> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://conto.finance/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Approval Workflows for Agent Payments
> Configure multi-step approval workflows, escalation paths, and external approval channels for high-risk agent payments.
# Approval Workflows for Agent Payments
Approval workflows let you keep low-risk agent payments fast while routing exceptional cases through
human review. In Conto, approvals are part of the payment control center, not an afterthought layered
on later.
## When to Use Approval Workflows
Approval workflows are a strong fit when you need any of the following:
* Payments above a finance threshold
* New recipients that have not built trust yet
* Category-specific review, such as treasury or vendor onboarding flows
* Role-based approvals for finance, ops, or compliance
* Dual control or sequential review for larger transfers
## How the Flow Works
```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
Payment["Agent requests payment"] --> Policy["Policy engine + workflow matching"]
Policy --> Match{"Workflow matched?"}
Match -->|"No"| Continue["Normal approval / deny path"]
Match -->|"Yes"| Create["Create approval request"]
Create --> Notify["Send notifications to external channels"]
Notify --> Decision["Approver decisions"]
Decision --> Approved{"Required approvals reached?"}
Decision --> Rejected{"Any rejection?"}
Approved -->|"Yes"| Execute["Payment status moves to APPROVED"]
Approved -->|"No"| Pending["Stay pending"]
Rejected -->|"Yes"| Deny["Payment status moves to DENIED"]
Rejected -->|"No"| Pending
Execute --> Audit["Audit log + webhook + channel record"]
Deny --> Audit
```
## How Conto Matches a Workflow
Conto evaluates active workflows in priority order and picks the first workflow whose trigger
conditions match the payment context.
Workflow matching runs for every non-denied payment. That means a workflow can deliberately hold an
otherwise policy-approved request, which is how verifier pilots such as Delta act as an approval
gate without becoming the settlement layer.
### Supported trigger conditions
| Trigger | What it matches |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `amountThreshold` | Amounts at or above a threshold |
| `currency` | Currency-specific review |
| `categories` | Category-based review, such as vendor or infrastructure spend |
| `agentIds` | A specific set of agent IDs inside the organization |
| `agentTypes` | Specific agent frameworks or classes |
| `newRecipients` | First-time recipients |
| `counterpartyTrustLevel` | Low-trust or unknown counterparties |
This makes approval workflows a good complement to trust scoring and counterparty rules. For example,
you can auto-approve trusted vendors while forcing review for unknown recipients.
`agentIds` is especially useful for staged rollouts and verifier pilots. It lets you bind a workflow
to one or two agents in a mixed org without turning on the same review path for every other agent.
## Workflow Settings That Matter
| Setting | What it does |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| `priority` | Higher-priority workflows match first |
| `requiredApprovals` | Number of approvals needed before a payment moves forward |
| `timeoutHours` | Expiration window for pending requests |
| `allowSelfApproval` | Whether the initiator can approve their own request |
| `approverRoles` | Role-based access, such as `OWNER` or `ADMIN` |
| `specificApprovers` | Explicit user allowlist for a workflow |
| `sequentialApproval` | Enforces approval order when specific approvers are set |
Any rejection ends the workflow immediately. Approvals accumulate until the required approval
count is reached.
## External Approval Channels
Approval requests can be delivered to external channels so finance or ops teams can act without
logging into Conto for every review.
Supported channels include:
* Slack
* Email
* Telegram
* WhatsApp
* Webhook
Each decision records the acting channel, and Conto keeps an audit trail of who approved, when they
approved, and how the request was resolved.
For step-by-step setup, see [/guides/external-approvals](/guides/external-approvals).
## Recommended Patterns
### Pattern 1: Single approval for large payments
| Setting | Example |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Trigger | `amountThreshold = 100` |
| Required approvals | `1` |
| Approver roles | `OWNER`, `ADMIN` |
| Best for | Day-to-day spend that only needs review above a threshold |
### Pattern 2: Review first-time recipients
| Setting | Example |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Trigger | `newRecipients = true` |
| Required approvals | `1` |
| Approver roles | `ADMIN` |
| Best for | Preventing agents from sending funds to unknown addresses without review |
### Pattern 3: Dual control for sensitive transfers
| Setting | Example |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Trigger | `amountThreshold = 5000` |
| Required approvals | `2` |
| Self approval | `false` |
| Best for | Treasury, vendor onboarding, or high-value transfers |
### Pattern 4: Sequential approval for finance + security
| Setting | Example |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Specific approvers | `finance lead`, then `security lead` |
| Sequential approval | `true` |
| Best for | Controls that require ordered sign-off from multiple stakeholders |
### Pattern 5: Scoped verifier pilot in a shared org
| Setting | Example |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Trigger | `amountThreshold = 0`, `agentIds = ["agent_ap_demo"]` |
| Required approvals | `1` |
| Best for | Running a verifier like Delta against one agent first |
## Pair Approval Workflows with Trust Scoring
One of the highest-signal combinations is:
1. Use trust scoring to classify counterparties.
2. Let trusted or verified recipients flow normally.
3. Route unknown or deteriorating counterparties into approval workflows.
That gives you a fast path for established counterparties and a controlled path for new or risky
ones.
## Canonical Approval Architecture
The most common production stack looks like this:
* Policy engine blocks clearly disallowed payments outright.
* Trust scoring enriches the recipient before the payment is evaluated.
* Approval workflows catch the gray area between auto-approve and hard deny.
* External channels deliver requests to the real stakeholders.
* Audit logs and webhooks make the outcome visible to finance and operations systems.
## Related Guides
Connect Slack, email, Telegram, WhatsApp, or webhooks
Use counterparty trust as an approval trigger
See where approvals fit in a layered policy model
Visual reference for approval and payment flows