> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://black-sheep-finance.gitbook.io/black-sheep-finance-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://black-sheep-finance.gitbook.io/black-sheep-finance-docs/guides/slack-approvals.md).

# Handling approvals in Slack

The fastest way to add a human in the loop: send `approval.pending` to a Slack channel.

## Setup

1. In Slack, create an **Incoming Webhook**: *Apps → Incoming Webhooks → Add to Slack → pick channel → copy URL.*
2. In Black Sheep: **Dashboard → Webhooks → Add endpoint**.
3. Paste the Slack URL, set **Format** = `Slack`, subscribe to:
   * `approval.pending`
   * `tx.blocked` *(optional but useful)*
   * `approval.approved`
4. Save. A test message lands in the channel.

## What it looks like

```
🐑  Approval required — research-bot
Pay 75 USDC to 7xKX...vendor1
Memo: monthly data API subscription
[ Approve ]  [ Reject ]   |  open in dashboard
```

The buttons require the Black Sheep Slack app (one-click OAuth from **Dashboard → Webhooks**). Without the app, you still get the message — the buttons link to the dashboard instead.

## JSON format

Prefer to render approvals yourself? Switch the format to `JSON` and you get the raw payload (see [Event types](/black-sheep-finance-docs/webhooks/events.md)).

## Threading and noise

* Send `approval.pending` to a **dedicated channel** — don't mix it with general notifications.
* Send `tx.sent` to a **lower-priority** channel or skip entirely.
* Send `tx.blocked` to a **#security** channel — these often indicate misconfigured agents or prompt-injection attempts.

## On-call

Approvals expire after **7 days**. For meaningful coverage, page someone via PagerDuty / Opsgenie on `approval.pending` if it hasn't been resolved in 30 minutes.


---

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