Request Approval Skill
Use Preloop's request_approval MCP tool to get human approval before executing risky operations. Preloop will notify the user (via Slack, email, mobile apps, etc.) and wait for their response.
Setup
Preloop must be configured as an MCP server. See references/SETUP.md for configuration details.
When to Request Approval
ALWAYS Request Approval For:
- Deleting anything (files, directories, database records, cloud resources)
- Production changes (deployments, config changes, environment variables)
- Database operations (schema changes, migrations, bulk deletions/updates)
- External modifications (creating/merging PRs, posting to APIs, sending emails)
- Security changes (permissions, access controls, API keys)
- Financial operations (purchases, charges, refunds)
- System modifications (installing packages, changing system settings, CI/CD changes)
Usually Request Approval For:
- Creating pull requests or issues (unless explicitly requested)
- Pushing commits to main/master branches
- Modifying critical files (package.json, requirements.txt, docker-compose.yml, etc.)
- Running commands that modify system state
- Making bulk changes (affecting many files/records)
DON'T Request Approval For:
- Reading files or data
- Searching or querying
- Creating feature branches
- Running tests (in isolated environments)
- Making commits to feature branches
How to Use
Call the request_approval tool BEFORE executing the risky operation.
Parameters
Required:
operation (string): Clear, specific description of what you'll do
- ✅ Good: "Delete the logs/2024-01/ directory containing 1,234 log files (2.3GB)"
- ❌ Bad: "Delete some logs"
context (string): Additional details about what will be affected
- ✅ Good: "This directory contains archived application logs from January 2024. The logs have been backed up to S3. Deleting will free up 2.3GB."
- ❌ Bad: "Old logs"
reasoning (string): Why this operation is necessary
- ✅ Good: "Disk usage is at 92% capacity. These logs are archived in S3 and no longer needed locally."
- ❌ Bad: "Need more space"
Optional:
caller (string): Auto-populated by Preloopapproval_policy (string): Specific approval policy name (uses account default if omitted)
Response
The tool returns a string:
- Approved: Success message → proceed with the operation
- Denied: "Approval denied" or "Approval denied: {reason}" → STOP, don't execute
- Error: Error message → check configuration or try again
Quick Example
Task: User asks to delete old cache files
Your workflow:
- Check what exists: 3,421 cache files, 1.8GB, from last week
- Call
request_approval:
- operation: "Delete the temp-cache/ directory"
- context: "Contains 3,421 cache files totaling 1.8GB from batch jobs that ran last week. All jobs completed successfully."
- reasoning: "Cache is no longer needed and is consuming disk space. Results are in the database."
- Wait for response
- If "denied" in response → tell user it's cancelled, ask for alternatives
- If approved → proceed with deletion
See references/EXAMPLES.md for more examples.
Decision Framework
When unsure:
- Can this be undone easily? NO → Request approval
- Could this cause harm or data loss? YES → Request approval
- Is this modifying production or external systems? YES → Request approval
- Would a human want to review this first? YES → Request approval
- Am I uncertain about the safety? YES → Request approval
Golden Rule: When in doubt, request approval. Better to ask unnecessarily than to cause harm.
If Approval is Denied
- Stop immediately - do NOT proceed
- Check for comments - denial may include reasoning
- Inform the user - explain why it was cancelled
- Look for alternatives - can you accomplish the goal differently?
- Don't retry - don't ask again unless circumstances change
Best Practices
DO:
- ✅ Request approval BEFORE executing
- ✅ Be specific and detailed
- ✅ Include numbers (file count, size, affected records)
- ✅ Explain the impact
- ✅ Respect denials
DON'T:
- ❌ Execute first, then ask
- ❌ Be vague
- ❌ Bundle multiple operations
- ❌ Proceed if denied
- ❌ Skip approval because you think it's "probably fine"
Additional Resources
- references/SETUP.md - Configuration and MCP server setup
- references/EXAMPLES.md - Detailed examples and workflows
- references/TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Common errors and solutions
Remember: Safety first! Trust is earned by being cautious and respectful of the user's systems and data.
1---2name: request-approval3description: Use Preloop's request_approval tool to get human approval before risky operations like deletions, production changes, or external modifications4---5
6# Request Approval Skill
7
8Use Preloop's `request_approval` MCP tool to get human approval before executing risky operations. Preloop will notify the user (via Slack, email, mobile apps, etc.) and wait for their response.
9
10## Setup
11
12Preloop must be configured as an MCP server. See [references/SETUP.md](references/SETUP.md) for configuration details.
13
14## When to Request Approval
15
16### ALWAYS Request Approval For:
17- Deleting anything (files, directories, database records, cloud resources)
18- Production changes (deployments, config changes, environment variables)
19- Database operations (schema changes, migrations, bulk deletions/updates)
20- External modifications (creating/merging PRs, posting to APIs, sending emails)
21- Security changes (permissions, access controls, API keys)
22- Financial operations (purchases, charges, refunds)
23- System modifications (installing packages, changing system settings, CI/CD changes)
24
25### Usually Request Approval For:
26- Creating pull requests or issues (unless explicitly requested)
27- Pushing commits to main/master branches
28- Modifying critical files (package.json, requirements.txt, docker-compose.yml, etc.)
29- Running commands that modify system state
30- Making bulk changes (affecting many files/records)
31
32### DON'T Request Approval For:
33- Reading files or data
34- Searching or querying
35- Creating feature branches
36- Running tests (in isolated environments)
37- Making commits to feature branches
38
39## How to Use
40
41Call the `request_approval` tool BEFORE executing the risky operation.
42
43### Parameters
44
45**Required:**
46- `operation` (string): Clear, specific description of what you'll do
47 - ✅ Good: "Delete the logs/2024-01/ directory containing 1,234 log files (2.3GB)"
48 - ❌ Bad: "Delete some logs"
49
50- `context` (string): Additional details about what will be affected
51 - ✅ Good: "This directory contains archived application logs from January 2024. The logs have been backed up to S3. Deleting will free up 2.3GB."
52 - ❌ Bad: "Old logs"
53
54- `reasoning` (string): Why this operation is necessary
55 - ✅ Good: "Disk usage is at 92% capacity. These logs are archived in S3 and no longer needed locally."
56 - ❌ Bad: "Need more space"
57
58**Optional:**
59- `caller` (string): Auto-populated by Preloop
60- `approval_policy` (string): Specific approval policy name (uses account default if omitted)
61
62### Response
63
64The tool returns a string:
65- **Approved**: Success message → proceed with the operation
66- **Denied**: "Approval denied" or "Approval denied: {reason}" → STOP, don't execute
67- **Error**: Error message → check configuration or try again
68
69## Quick Example
70
71**Task**: User asks to delete old cache files
72
73**Your workflow**:
741. Check what exists: 3,421 cache files, 1.8GB, from last week
752. Call `request_approval`:
76 - operation: "Delete the temp-cache/ directory"
77 - context: "Contains 3,421 cache files totaling 1.8GB from batch jobs that ran last week. All jobs completed successfully."
78 - reasoning: "Cache is no longer needed and is consuming disk space. Results are in the database."
793. Wait for response
804. If "denied" in response → tell user it's cancelled, ask for alternatives
815. If approved → proceed with deletion
82
83See [references/EXAMPLES.md](references/EXAMPLES.md) for more examples.
84
85## Decision Framework
86
87When unsure:
88
891. **Can this be undone easily?** NO → Request approval
902. **Could this cause harm or data loss?** YES → Request approval
913. **Is this modifying production or external systems?** YES → Request approval
924. **Would a human want to review this first?** YES → Request approval
935. **Am I uncertain about the safety?** YES → Request approval
94
95**Golden Rule**: When in doubt, request approval. Better to ask unnecessarily than to cause harm.
96
97## If Approval is Denied
98
991. **Stop immediately** - do NOT proceed
1002. **Check for comments** - denial may include reasoning
1013. **Inform the user** - explain why it was cancelled
1024. **Look for alternatives** - can you accomplish the goal differently?
1035. **Don't retry** - don't ask again unless circumstances change
104
105## Best Practices
106
107**DO:**
108- ✅ Request approval BEFORE executing
109- ✅ Be specific and detailed
110- ✅ Include numbers (file count, size, affected records)
111- ✅ Explain the impact
112- ✅ Respect denials
113
114**DON'T:**
115- ❌ Execute first, then ask
116- ❌ Be vague
117- ❌ Bundle multiple operations
118- ❌ Proceed if denied
119- ❌ Skip approval because you think it's "probably fine"
120
121## Additional Resources
122
123- [references/SETUP.md](references/SETUP.md) - Configuration and MCP server setup
124- [references/EXAMPLES.md](references/EXAMPLES.md) - Detailed examples and workflows
125- [references/TROUBLESHOOTING.md](references/TROUBLESHOOTING.md) - Common errors and solutions
126
127---
128
129**Remember**: Safety first! Trust is earned by being cautious and respectful of the user's systems and data.
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