---
sourceDocument: Brazil Build workflows
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/build-workflows

 Release :

    - brazil

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Brazil Build workflows

ft:clusterId :

    - crworkflow

bundleId :

    - crworkflow

workflow :

    - Creator


---

# Ask for Approval action

# Ask for Approval action {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Brazil  
Updated September 10, 2026  
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## Summary of Ask for Approval action

The Ask for Approval action in ServiceNow's Workflow Studio enables you to request approval on a record within a flow without scripting.
This action plays a crucial role in enforcing governance and compliance by ensuring that the appropriate individuals review and authorize work items such as incidents, change requests, and catalog fulfillments before progression.
Show full answer Show less  
Available to users with the **flowdesigner** or **admin** roles, this core action allows configuration of automatic approval, rejection, or cancellation rules and supports due dates to prevent workflows from stalling.

## Key Features

* **Configurable Inputs:** Specify the record, table, approval reason, approval and journal fields, and approval rules dynamically using flow data pills.
* **Approval Rules:** Define who can approve or reject requests with flexible rules such as "Anyone approves," "All must approve," percentage or number-based approvals, and manual approvers. This ensures alignment with organizational policies.
* **Automatic Handling:** Set due dates to automatically approve, reject, or cancel if no decision is made within a designated timeframe, preventing indefinite wait states.
* **Inactive Users and Groups:** By default, approval requests can be generated for inactive users or groups to maintain flow continuity; this behavior is configurable via system properties.
* **Rejection Rule Sets:** Include rejection logic to handle cases where no approval occurs, avoiding flow stalls.
* **Output States:** The action outputs the approval state (e.g., Approved, Rejected, Cancelled) that can be used downstream in the flow for conditional processing.

## Practical Application Example

For instance, when a high-priority incident is created or updated, a flow with the Ask for Approval action can route the approval request to the assigned technician's manager. The manager has one business day (aligned with IT support hours) to approve or reject. If no response occurs, the system automatically approves the incident to avoid service delays.

## Best Practices

* Avoid duplicating Ask for Approval actions on the same record within parallel branches of a flow, as this creates dependencies that can cause unpredictable behavior.
* Always pair approval rules with appropriate rejection or cancellation rules to ensure flows do not remain in waiting states indefinitely.  
Request approval for a record. Configure a set of rules to automatically approve, reject, or cancel an approval request without having to write script. Add a due date to automatically approve, reject, or cancel when a decision has not been made by a designated time.
Approvals play a central role in controlling workflow progression. They ensure that the right people review and authorize work before it moves forward, which is essential in incident handling, change requests, catalog
fulfillment, and any process where structured governance and compliance matter. For more information about approvals, see [Classic approvals](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Hio0_IneVt0OCWv1stENVw "Classic approvals are a legacy process to require authorization on tasks before the work is done. In earlier releases, you could create approval records to define approval tasks and associate users or groups to approve or reject them.").

## Roles and availability {#ask-approval-flow-designer__section_pwq_rb5_kcb}

Available as a Workflow Studio ServiceNow core action. Users with the flow_designer or admin role can add an action to a flow and define configuration details.

## Inputs {#ask-approval-flow-designer__section_yyg_p4h_ccc}

Provide a value for each input that your flow needs. To add dynamic values, you can also drag and drop pills from the Data panel or select them from the pill picker.

Record
:   Data type: Record

    Reference to the record to approve. If the record contains an approval field, Workflow Studio automatically sets the Approval Field input.

Table
:   Data type: Table Name

    Table name of the record associated with the approval request. The table that you select must support approvals by having an approval state field. For example, the Task
    table and its extensions contain approval fields.

Approval Reason
:   Data type: String

    Text string containing a justification for the approval. You can use this field for auditing and regulation compliance. This information is stored in the Approval
    \[sysapproval_approver\] table. For example, you can list why a specific approval request is needed from an individual or a group.

Approval Field
:   Data type: Field Name

    Field containing the results of approval requests.

Journal Field
:   Data type: Field Name

    Field to store history and comments associated with the approval request.

Rules
:   Data type: Approval Rules

    Configure which users can approve or reject requests, and what happens after the record is approved or rejected.
    Approval or rejection user rules include:  
    * Anyone approves. Use this option when any user listed can approve.
    * All users approve. Use this option when every user listed must approve.
    * All responded and anyone approves. Use this option when every user must respond, but only one user must approve.
    * % of users approve. Use this option when a majority of users is needed to approve.
    * # of users approve. Use this option when a specific number of users need to approve.
    {#ask-approval-flow-designer__ul_oxw_thm_3cb}

    In the field beside the approval rule, add the desired approval users. To add approval users:

    * Select individual users or groups.
    * Drag or select a field from a record.
    * Select Manual approvers ![Manual approvers icon]() to allow a manual approver to process an approval or rejection. A manual approver is a user manually added to the Approvers related list who can then approve the request. For example, you can manually add a subject matter expert to a task to approve the request. To learn more about adding manual approvers, see [Generate approvals using the approvers related list](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9i9mOII6XZOhWWxwJa_ALQ "It is possible to manually add approvers to a request.").
    {#ask-approval-flow-designer__ul_qh4_33m_3cb}  
    Note:  
    By default, Ask for Approval generates approval records for inactive users and groups. This behavior allows a flow or action to continue working even when a specific user or group is later made inactive. If you want to change the behavior of generating approvals for inactive entities, set the com.glide.hub.flow.approval.allow_inactive_entity system property. See [Workflow Studio flow system properties](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ZiSrhpPWhOmNQ3gHe2io5A "Configure how the system processes flows.").

    Define rejection rules by adding another OR rule set. When defining approvals, include rejection rules that run when there are no matching approvals. Such rejection rules
    prevent the flow from remaining in a waiting state. For example, if an approval can be approved by anyone, create a time-based rejection rule in case no one approves it.

    Note:  
    If you set an approval rule with no rejection rule (or vice versa) and the expected approval state is not met, the runtime value will be canceled.

    For information about how to use inline script to specify approval rules, see the [Scripted Approvals in Flow Designer with Flow Variables](https://www.servicenow.com/community/now-platform-blog/scripted-approvals-in-flow-designer-with-flow-variables/ba-p/2284506) blog post on the ServiceNow Community.

Due Date
:   Data type: Schedule Date/Time

    Due date for an approval state to prevent the flow from endlessly waiting for approval.

## Output {#ask-approval-flow-designer__section_lky_lwh_ccc}

These outputs appear in the Data panel. You can use them as inputs elsewhere in your flow.{#ask-approval-flow-designer__outputs-description}

Approval State
:   Data type: Choice

    Completion state of the approval request. The flow execution details page displays one of these values.

    * Not Yet Requested \[not requested\]
    * Requested \[requested\]
    * Approved \[approved\]
    * Rejected \[rejected\]
    * Cancelled \[cancelled\]
    * No Longer Required \[not_required\]
    * Skipped \[skipped\]
    {#ask-approval-flow-designer__ul_epn_jjz_zmb}

## Example {#ask-approval-flow-designer__section_yp5_sb5_kcb}

In this example flow, an approval is required whenever a new high priority incident is created or an existing one is updated. When the incident enters the queue, the flow triggers an Ask for Approval action to confirm that the
assigned work is appropriate and that the incident should move forward. The action waits one business day for a response, following an 8--5 weekday schedule to align with standard IT support hours. If no approver responds within
that window, the system automatically approves the request to prevent delays in restoring service.

The approval request is routed to the manager of the user listed in the Assigned to field. This ensures that a responsible leader reviews whether the assigned technician has the correct skill set and workload capacity to handle
the incident. The manager can approve or reject the request within the one day window, allowing the workflow to either continue or reroute the incident based on the decision.

## General guidelines {#ask-approval-flow-designer__section_iln_5f2_5vb}

Follow these guidelines when asking for approvals.

Do not duplicate ask for approval actions in Do the following in parallel flow logic
:   Workflow Studio does not support making multiple approval requests to the same record using Do the following in parallel flow logic. Asking for approval on the same record creates a dependency between
    branches, which can produce unexpected results since there is no way to know which branch will complete first.