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    <title>DEV Community: Nathaniel Stoddard</title>
    <description>The latest articles on DEV Community by Nathaniel Stoddard (@okrunit).</description>
    <link>https://dev.to/okrunit</link>
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      <title>DEV Community: Nathaniel Stoddard</title>
      <link>https://dev.to/okrunit</link>
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      <title>How to Add Human Approval to Any Zapier Zap</title>
      <dc:creator>Nathaniel Stoddard</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:45:50 +0000</pubDate>
      <link>https://dev.to/okrunit/how-to-add-human-approval-to-any-zapier-zap-57km</link>
      <guid>https://dev.to/okrunit/how-to-add-human-approval-to-any-zapier-zap-57km</guid>
      <description>&lt;h1&gt;
  
  
  How to Add Human Approval to Any Zapier Zap
&lt;/h1&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Zapier is powerful. A single Zap can create leads, update CRM records, send emails, and sync data across dozens of apps. But what happens when a Zap does something you didn't intend?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A misconfigured filter. A bad data mapping. A test that accidentally runs against production. Without a human verification step, the damage is done before anyone notices.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In this guide, I'll show you how to add a human approval step to any Zapier Zap using OKrunit. It takes about 2 minutes to set up.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Why you need an approval step
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Consider these scenarios:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Bulk operations&lt;/strong&gt;: Your Zap archives inactive users. A filter bug causes it to archive active ones.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Email sends&lt;/strong&gt;: Your Zap sends a welcome email to new signups. A mapping error sends it to your entire contact list.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Data deletion&lt;/strong&gt;: Your Zap cleans up stale records. It matches more records than expected.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In each case, a 30-second human review would have caught the problem.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  How it works
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Add OKrunit to your Zap.&lt;/strong&gt; Search for "OKrunit" in the Zapier app directory and add it as a step before your destructive action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Configure the request.&lt;/strong&gt; Map the action details (what's about to happen, affected records, etc.) to the OKrunit step. This context helps the approver make an informed decision.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Set up notifications.&lt;/strong&gt; In your OKrunit dashboard, configure where approval requests should be sent: Slack, email, Discord, Microsoft Teams, or Telegram.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Approve or reject.&lt;/strong&gt; When the Zap fires, it pauses at the OKrunit step. The designated approver gets a notification, reviews the details, and approves or rejects. The Zap continues or stops based on the decision.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Setting it up
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 1: Create an OKrunit account
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sign up at &lt;a href="https://okrunit.com?utm_source=blog&amp;amp;utm_medium=post&amp;amp;utm_campaign=zapier_approval" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;okrunit.com&lt;/a&gt;. The free tier gives you 100 requests/month, which is plenty for getting started.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 2: Create a connection
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In your OKrunit dashboard, go to &lt;strong&gt;Connections&lt;/strong&gt; and create a new API connection. Name it something descriptive like "Zapier Production." You'll get an API key.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 3: Add OKrunit to your Zap
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In the Zapier editor, add a new step and search for "OKrunit." Select the "Request Approval" action. Connect it with your API key.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 4: Map your fields
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Fill in the request details:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Title&lt;/strong&gt;: A clear description of what's about to happen (e.g., "Delete 500 inactive accounts")&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Priority&lt;/strong&gt;: How urgent is the approval (low, medium, high, critical)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Action type&lt;/strong&gt;: A machine-readable label (e.g., "account.delete")&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Metadata&lt;/strong&gt;: Any additional context the approver needs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 5: Use the result
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;After the OKrunit step, add a Filter or Path step that checks the approval status. If approved, continue with the action. If rejected, stop or take an alternative path.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Advanced: Multi-step approvals
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For high-risk actions, you can require multiple approvers. In your OKrunit dashboard, configure an approval flow that requires 2 of 3 team members to approve, or set up sequential approval (manager first, then CTO).&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Get started
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;OKrunit's free tier includes 100 requests/month with 2 connections. No credit card required.&lt;/p&gt;

</description>
      <category>zapier</category>
      <category>approval</category>
      <category>step</category>
      <category>human</category>
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