> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ocoya.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Post approvals

> Send a post to someone for sign-off before it publishes, and what happens when they approve or reject it.

Approvals put a post in front of someone before it goes out. The post holds at **Pending approval** until an approver acts on it — it will not publish in the meantime, even if its scheduled time passes.

This is the mechanism agencies use to get client sign-off, and teams use for a second pair of eyes.

## Send a post for approval

<Steps>
  <Step title="Write the post">
    A post needs content before it can be sent. An empty one is refused with *Add content before requesting approval*.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Request approval">
    In the post editor.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose who approves it">
    Pick one or more people from the brand's members. At least one is required — Ocoya refuses with *Select at least one approver* otherwise.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send it">
    The post moves to **Pending approval** and the approvers are notified.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What approvers can do

**Approve it.** The post continues on its existing schedule:

> This post has been approved and can continue with its scheduled publishing flow.

Approving doesn't publish the post — it releases it to publish at the time it was already set for. If that time has already passed, give it a new one.

**Reject it.** The post goes back to being a draft:

> This post has been rejected and moved back to draft.

That means a rejected post loses its scheduled time. Fix whatever was wrong, then reschedule and send it for approval again.

<Note>
  People on the **Client** role can approve and decline posts but cannot create or edit them, which is exactly the shape most agency sign-off needs. See [Roles and permissions](/help/roles-and-permissions).
</Note>

## Finding posts waiting on approval

Planner's **Board** view has a Pending approval column with a live count, which is the quickest way to see what's outstanding.

<Frame caption="The Pending approval column in Board view shows what's waiting on someone.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/ocoya/AXU_TbAvrsHP8A-m/images/screenshots/planner-board.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=AXU_TbAvrsHP8A-m&q=85&s=b706adf88574bc2d8545474882e24221" alt="Ocoya Planner in Board view with Draft, Scheduled, Pending approval, Posted and Error columns, each showing how many posts it holds" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/screenshots/planner-board.png" />
</Frame>

Clients don't see Drafts or internally-pending posts at all, so what a client sees in that column is only what's actually waiting on them.

## Common problems

**"The post didn't go out even though it was scheduled."** Check whether it was still pending approval. A post awaiting sign-off does not publish, and Ocoya does not publish it late once approved — see [Why didn't my post publish?](/help/post-didnt-publish)

**"I can't send this post for approval."** Two reasons Ocoya gives: the post has no content, or it's locked because it's already publishing or published. The message is *Approval is unavailable while this post is locked*.

**"My approver can't see it."** They need to be a member of that brand. Membership is per brand, so someone in your other brand won't see it.

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Roles and permissions" icon="users" href="/help/roles-and-permissions">
    Which roles can approve, and which can only approve.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Planner views" icon="layout-grid" href="/help/planner-views">
    Where to see everything awaiting sign-off.
  </Card>
</Columns>