Approving or declining an action (Approve cards) Guide
When the assistant is about to act on the outside world, it shows an Approve card first so nothing happens without your confirmation.
Last updated July 16, 2026
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Your AI Assistant can answer questions on its own, but when a request would reach the outside world — sending an email or message, deleting something, or making a payment — it pauses and shows you an Approve card first. Nothing leaves your account until you say yes.
Why some actions need your approval
Reading, drafting, researching, and analyzing all happen inside your workspace, so the assistant does them right away. Actions that change something outside the chat are different: once an email is sent or a record is deleted, it can't easily be taken back.
To keep you in control, the assistant asks for a quick confirmation before it takes any of these steps. This is a deliberate safety check, not an error — it means the assistant understood your request and is ready to act, but wants your go-ahead first.
You'll typically see an Approve card before the assistant:
- Sends an email, message, or reply through a connected app
- Places a phone call on your behalf
- Deletes or permanently removes something
- Makes a purchase or payment
- Takes other actions that affect people or systems outside the chat
What an Approve card shows you
The Approve card appears inline in the conversation, right where the assistant would otherwise continue. It summarizes exactly what the assistant intends to do — for example, who an email would go to and what it would say — so you can review the details before anything happens.
Tip: Read the summary before approving, especially recipients and amounts. If something looks off, decline and tell the assistant what to change — it will revise and show you a new card.
How to approve an action
- Read the summary on the Approve card to confirm the details are correct.
- Select Approve (or the equivalent confirm option shown on the card).
- The assistant carries out the action and reports back in the chat when it's done.
If your request involves several steps, the assistant continues with the remaining work after you approve, and will show another card if a later step also needs confirmation.
How to decline an action
- Select Decline (or the equivalent dismiss option) on the card.
- The action is cancelled and nothing is sent, deleted, or paid.
- Optionally, reply in the chat to explain what you'd like changed — for example, a different recipient, wording, or timing.
Declining is always safe. It simply stops that specific action; your conversation and any work already completed stay intact.
Approving during a live voice conversation
If you're in a hands-free voice session, the assistant can still propose actions that need confirmation. It will tell you what it's about to do and wait for your spoken response, so you can approve or decline by voice without returning to the keyboard.
Good to know
Approval is per action
Each outside-world action gets its own card. Approving one send doesn't pre-approve future ones — the assistant checks in each time so you're never surprised.
If you're unsure whether something happened
The assistant confirms in the chat once an action completes. If you don't see a confirmation, the action likely wasn't approved or was declined. You can ask the assistant to try again, and it will present a fresh Approve card.
Changing your mind mid-request
If a reply is heading in the wrong direction before any card appears, you can use Stop to interrupt it, then restate what you need. Because outside-world steps wait for an Approve card, you always have a final checkpoint before anything is carried out.