Tool Approvals in eLLM

What this product is for

eLLM can use connected tools to do things beyond answering from documents, for example reading a file through a connected service. Some of those actions are sensitive, so eLLM can hold them for human review instead of running them automatically. The approvals page is where an administrator approves or rejects those held actions, keeping a person in control of anything that matters.

Main features

• A queue of pending tool actions waiting for a decision.
• Approve an action to let it run, or reject it to stop it.
• The original question waits until a decision is made.
• Approving an action also resumes any workflow that was paused waiting for it.

How to use it

Reviewing the queue

1. Sign in with an administrator account.
2. Open the Approvals page.
3. You will see the list of pending tool actions, each describing what is being requested.

Making a decision

• Select Approve to let the action run. The held question then continues, and any waiting workflow resumes.
• Select Reject to stop the action. The request will not run.

Common tasks

• Clear pending requests: open the approvals page regularly and decide on each item.
• Allow a held query to finish: approve the action it is waiting on.
• Block an action you are not comfortable with: reject it.

Things to know

• The approvals page is for administrators only. Normal accounts do not see it.
• Whether a tool needs approval depends on how it was set up. Each connected service has an auto-execute setting: when it is off, the service's tool calls queue here for approval; when it is on, they run immediately without review.
• Personal tool connections that a user adds for themselves always run automatically and never appear in this queue, because the user owns the connection.
• A waiting query is held open until a decision is made or it times out.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing is in the queue: there are no pending actions, or all connected tools are set to run automatically.
• A user says their answer is stuck: they may be waiting on an action in this queue. Approve or reject it to let their query continue.
• A workflow seems paused: it may be waiting for approval of a tool step. Approving the action resumes the run.

Frequently asked questions

Why do some tools need approval and others don't?

Each connected service has an auto-execute setting. With it off, the service's actions wait here for approval; with it on, they run immediately.

What happens to a question while its action waits?

It is held open until you approve or reject, or until it times out.

Can a normal user approve actions?

No. Only administrators can review the approvals queue.

Does approving affect workflows?

Yes. If a workflow was paused waiting for that action, approving it resumes the workflow.

Summary

The approvals page keeps a human in control of sensitive tool actions. Administrators review each pending request and approve or reject it; the held query continues once a decision is made. Tools set to run automatically, and users' own personal tools, bypass this queue.