Respond to reminders and escalation

This page is for approvers. It explains when reminders and escalation notices arrive and who receives them, so you can decide on waiting requests sooner.

Check a waiting reminder

1. Check the request and waiting time in the notification. You can see how long this step has been pending.
2. Review the approval queue and decide. Processed steps no longer qualify for new reminders.

The first reminder covers steps waiting longer than the default 24 hours, and administrators can change this threshold with ACTAGATE_APPROVAL_REMINDER_HOURS. Later reminders require more than 24 hours since the previous reminder. There are at most 3 per step, including the first. Individual steps notify the approver; group steps notify group members. The third reminder also notifies the requester. Delegates do not receive these reminders.

Waiting time starts when the previous level finishes, or at request creation for the first level. Time spent at the preceding level does not count against your step. Administrators can also see waits exceeding 24 hours in the dashboard.

Respond to escalation

Only steps with a waiting time and target configured in the catalog route qualify. After that time is exceeded, another approver is added at the same level while the original approver remains. The target is the requester’s manager, a specified user, or a specified approval group. The added target receives an approval request, and the original individual approver also receives a notice.

1. Review the request and route. You can identify the original approver and added target.
2. Submit a decision. Approval by either the original approver or the added target ends the partner step and allows progress. Other required parallel approvals still apply.
3. Check approval.escalated in “Audit”. The record includes escalated_to_user_id for a person, escalated_to_group_key for a group, and the configured escalate_to.

If the target cannot be resolved or matches the original approver, no approver is added. The event is audited and escalation is not retried for that step. Ask an administrator to check the route.

Notification timing

Reminders and escalation check deadlines during reads and events. Notification occurs in a later check after the threshold, rather than exactly at the deadline. Slack or email delivery follows the organization’s connection settings.