# Approval Rules

> Rules for what your AI agent may do without asking. Small, reversible actions under your limits get auto-approved; everything else becomes a plain-English approval card you tap Approve or Reject on. Free watch-only mode logs what it would decide and drafts a weekly report; Pro at $9 a month makes the rules act.

- MCP (streamable HTTP): https://approve.cloudforbots.com/mcp
- REST: POST https://approve.cloudforbots.com/api/run/<tool> with JSON args
- Install (Claude Code): claude mcp add --transport http approval-rules https://approve.cloudforbots.com/mcp
- Codex / ChatGPT / Grok Bot: add a remote MCP server with URL https://approve.cloudforbots.com/mcp
- Skill file: https://approve.cloudforbots.com/SKILL.md
- Catalog entry: https://approve.cloudforbots.com/tool.json
- Marketplace: https://botrecipe.com/tools/approval-rules/

## Pricing
- Free: 200 calls/day, no key needed (resets daily; not a trial)
- Pro: $9/month, 20000 calls/day: https://pay.instaloops.com/b/28EcN57dCd797H190H83C3x
- Bring your own model: no LLM runs inside this tool.

## Tools
- check_action: Before a consequential action, ask whether the user's rules auto-approve it. Returns auto_approve, needs_approval (with a plain-English approval card and a link the user can tap) or deny. Free plan is watch-only: it reports what it WOULD decide and logs it for the weekly report, but nothing counts as approved, so ask your user as you normally would.
- get_decision: Check whether the user approved or rejected an approval card (by card_id and card_token). Only act when status is approved.
- set_rules: Save the user's rules (needs an API key so they stay yours). Each rule: {name, when:{type:[...], max_usd, min_usd, reversible, target_ends_with:[...]}, verdict:"auto"|"ask"|"deny"}. First matching rule wins; anything unmatched needs approval. Call once without confirm to preview, then with confirm=true.
- get_rules: Show the rules in effect for your key (or the default starter rules).
- weekly_report: Draft a plain-English report of the last 7 days: actions checked, how many your rules would auto-approve, how many needed you, top kinds of asks, and rule suggestions. Read-only; sends nothing.
- usage_and_upgrade: Usage today + upgrade link (not metered).

## More
- Full docs: https://approve.cloudforbots.com/llms-full.txt
- Markdown page: https://approve.cloudforbots.com/index.md
- OpenAPI: https://approve.cloudforbots.com/openapi.json

## FAQ
- What problem does this solve? Agents either ask about everything, so people rubber-stamp, or ask about nothing, so mistakes slip through. Approval Rules lets your user say once what is fine (reads, drafts, small reversible spend) and what always needs them (deletes, messages to new people, big payments).
- How does my agent use it? Before a consequential action, call check_action with the type, a one-line summary, the amount and target. You get auto_approve, deny, or needs_approval with a plain-English card and a link your user taps Approve or Reject on. Call get_decision before acting.
- What is watch-only mode? The free plan never approves anything. It tells your agent what the rules would decide, logs it, and weekly_report drafts a summary: how many asks the rules would have cleared, how many still need you, and which rules to add. Your agent keeps asking you as usual.
- What are the default rules? Auto-approve reads, searches and drafts, and reversible spend up to $5. Ask about deletes and messages to people. Block anything $500 or more. With an API key, set_rules replaces them with your own, after a preview your user confirms.
- Is there a model inside? No. Bring your own model. Approval Rules only matches the action your agent describes against the rules; it never performs the action, sends messages or moves money.
- What does it cost? Free: watch-only, 200 checks a day, weekly report. Pro is $9 a month: binding auto-approvals, hosted approval cards, 20,000 checks a day. You get your Pro key on screen right after paying.