---
title: "overlane approval answer"
description: "Approve or deny a task's question; the task resumes on approval"
---

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

# overlane approval answer

{/* Generated by apps/docs/scripts/generate.mjs (CLI pages from the command registry in packages/cli). Do not edit; run `pnpm --filter @overlane/docs gen`. */}

Answers a pending approval with approve or deny and an optional note. The first answer settles it; a repeat of the same answer changes nothing. Whoever asked cannot answer their own question.

## Usage

```sh
overlane approval answer approval-id --decision approve|deny [--note TEXT] [--dry-run]
```

## Arguments

| Argument | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `approval-id` | yes | The approval ID from `overlane approval list` |

## Flags

| Flag | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `--decision` | one of `approve`, `deny` | yes |  | approve or deny |
| `--note` | string | no |  | A reason, up to 1000 characters |
| `--dry-run` | boolean | no |  | Print the requests and file changes this command would make, then stop. Needs no credentials. |

## Examples

```sh
overlane approval answer apr_ab12cd34ef --decision approve
overlane approval answer apr_ab12cd34ef --decision deny --note "Not tonight" --dry-run
```

## Behavior

- Effect: `write` (changes local or hosted state).
- Needs credentials: yes. Uses the network: yes.
- Supports `--dry-run`: yes. Accepts `--force`: no.
- Machine-readable description: `overlane schema approval answer`.

## Result

With `--json` (the default when stdout is not a terminal) the command prints this JSON Schema's shape on stdout.

```json
{
  "anyOf": [
    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "approval": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "approvalId": {
              "type": "string",
              "pattern": "^apr_[A-Za-z0-9]{8,32}$",
              "description": "approval identifier"
            },
            "tenantId": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 128,
              "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_.:-]*$",
              "description": "tenant identifier"
            },
            "projectId": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 128,
              "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_.:-]*$",
              "description": "project identifier"
            },
            "taskId": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 128,
              "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_.:-]*$",
              "description": "task identifier"
            },
            "botId": {
              "type": "string",
              "pattern": "^bot_[A-Za-z0-9]{8,32}$",
              "description": "bot identifier"
            },
            "question": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 1000
            },
            "status": {
              "type": "string",
              "enum": [
                "pending",
                "approved",
                "denied",
                "expired"
              ]
            },
            "requestedBy": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 200
            },
            "createdAt": {
              "type": "string",
              "format": "date-time",
              "pattern": "^(?:(?:\\d\\d[2468][048]|\\d\\d[13579][26]|\\d\\d0[48]|[02468][048]00|[13579][26]00)-02-29|\\d{4}-(?:(?:0[13578]|1[02])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])|(?:0[469]|11)-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0[1-9]|1\\d|2[0-8])))T(?:(?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d:[0-5]\\d(?:\\.\\d+)?(?:Z|([+-](?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d)))$"
            },
            "expiresAt": {
              "type": "string",
              "format": "date-time",
              "pattern": "^(?:(?:\\d\\d[2468][048]|\\d\\d[13579][26]|\\d\\d0[48]|[02468][048]00|[13579][26]00)-02-29|\\d{4}-(?:(?:0[13578]|1[02])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])|(?:0[469]|11)-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0[1-9]|1\\d|2[0-8])))T(?:(?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d:[0-5]\\d(?:\\.\\d+)?(?:Z|([+-](?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d)))$"
            },
            "answeredBy": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 200
            },
            "answeredAt": {
              "type": "string",
              "format": "date-time",
              "pattern": "^(?:(?:\\d\\d[2468][048]|\\d\\d[13579][26]|\\d\\d0[48]|[02468][048]00|[13579][26]00)-02-29|\\d{4}-(?:(?:0[13578]|1[02])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])|(?:0[469]|11)-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0[1-9]|1\\d|2[0-8])))T(?:(?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d:[0-5]\\d(?:\\.\\d+)?(?:Z|([+-](?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d)))$"
            },
            "note": {
              "type": "string",
              "maxLength": 1000
            }
          },
          "required": [
            "approvalId",
            "tenantId",
            "projectId",
            "taskId",
            "question",
            "status",
            "requestedBy",
            "createdAt",
            "expiresAt"
          ],
          "additionalProperties": false
        },
        "outcome": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "applied",
            "replayed",
            "ignored"
          ]
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "approval",
        "outcome"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    },
    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "dryRun": {
          "type": "boolean",
          "const": true
        },
        "service": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "requests": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "method": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "path": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "body": {},
              "note": {
                "type": "string"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "method",
              "path"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "commands": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        },
        "writes": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "path": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "action": {
                "type": "string",
                "enum": [
                  "write",
                  "append",
                  "delete"
                ]
              },
              "description": {
                "type": "string"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "path",
              "action",
              "description"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "notes": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "dryRun",
        "requests",
        "commands",
        "writes",
        "notes"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    }
  ]
}
```

See [exit codes](/cli/#exit-codes) for the status the process returns.

Source: https://docs.overlane.app/cli/approval-answer/index.mdx