> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://oximy.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Approvals

> Review and approve actions before an agent carries them out.

Sometimes a thread stops mid-run and asks you to approve something before it continues. This page covers why that happens and what to do about it.

## Why the thread paused

The thread pauses when it hits a **gated tool**: an action that is external or sensitive enough that it needs your sign-off before it runs. Instead of continuing to stream, it shows you an approval card that lays out what the tool wants to do and a risk line describing why it needs approval.

## Respond to the approval card

<Steps>
  <Step title="Read the card">
    Check what the tool wants to do and the risk line next to it. This tells you what you're actually approving, not just which tool is asking.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose how far your approval reaches">
    You have three scopes to choose from:

    * **Once**: allow this single call. The next time the tool is needed, you're asked again.
    * **This thread**: allow the tool for the rest of this thread, so it doesn't ask again here.
    * **Always**: allow the tool going forward, so future threads don't stop for it.

    **Deny** is separate: it isn't a scope, it's the rejection path. Choose it and the thread does not run the call.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Continue, if you approved">
    Approving doesn't restart the work by itself. Once you approve, press **Continue** to resume the thread. This stays a deliberate, separate step every time.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Some approvals need an admin

Not every approval is yours to give. Some tools are set up to require **admin approval** on top of your own. When one of these comes up, the card tells you it is awaiting an admin, and the thread waits until that approval is granted. Once it lands, come back and press **Continue**: the thread doesn't resume on its own.

<Warning>
  An admin approval is a separate, required step. Your own approval is not enough to run a tool that also needs one.
</Warning>

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The governance model" icon="shield-check" href="/docs/sidekick/concepts/governance-model">
    How consent gates and admin approval keep external and sensitive actions in bounds.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Approvals and policy" icon="shield-check" href="/docs/sidekick/admin/approvals">
    How admins decide which tools require approval and who can grant it.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>