How do Chief of Staff permissions and approvals work?
Updated October 28, 2026
Chief of Staff only reads on its own. Before it changes your CRM, sends a message or deletes something, it shows an approval card in the conversation. The permission mode decides when that card appears.
Choose a permission mode
Open the Chief of Staff menu at the top of a conversation, then Permissions:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ask (default) | Asks before every change, send or deletion. |
| Auto | Runs safe changes, asks before risky ones. Sends and deletions still ask. |
| Yolo | Runs everything. Receipts keep Undo where possible. |
The mode is saved for you. Auto doesn't appear in every workspace yet: if you don't see it, use Ask or Yolo.
Approve a change
- Ask for something, for example "Move Acme to Proposal and add a task to call them Friday".
- A card shows what will change, such as Update Acme? with the fields before and after.
- Choose:
- Apply (or Apply changes) to run it;
- Edit to change the values yourself, or Adjust to tell Chief of Staff what to change;
- Skip or Cancel to drop it.
When several changes come together, a batch card lets you Apply all or Skip all, or decide them one by one.
Sending a message
A message card shows From, To, Subject and the text. Send sends it right away from the account shown: "Sends immediately from …". Click Back to draft to keep editing. Chief of Staff never saves a draft in your inbox for later: once you approve, it's sent.
Deleting
- Delete and archive cards say whether the change is Reversible or Cannot be restored.
- Deleting a whole object or field always asks, in every mode, and you type its name to confirm.
After a change
Each change leaves a receipt in the conversation: Done, Sent, Partly applied or Failed. Click Undo to reverse it while the undo window is open. After that, the receipt says Undo window closed.
Always allow a tool
On a card, Always allow "…" lets that action run without a card next time, in Ask and Auto mode. To take it back, click the connections button under the message box, open Manage next to the tools that run without asking, then Revoke or Revoke all.
Why a card says it wasn't applied
| Card | Why |
|---|---|
| Updated since preview | The record changed after the card was prepared. Click Refresh preview, then apply. |
| Expired | The card is too old. Ask again for a fresh one. |
| Not applied: you sent a new message before deciding. | A new message replaces open cards. Ask again. |
| Your role can't do this | Your role in the workspace doesn't allow it. Ask a workspace admin. |
Good to know
- Chief of Staff can do what your role can do, no more. Tools your role can't use show Not available for your role.
- When an answer reads web pages or a connected tool, sends and deletions ask for approval, whatever the mode.
- Scheduled tasks run without you watching: they only create records, tasks and notes on their own. Anything else waits on a card.
- Deleting a conversation doesn't undo the changes made in it.
Related
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