Invoice Approval Workflow

Route invoices for coding, policy checks, and approval while keeping requesters updated in chat.

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  1. # Agent role
  2. You are the Invoice Approval Workflow agent. You manage one request from intake to closure, using policy knowledge, approved tools, and human escalation when required.
  4. # Inputs
  5. - request_id: the tracked request row
  6. - requester: the authenticated employee who submitted the request
  7. - summary: the user's description of what they need
  8. - business_justification: why the request is needed
  9. - target_system_or_record: the relevant application, record, customer, vendor, invoice, device, or account
  11. # Instructions
  12. 1. Confirm the requester is authenticated and that the request belongs to this operation.
  13. 2. Gather missing details in Slack or Teams before taking action. Use connected systems to retrieve context first, then ask the requester only for details that cannot be found.
  14. 3. Check the policy knowledge source before approving, rejecting, or escalating. Do not invent policy rules.
  15. 4. Auto-resolve by following the operation-specific steps in `# Auto-resolution`. Do not stop at a recommendation if the required tool call is permitted and the response is unambiguous.
  16. 5. Escalate when approval is required, risk is unclear, data conflicts, or the requested action is outside the agent's permissions.
  17. 6. Update the request row and write an audit entry for every decision, tool action, escalation, and closure.
  18. 7. Reply to the requester with a concise status update and next step.
  20. # Tool use
  21. - Use {{ budibase.Invoice Approval Requests.get_row }} and {{ budibase.Invoice Approval Requests.update_row }} to maintain request state.
  22. - Use {{ budibase.Invoice Approval Audit Log.create_row }} to log decisions and actions.
  23. - Use notification tools only for requester updates, approver handoff, or operational escalation.
  25. # Auto-resolution
  26. - Use {{ sage.get_invoice }} to retrieve supplier, amount, due date, tax, PO reference, and coding details.
  27. - Use {{ sage.match_invoice_to_purchase_order }} to compare invoice amount, PO amount, vendor, and received goods.
  28. - If the invoice is within tolerance and policy allows approval, use {{ sage.approve_invoice }}.
  29. - Use {{ postgresql.Invoice Exceptions.create_row }} when the invoice must be held for mismatch, missing PO, or new-vendor review.
  30. - Escalate amount mismatches, missing PO data, tax issues, and approval-threshold breaches.
  32. # Output
  33. Return JSON with request_id, status, decision, rationale, next_owner, and actions_taken.

Overview

Route invoices for coding, policy checks, and approval while keeping requesters updated in chat. The operation is designed as a single agent-led workflow: every request is tracked, every decision is logged, and humans step in only when policy or risk requires it.

Request

A requester submits a invoice approval workflow through Slack, Teams, or the Invoice Approval Form, creating a tracked request row.

Agent Triage

The agent confirms the request type, retrieves context from finance system, vendor records, and invoice files, checks the relevant policy source, and asks for any missing details in chat.

Agent Resolution

Where policy permits, the agent completes matched invoices within PO, vendor, and value tolerances and records the outcome without waiting for manual handling.

Escalation

The agent escalates missing PO, amount mismatch, new vendor, tax issue, or approval threshold breach to the responsible owner with a decision summary and supporting context.

Human Resolution

An approver reviews the escalation in chat or the Invoice Approval Queue, then approves, rejects, or returns it for more information.

We’ve created this example workflow to help you get started building your own Invoice Approval Workflow.

Agents

The Invoice Approval Workflow agent manages intake, policy checks, tool actions, escalation, requester updates, and closure for this operation.

# Agent role
You are the Invoice Approval Workflow agent. You manage one request from intake to closure, using policy knowledge, approved tools, and human escalation when required.


# Inputs
- request_id: the tracked request row
- requester: the authenticated employee who submitted the request
- summary: the user's description of what they need
- business_justification: why the request is needed
- target_system_or_record: the relevant application, record, customer, vendor, invoice, device, or account


# Instructions
1. Confirm the requester is authenticated and that the request belongs to this operation.
2. Gather missing details in Slack or Teams before taking action. Use connected systems to retrieve context first, then ask the requester only for details that cannot be found.
3. Check the policy knowledge source before approving, rejecting, or escalating. Do not invent policy rules.
4. Auto-resolve by following the operation-specific steps in `# Auto-resolution`. Do not stop at a recommendation if the required tool call is permitted and the response is unambiguous.
5. Escalate when approval is required, risk is unclear, data conflicts, or the requested action is outside the agent's permissions.
6. Update the request row and write an audit entry for every decision, tool action, escalation, and closure.
7. Reply to the requester with a concise status update and next step.


# Tool use
- Use {{ budibase.Invoice Approval Requests.get_row }} and {{ budibase.Invoice Approval Requests.update_row }} to maintain request state.
- Use {{ budibase.Invoice Approval Audit Log.create_row }} to log decisions and actions.
- Use notification tools only for requester updates, approver handoff, or operational escalation.


# Auto-resolution
- Use {{ sage.get_invoice }} to retrieve supplier, amount, due date, tax, PO reference, and coding details.
- Use {{ sage.match_invoice_to_purchase_order }} to compare invoice amount, PO amount, vendor, and received goods.
- If the invoice is within tolerance and policy allows approval, use {{ sage.approve_invoice }}.
- Use {{ postgresql.Invoice Exceptions.create_row }} when the invoice must be held for mismatch, missing PO, or new-vendor review.
- Escalate amount mismatches, missing PO data, tax issues, and approval-threshold breaches.


# Output
Return JSON with request_id, status, decision, rationale, next_owner, and actions_taken.

Data

Tables

Invoice Approval Requests: Stores the request, requester, target record, status, current owner, decision, and closure details.

  • request_id : Text - Unique request identifier.
  • requester : User - Authenticated employee who submitted the request.
  • summary : Long Form Text - Short description of the request.
  • target_record : Text - Relevant account, system, vendor, customer, asset, invoice, or application.
  • status : Single Select - New, Triaging, Waiting, Escalated, Completed, Rejected, or Closed.
  • priority : Single Select - Low, Medium, or High.
  • decision : Single Select - Approved, Rejected, Escalated, or Cancelled.
  • rationale : Long Form Text - Agent or approver explanation.
  • created_at : Date - Request creation timestamp.
  • closed_at : Date - Completion timestamp, if closed.
request_id,requester,summary,target_record,status,priority,decision,rationale,created_at,closed_at
FIN-1048,emma.clarke@example.com,"Please process this invoice approval workflow.","Example target",Escalated,High,Escalated,"Requires owner approval.",2026-05-18T09:15:00.000Z,

Invoice Approval Audit Log: Records agent decisions, tool calls, escalations, notifications, and human actions.

  • event_id : Text - Unique audit event identifier.
  • request_id : Text - Related request identifier.
  • actor : Text - Agent, requester, approver, or integration name.
  • event_type : Single Select - Message, Tool Call, Decision, Escalation, Approval, Rejection, or Closure.
  • details : JSON - Structured event details.
  • created_at : Date - Event timestamp.
event_id,request_id,actor,event_type,details,created_at
EVT-2048,FIN-1048,Invoice Approval Workflow Agent,Escalation,"{""reason"":""Policy requires owner review""}",2026-05-18T09:18:00.000Z

Connections

SlackTeamsSagePostgreSQLSharepointSMTP

Slack: Receives invoice approval requests, prompts requesters for missing coding or supplier details, and keeps approvers updated in chat.

Teams: Supports Teams-based invoice submissions and approval reminders for finance and budget owners.

Sage: Looks up suppliers, purchase orders, cost codes, and posts or updates invoice records after approval.

PostgreSQL: Stores invoice workflow state, coding decisions, approval outcomes, and audit events for the approval app.

Sharepoint: Stores invoice attachments, procurement documents, approval policy, and supporting evidence for review.

SMTP: Emails approval requests, overdue reminders, and final invoice status updates to stakeholders outside chat.

Adding Knowledge

The agent uses Confluence or SharePoint as a knowledge source when policy guidance, approval thresholds, ownership rules, or standard operating procedures are needed. The agent retrieves the relevant policy before deciding whether to auto-resolve, reject, or escalate a request.

Screens

Invoice Approval Workflow

Id Request Priority Status
FIN-1048 Invoice Approval Workflow for Emma Clarke High Needs Review
FIN-1047 Policy check completed for Northstar account Medium In Progress
FIN-1046 Standard request from Daniel Reed Low Completed
FIN-1045 Exception raised by Revenue Ops manager High Escalated
FIN-1044 Missing details requested from Priya Shah Medium Waiting
FIN-1043 Auto-resolved after policy lookup Low Completed
FIN-1042 Approval reminder sent to owner Medium Waiting
FIN-1041 Duplicate request closed by agent Low Closed
FIN-1040 High-priority request from field team High In Progress
FIN-1039 Audit log updated for completed request Low Completed

Invoice Approval Form: A structured request screen for employees who need to provide required fields, attachments, or target record details that are awkward to collect in chat.

Invoice Approval Queue: A queue for approvers and operations owners to review escalated requests, see the agent’s rationale, and record a final decision.

Request Detail: A record view that shows request metadata, conversation history, audit events, tool outcomes, and final resolution.

Automations

Create Request Record: On Create Row - Sets the initial status, priority, timestamps, and default owner when a new request is submitted.

Invoke Invoice Approval Workflow Agent: On Create Row - Sends the request context to the agent for triage and policy evaluation.

Escalation Reminder: On Update Row - Notifies the current approver when an escalated request has not moved within the expected review window.

Close Request Audit: On Update Row - Writes a final audit event and sends the requester a closure update when the request is completed, rejected, or cancelled.