Approvals

When a step needs more than the chat's access mode allows, DataMind Oda asks before it acts. While the request waits, an approval card takes the place of the message box, and Oda does nothing until you answer.

The quick list of choices is on Your first task; this page covers the card itself.

When the card appears

Oda asks when a step goes beyond what the chat's access mode allows, for example changing a file outside the workspace or running a command that needs more rights. While a request waits, nothing runs, and the card waits for your answer.

A request to retry a blocked step once with wider access works like this card; see When Oda needs more access.

What the card shows

• The strip Waiting for approval with a state dot at the top.
• The group Approval details holds the request. Its first line is Oda's reason for asking; when Oda wrote no reason, it reads Tool {toolName} requests privileged execution, naming the tool that is asking.
• Below the reason, the card can show more detail about the request, including the step it is about and, for a command, that exact command.
• If the change was already reviewed in your editor, a note says so; Allow once then applies the version you reviewed there.
• Long text, such as a long command, scrolls inside the card, so the answers stay in view at any length.

Your answers

Tell Oda what to do instead

1. Choose Reject with instructions… on the card. A box opens with the placeholder Tell Oda what to do instead.
2. Type what Oda should do instead. Press Enter to send it, or Escape to close the box and go back to the card. Blank text cannot be sent.
3. Click Reject and send. The step does not run, and your note tells Oda what to do instead.

• Your note is trimmed and can be at most 4,000 characters.
• Oda reads the note together with the rejection, in the form Instead, the user asked: <your note>. In the chat, your words stay on the rejected step as a note; they are not sent as a chat message from you.

Allow edits for this chat

• The answer is offered only when the chat is Read Only and the step is a file edit or write. It is not offered for commands.
• Choosing it runs the step once and then switches the chat to Workspace Write, through the same access change as choosing Workspace Write in the message box. After that, changes inside the workspace run without asking, because the mode allows them.
• There is no standing grant beyond the switch. The answer covers the one step, and the new mode stays until you choose another one.

Sending your answer

• When you answer, the card's buttons disable until your choice reaches Oda. If the send fails, they become active again so you can try once more.
• A request takes one answer. Once your choice is in, the card closes.
• A request can be cancelled, for example when the step is stopped. Then nothing is approved for it, and an answer that arrives late is discarded.

When approvals are off

In Full access, approval prompts are turned off: nothing asks you. An operation that would wait for your answer is refused instead of running, so nothing is approved on your behalf. To have Oda ask again, choose another access mode; see Workspaces, files and permissions.

Questions, answered

How do I tell Oda what to do instead?

Choose Reject with instructions… on the card, type your note in the box (Tell Oda what to do instead), and click Reject and send. Enter sends the note, and Escape closes the box; blank text cannot be sent.

What happens to the note I send with a rejection?

Oda reads it with the rejection, as an instruction to do something else, and the step does not run. Your words stay on the rejected step as a note; they are not sent as a chat message from you. Oda reads the note in the form Instead, the user asked: <your note>.

What does Allow edits for this chat do?

It runs the step once and then switches the chat to Workspace Write, so later changes inside the workspace run without asking. There is no standing grant beyond that switch, and you can choose another mode again at any time.

When does Allow edits for this chat appear?

Only when the chat is Read Only and the step is a file edit or write. It is not offered for commands, and it does not appear in the other modes.

Why are the answers disabled after I click one?

Your choice is being sent to Oda, and the card locks its answers for that moment so the same request cannot be answered twice. If the send fails, the answers become active again so you can try once more.

Can I answer the same request twice?

No. Each request takes one answer: once your choice reaches Oda, the card closes and the request is finished. A second answer to the same request is refused.

Can I allow a step always instead of once?

No. There is no always-allow answer: Allow once covers exactly the step the card asks about, nothing is remembered between steps, and the next step that needs approval asks in a new card. The one broader answer, Allow edits for this chat, works by switching the chat to Workspace Write, not by keeping a grant.

Why can't I type while the card is showing?

Because the card takes the place of the message box while the request waits. Answer the card, and the message box comes back.

What does the card say when Oda gives no reason?

Then the card's first line names the tool that is asking and says it requests privileged execution, in the form Tool {toolName} requests privileged execution, with the tool's own name in place of {toolName}. Everything else works the same: read the details and answer as usual.

What happens when approval prompts are off?

Nothing asks you. An operation that would wait for your answer is refused instead of running, so nothing is approved on your behalf. Prompts are off in Full access; choose another access mode to have Oda ask again. See Workspaces, files and permissions.