# Approval & Delay Actions

These two families **pause** a running workflow. The `approval` family waits for a human decision (human-in-the-loop). The `delay` family waits for a duration, a datetime, an external webhook callback, or paces a queue of items.

## Approval — Human-in-the-Loop

One operator, `request`. It suspends the run, notifies approvers, and resumes once a decision is recorded (or the timeout fires). Requires `app.auth` to be configured.

| Prop        | Description                                                                                                                                       |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `approvers` | `all-admins`, or an array of email addresses / role names. **Required.**                                                                          |
| `message`   | Message shown to approvers (templatable). **Required.**                                                                                           |
| `options`   | Approval choices, minimum 2 (`{ value, label? }`). Default `[{ value: approve }, { value: reject }]`. The chosen `value` becomes the step output. |
| `timeout`   | How long to wait (e.g. `24h`, `7d`). No timeout by default.                                                                                       |
| `onTimeout` | On timeout: `approve` (auto-approve), `reject` (auto-reject), or `escalate` (notify escalation).                                                  |
| `notifyVia` | Notification channel: `email` (default), `webhook`, or `both`.                                                                                    |

```yaml
- name: approveRefund
  type: approval
  operator: request
  props:
    approvers: all-admins
    message: 'Approve refund of ${{trigger.data.amount}} for order {{trigger.data.id}}?'
    options:
      - { value: approve, label: 'Approve refund' }
      - { value: reject, label: 'Deny' }
    timeout: 48h
    onTimeout: reject
    notifyVia: email
```

:::callout
**Branch on the decision.** The approval step's output (the chosen option `value`) feeds naturally into a [`path/branch`](/en/docs/automation-flow-control) so the workflow can take different paths for approve vs reject.
:::

## Delay — Wait, Queue, Webhook

Three operators that pause execution differently.

### wait

Pause for a fixed duration or until a specific datetime.

| Prop       | Description                                                                 |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `duration` | Delay as number + unit (`ms`/`s`/`m`/`h`/`d`), e.g. `30s`, `24h`, `7d`.     |
| `until`    | ISO 8601 datetime (or template) to wait until, e.g. `2025-12-01T09:00:00Z`. |

```yaml
- name: cooldown
  type: delay
  operator: wait
  props: { duration: 15m }
```

### queue

Process queued items one at a time with configurable spacing — ideal for rate-limited downstream APIs.

| Prop           | Description                                                                                                      |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `interval`     | Minimum delay between processing each item — number + unit (`ms`/`s`/`m`/`h`), e.g. `500ms`, `2s`. **Required.** |
| `maxQueueSize` | Max items in the queue before new entries are rejected (default unlimited).                                      |

```yaml
- name: paceApiCalls
  type: delay
  operator: queue
  props: { interval: 1s, maxQueueSize: 1000 }
```

### webhook

Pause until an external webhook callback is received (e.g. an async third-party job completes).

| Prop           | Description                                                            |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `callbackId`   | Custom callback identifier (templatable). Auto-generated when omitted. |
| `timeout`      | Max time to wait for the callback — number + unit, e.g. `1h`, `7d`.    |
| `onTimeout`    | On timeout: `continue`, `stop`, or `error` (default `error`).          |
| `expectedData` | Expected shape used to validate the inbound callback payload.          |

```yaml
- name: awaitProcessing
  type: delay
  operator: webhook
  props:
    callbackId: 'job-{{trigger.data.id}}'
    timeout: 2h
    onTimeout: error
```

## Related Pages

- [Actions Overview](/en/docs/automation-actions-overview) — base props and the family map.
- [Flow Control](/en/docs/automation-flow-control) — branch on an approval decision.
- [HTTP & Webhooks](/en/docs/automation-http-actions) — inbound webhook responses and outgoing sends.
- [Auth Overview](/en/docs/auth-overview) — `app.auth` (required for approvals).