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# Requests & Approvals Overview

# Requests & Approvals Overview

The **Requests & Approvals** module (formerly labeled "Reviews" in the UI) adds formal approval workflows and visual feedback annotations to your projects. Get client sign-off on deliverables and collect precise feedback with pin-based comments on files and URLs.

## What is Requests & Approvals?

The module includes two main features:

### Approvals
Formal approval workflow for project deliverables. You request approval from a client or stakeholder; they can approve, reject, or request changes. Project status reflects the approval state (e.g. pending approval, approved, pending revision).

### Annotations
Visual feedback pins on project files (images, PDFs) or URLs. Place a pin at a specific location, add threaded comments, assign to a team member, and track status (open, resolved, snoozed). Internal-only annotations are visible only to your team.

## Key Concepts

### Approval Types
- **Deliverable** – Approval for a specific deliverable
- **Milestone** – Approval at a project milestone
- **Final** – Final approval marking project completion

### Approval Status
- **Pending** – Awaiting client response
- **Approved** – Client approved
- **Rejected** – Client rejected
- **Changes Requested** – Client requested revisions

### Revision Requests
When a client requests changes, you create revision requests (title, description, assignee, due date). Team members complete the revisions, then you can resubmit for approval.

### Annotations
- **Target** – A project file (image/PDF) or URL
- **Position** – Pin position as a percentage (0–100) so it stays correct when the preview is scaled
- **Status** – Open, Resolved, or Snoozed
- **Internal** – Internal-only annotations are hidden from clients

## Getting Started

1. Ensure the **Requests & Approvals** module is active for your plan (Professional or Business, or as an add-on).
2. Go to a **Project** and open the **Requests & Approvals** tab.
3. To request approval, click **Request Approval** and choose the type (deliverable, milestone, or final).
4. To add annotations, open a project file or URL preview and click to place pins.

## Client Portal

When the **Requests & Approvals** module is enabled in the [Client Portal](https://docs.swell.com/client-portal) settings, clients can see their approval requests and review links from the portal.

- **Approval requests** – Listed by project with type (deliverable, milestone, final), status (pending, approved, rejected, changes requested), and requested date. Clients respond to approval requests via the main app (e.g. email link or project page); the portal is a read-only view of their requests.
- **Review links** – Shared review boards (visual feedback on files or URLs) appear with an **Open review** link. Clicking opens the shared review page where they can view content and add annotations.

To show this in the portal: enable the **Requests & Approvals** module in **Settings → Client Portal → Modules**, then add a **Requests & Approvals** menu item in **Client Portal → Menu**. Data is scoped to projects linked to the portal customer (contact or company).

## Workflow Automation

Workflow automations can trigger on events and perform actions for Requests & Approvals:

- **Request approval** – Creates an approval request on a project. Parameters: project (from trigger or mapping), type (`deliverable`, `milestone`, or `final`), optional comments.
- **Create revision request** – Creates a revision request on a project. Parameters: project, title, optional description, assignee, due date, optional approval_id to link to an approval.

Use these in workflows that run when a project reaches a certain status, when a form is submitted, or on a schedule. See [Workflow automations](https://docs.swell.com/automations) for how to configure triggers and actions.

## Related Articles

- [Approvals Workflow](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/approvals-workflow-1na026c/)
- [Revision Requests](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/revision-requests-1hbyqk3/)
- [Annotations](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/annotations-13nrbnb/)
- [Reviews API](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/requests-approvals-api-1w8k4hr/)