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

# Approval Triggers

> Reference for all 7 conditions that pause an agent transaction and route it to the owner for human approval.

## What are approval triggers?

Approval triggers are soft blocks. Unlike hard blocks (which reject the transaction outright), an approval trigger pauses the transaction and sends it to the owner's approval queue. The intent enters `approval_pending` state with a 1-hour TTL. The owner reviews the transaction in the dashboard, Slack, or Telegram and approves or rejects it.

Approval triggers only fire after all hard checks pass. You never see an approval request for a transaction that would fail a spend limit or allowlist check. This means approved transactions have already passed the full security and policy pipeline.

## Approval trigger reference

| Trigger                      | Condition                                                                                           | Policy Field                 | Who Configures                            |
| ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `amount_above_threshold`     | USD amount exceeds the configured threshold                                                         | `require_approval_above_usd` | Owner sets threshold in policy            |
| `action_requires_approval`   | Action type (e.g., "bridge", "stake") is in the approval list                                       | `require_approval_actions`   | Owner adds actions to the list            |
| `selector_requires_approval` | 4-byte function selector is in the approval list (raw validation only)                              | `require_approval_selectors` | Owner adds selectors to the list          |
| `high_risk`                  | Aegis scanner flags the destination address as HIGH risk (not CRITICAL, which hard-blocks)          | `risk_scan_enabled`          | Automatic when risk scanning is on        |
| `unknown_agent`              | Agent is not registered in the ERC-8004 on-chain registry                                           | *(automatic)*                | No configuration needed                   |
| `low_reputation`             | Agent's on-chain reputation score is below 30                                                       | *(automatic)*                | No configuration needed                   |
| `reason_flagged`             | Reason scanner flags the text for review (LLM judge returned `require_approval` instead of `block`) | *(automatic)*                | Triggers when the optional LLM judge runs |

## How each trigger works

### amount\_above\_threshold

Set `require_approval_above_usd` in the policy. Any transaction with a USD amount above this threshold pauses for approval. Example: set to `500` and a $750 transfer triggers approval, while a $200 transfer passes through.

This trigger is the most common starting point. It gives the owner oversight over high-value transactions while letting routine operations proceed automatically.

### action\_requires\_approval

Add action types to `require_approval_actions`. When the agent submits a validation request with a matching `action` field, the transaction pauses. Example: `["bridge", "stake", "bet"]` requires approval for bridging, staking, and betting while allowing transfers and swaps.

### selector\_requires\_approval

Add 4-byte function selectors to `require_approval_selectors`. This applies only to raw validation. Example: `["0x095ea7b3"]` (the ERC20 `approve` selector) requires human review before the agent can grant token approvals to other contracts.

### high\_risk

When `risk_scan_enabled` is `true` (the default), Aegis screens the destination address. Addresses flagged as HIGH risk trigger an approval request. CRITICAL risk addresses produce a hard block (`aegis_critical_risk`) instead.

### unknown\_agent and low\_reputation

These triggers use the ERC-8004 on-chain agent reputation registry. Agents not found in the registry trigger `unknown_agent`. Agents with a reputation score below 30 trigger `low_reputation`. These are automatic and require no policy configuration.

### reason\_flagged

The optional LLM judge analyzes the reason field and may return `require_approval` instead of a hard `block`. This happens when the text is suspicious but not definitively malicious. The owner sees the flagged reason and makes the final call.

## Multiple triggers

Multiple triggers can fire on the same transaction. The approval request includes all trigger reasons in a combined message. The owner sees the full picture: which checks triggered, the agent's stated reason, the USD amount, and the destination address.

```json theme={null}
{
  "requiresApproval": true,
  "approvalReason": "amount_above_threshold, unknown_agent",
  "approvalId": "apr_abc123"
}
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Handle Approvals" icon="user-check" href="/guides/handle-approvals">
    Implement approval workflows with polling and timeout handling.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dashboard Approvals" icon="check-double" href="/dashboard/approvals">
    Review and decide on pending approvals in the dashboard.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Policy Fields" icon="sliders" href="/reference/policy-fields">
    Configure approval thresholds and action lists in the policy schema.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>