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Approval Policies

Approval policies require human approval before the AI executes sensitive operations. Use them for destructive actions, high-value transactions, or compliance requirements.

How Approvals Work​

Policies List​

Navigate to an assistant's Approval tab to see all configured policies.

Policies List

Each policy shows:

  • Name — Policy identifier
  • Tool Pattern — Which tools require approval
  • Approvers — Who can approve
  • Status — Active/Inactive

Creating a Policy​

Click Create Policy to add a new approval policy.

Create Policy

Basic Settings​

FieldDescriptionRequired
NamePolicy identifierYes
DescriptionWhat this policy is forNo
PriorityOrder when multiple policies matchYes

Tool Matching​

Specify which tools require approval:

Tool Matching

Pattern Examples:

delete_*           # All delete operations
*_admin            # All admin tools
transfer_funds     # Specific tool
order_*            # All order operations

Conditions (Optional)​

Add conditions for when approval is required:

Conditions

Amount-based:

{
  "condition": "args.amount > 1000",
  "description": "Transfers over $1000"
}

Role-based:

{
  "condition": "user.roles.includes('junior')",
  "description": "Junior employees need approval"
}

Time-based:

{
  "condition": "isOutsideBusinessHours()",
  "description": "After-hours operations"
}

Approvers​

Define who can approve requests:

Approvers

Options:

  • Self — The user themselves (confirmation)
  • Specific Users — Named users
  • Roles — Users with specific roles
  • External Webhook — Call external approval system

Approval Settings​

SettingDescriptionDefault
TimeoutHow long before request expires5 minutes
Auto-reject on TimeoutReject if not approved in timeYes
Allow CommentsRequire/allow approval commentsOptional
Notify ViaNotification channelsIn-app

Approval Interface​

When approval is required, users see:

Approval Request

The request shows:

  • Tool — What operation
  • Arguments — What parameters
  • Context — Why the AI wants to do this
  • Approve/Reject buttons

Approving​

Click Approve to allow the operation:

  1. Optionally add a comment
  2. Click Approve
  3. Tool executes immediately
  4. AI continues with result

Rejecting​

Click Reject to deny the operation:

  1. Optionally add a reason
  2. Click Reject
  3. AI is informed
  4. AI suggests alternatives or explains

Approval Queue​

Administrators can view all pending approvals:

Approval Queue

Filter by:

  • Status — Pending, Approved, Rejected, Expired
  • Tool — Specific tool or pattern
  • User — Who requested
  • Date Range — Time period

Bulk Actions​

For multiple pending approvals:

  • Select multiple requests
  • Click Approve All or Reject All

Approval Logs​

View approval history:

Approval Logs

Each log entry shows:

  • Timestamp — When the request was made
  • Tool — What was requested
  • User — Who requested
  • Approver — Who approved/rejected
  • Decision — Approved/Rejected
  • Comment — Any notes

Export logs for compliance reporting.

Policy Examples​

Financial Operations​

name: high_value_transfers
description: Require approval for transfers over $10,000
tool_patterns:
  - transfer_funds
  - wire_transfer
conditions:
  - "args.amount > 10000"
approvers:
  roles: ["finance_manager", "cfo"]
timeout: 30m

Destructive Actions​

name: delete_operations
description: All delete operations require approval
tool_patterns:
  - delete_*
  - remove_*
  - purge_*
approvers:
  type: self  # User confirms their own request
timeout: 2m

Customer Data Access​

name: sensitive_data
description: Accessing sensitive customer data
tool_patterns:
  - get_customer_ssn
  - get_payment_info
  - export_customer_data
approvers:
  roles: ["compliance_officer"]
  notify: ["privacy@company.com"]
timeout: 15m

After-Hours Operations​

name: after_hours
description: Operations outside business hours
tool_patterns:
  - "*"  # All tools
conditions:
  - "hour < 9 || hour > 17"  # Before 9am or after 5pm
  - "dayOfWeek === 0 || dayOfWeek === 6"  # Weekends
approvers:
  roles: ["on_call_admin"]
timeout: 10m

Junior Employee Oversight​

name: junior_oversight
description: Junior employees need approval for modifications
tool_patterns:
  - create_*
  - update_*
  - delete_*
conditions:
  - "user.roles.includes('junior') || user.tenure_months < 3"
approvers:
  roles: ["team_lead", "manager"]
timeout: 15m

External Approval Systems​

Integrate with external approval workflows:

External Approval

Webhook Configuration​

approvers:
  type: webhook
  url: https://approval-system.example.com/api/approve
  headers:
    Authorization: Bearer ${APPROVAL_API_KEY}
  timeout: 60s

Webhook Request​

Diosc sends:

{
  "approval_id": "apr_123",
  "tool": "delete_order",
  "arguments": {"order_id": "12345"},
  "user": {
    "id": "user_456",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "roles": ["customer_service"]
  },
  "context": "User requested to cancel and delete order",
  "callback_url": "https://diosc-hub.example.com/api/approvals/apr_123/respond"
}

Webhook Response​

External system calls back:

{
  "decision": "approved",
  "approver": "manager@example.com",
  "comment": "Verified with customer",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-26T10:30:00Z"
}

Entity Context (Diff Display)​

When configured, approval dialogs show the current state of the entity being affected. This is especially valuable for update and delete operations where users need context before deciding.

What Users See​

For a delete operation, the dialog shows entity details fetched via a companion tool:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Approval Required               ⚠ Medium  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Tool: delete_user                          │
│                                             │
│  Entity: User                               │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │ Name:       John Smith              │    │
│  │ Email:      john@company.com        │    │
│  │ Department: Engineering             │    │
│  │ Status:     Active                  │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                             │
│  Time remaining: 1:45                       │
│  [Reject]  [Edit & Approve]  [Approve]      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

For an update operation, a diff view shows current vs. proposed values:

FieldCurrentProposed
StatusActiveSuspended
DepartmentEngineering—
RoleDeveloperTeam Lead

Configuring Entity Context​

Entity context is set at the MCP server level. See MCP Configuration > Approval Settings for setup instructions.

Key configuration fields:

  • Companion Tool — The read/get tool to fetch entity state (e.g., get_user)
  • Parameter Mapping — How to map action params to companion params
  • Include/Exclude Fields — Control which fields appear in the dialog

Resilience Features​

Page Refresh Recovery​

If the user refreshes the page while an approval is pending, the approval is not lost. It is automatically restored when the page reloads.

Disconnect Handling​

If the user loses their connection:

  1. The approval countdown pauses (preserving remaining time)
  2. On reconnect (within 1 hour), the dialog reappears with remaining time
  3. If no reconnect within 1 hour, the approval is auto-rejected

Countdown Pause​

When a user opens the approval dialog to review details, the countdown timer pauses. It resumes when the user navigates away or closes the dialog.

Retry Limiting​

To prevent loops, DioscHub limits a tool to 3 approval attempts per session. After the third rejection or timeout, the tool is blocked and the AI is informed.

Best Practices​

Don't Over-Approve​

Too many approval requests cause fatigue:

# Bad - every action needs approval
tool_patterns: ["*"]

# Good - only sensitive actions
tool_patterns: ["delete_*", "transfer_*"]

Set Appropriate Timeouts​

Match timeout to operation urgency:

# Quick confirmation
delete_temp_file: 1m

# Thoughtful review
large_refund: 30m

# Compliance review
data_export: 24h

Use Conditions​

Don't require approval for everything:

# Only large amounts
conditions:
  - "args.amount > 1000"

# Only junior staff
conditions:
  - "user.tenure_months < 6"

Audit Everything​

Enable detailed logging:

  • Who requested what
  • Who approved/rejected
  • When and why
  • Full request context

Troubleshooting​

Approvals Not Triggering​

  • Check policy is active
  • Verify tool pattern matches
  • Check conditions are met
  • Review policy priority

Approvals Timing Out​

  • Increase timeout value
  • Check notification delivery
  • Verify approvers have access

Wrong Approvers​

  • Check role assignments
  • Verify user resolver returns correct roles
  • Review approver configuration
tip

Approval policies can also be configured at the MCP server level. See MCP Configuration for tool-level approval settings.

Next Steps​