Decline.
- The Pay Attention confirmation opens: "Decline the request to put version v1 into production? Say why if you like: the reason is kept as a note on the version."
- Optionally, type the reason, and click Next →.
- Type decline and click Decline.
The line now reads Approval was Declined, and your reason is on the version's Internal Notes tab. The person who asked can request approval again after making a new version, or for the same version. An approver can still approve a declined version directly, and a publisher can make it live.
Revoking an Approval
An approval given too soon can be taken back, as long as the version is not live.
- Open the approved version. The approval line reads Approved.
- Click Revoke Approval. The Pay Attention confirmation asks whether to revoke the approval and says that the version reads Declined afterwards. Optionally type a reason, and click Next →.
- Type revoke and click Revoke Approval.
The line now reads Approval was Declined, and your reason is kept as a note on the version.
What Approval Does Not Do
- An approval belongs to one version. A newer version of the same rule needs its own.
- Approving a version does not make it live, unless you use Approve & Go Live.
- A version saved with No Approval, or saved by someone who may make versions live, needs no approval: a publisher can make it live whenever they decide.
- Source versions have no approval step.