---
title: "overlane autonomy approvals answer"
description: "Approve or deny a pending approval, recording the evidence you checked and why"
---

> 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 autonomy approvals 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`. */}

An independent agent (a different principal, outside the requester's token lineage, with no shared run or lease) satisfies an approval; list the evidence you checked and the reason. A person can always answer. Under manual autonomy only a person's approval counts. The principal that asked cannot answer its own approval.

## Usage

```sh
overlane autonomy approvals answer id --decision approve|deny --reason TEXT [--evidence TEXT...] [--run RUN_ID] [--dry-run]
```

## Arguments

| Argument | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | yes | The approval ID |

## Flags

| Flag | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `--decision` | one of `approve`, `deny` | yes |  | approve or deny |
| `--reason` | string | yes |  | Why, in one line |
| `--evidence` | string (repeatable) | no |  | What you checked, such as `read the diff` or `CI run 123 passed`; repeatable |
| `--run` | string | no |  | The run you are in, so independence can be checked |
| `--dry-run` | boolean | no |  | Print the requests and file changes this command would make, then stop. Needs no credentials. |

## Examples

```sh
overlane autonomy approvals answer apr_1 --decision approve --reason "within policy" --evidence "read the diff" --evidence "tests pass"
```

## 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 autonomy approvals 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": {
        "tenantId": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "approval": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "tenantId": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 128,
              "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_.:-]*$",
              "description": "tenant identifier"
            },
            "id": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1
            },
            "class": {
              "type": "string",
              "enum": [
                "memory_promotion",
                "task_policy",
                "issue_triage",
                "release_promotion",
                "bots",
                "docs_merge",
                "policy_change",
                "token_mint",
                "deletion",
                "spend",
                "secrets",
                "production_deploy",
                "autonomy_change",
                "payments",
                "legal_terms"
              ]
            },
            "projectId": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 128,
              "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_.:-]*$",
              "description": "project identifier"
            },
            "subject": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 300
            },
            "summary": {
              "type": "string",
              "minLength": 1,
              "maxLength": 400
            },
            "actor": {
              "type": "object",
              "properties": {
                "kind": {
                  "type": "string",
                  "enum": [
                    "user",
                    "agent"
                  ]
                },
                "id": {
                  "type": "string",
                  "minLength": 1,
                  "maxLength": 200
                },
                "rootId": {
                  "type": "string",
                  "minLength": 1,
                  "maxLength": 200
                },
                "runId": {
                  "type": "string",
                  "minLength": 1,
                  "maxLength": 200
                },
                "leaseId": {
                  "type": "string",
                  "minLength": 1,
                  "maxLength": 200
                }
              },
              "required": [
                "kind",
                "id"
              ],
              "additionalProperties": false
            },
            "status": {
              "type": "string",
              "enum": [
                "pending",
                "approved",
                "denied",
                "consumed",
                "expired"
              ]
            },
            "approver": {
              "anyOf": [
                {
                  "type": "object",
                  "properties": {
                    "kind": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "enum": [
                        "user",
                        "agent"
                      ]
                    },
                    "id": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "minLength": 1,
                      "maxLength": 200
                    },
                    "rootId": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "minLength": 1,
                      "maxLength": 200
                    },
                    "runId": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "minLength": 1,
                      "maxLength": 200
                    },
                    "leaseId": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "minLength": 1,
                      "maxLength": 200
                    }
                  },
                  "required": [
                    "kind",
                    "id"
                  ],
                  "additionalProperties": false
                },
                {
                  "type": "null"
                }
              ]
            },
            "evidence": {
              "maxItems": 20,
              "type": "array",
              "items": {
                "type": "string",
                "minLength": 1,
                "maxLength": 400
              }
            },
            "reason": {
              "anyOf": [
                {
                  "type": "string",
                  "maxLength": 400
                },
                {
                  "type": "null"
                }
              ]
            },
            "decidedAt": {
              "anyOf": [
                {
                  "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)))$"
                },
                {
                  "type": "null"
                }
              ]
            },
            "consumedAt": {
              "anyOf": [
                {
                  "type": "string",
                  "format": "date-time",
                  "pattern": "^(?:(?:\\d\\d[2468][048]|\\d\\d[13579][26]|\\d\\d0[48]|[02468][048]00|[13579][26]00)-02-29|\\d{4}-(?:(?:0[13578]|1[02])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])|(?:0[469]|11)-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0[1-9]|1\\d|2[0-8])))T(?:(?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d:[0-5]\\d(?:\\.\\d+)?(?:Z|([+-](?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d)))$"
                },
                {
                  "type": "null"
                }
              ]
            },
            "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)))$"
            },
            "createdAt": {
              "type": "string",
              "format": "date-time",
              "pattern": "^(?:(?:\\d\\d[2468][048]|\\d\\d[13579][26]|\\d\\d0[48]|[02468][048]00|[13579][26]00)-02-29|\\d{4}-(?:(?:0[13578]|1[02])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])|(?:0[469]|11)-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0[1-9]|1\\d|2[0-8])))T(?:(?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d:[0-5]\\d(?:\\.\\d+)?(?:Z|([+-](?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d)))$"
            }
          },
          "required": [
            "tenantId",
            "id",
            "class",
            "subject",
            "summary",
            "actor",
            "status",
            "approver",
            "evidence",
            "reason",
            "decidedAt",
            "consumedAt",
            "expiresAt",
            "createdAt"
          ],
          "additionalProperties": false
        },
        "next": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "tenantId",
        "approval",
        "next"
      ],
      "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/autonomy-approvals-answer/index.mdx