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Request → Package Options → Route To Approver → Capture Decision → Log

Repair Approval Agent

Standardises repair approvals: presents the options, cost, and timeline in one request, routes it to the right approver by your rules, and logs the decision, so approvals stop dying in inboxes.

The Problem

The approval sits in an inbox. The repair waits.

Repair approvals sit in inboxes. Owners get inconsistent information. Decisions are slow and undocumented.

What Changes

A clear request, the right approver, a logged decision.

Presents repair options to the owner or manager with cost, timeline, and trade-offs in a consistent format. Logs the decision and routes the work order forward.

Humans stay in control: Your approver makes the call. The agent prepares the request and routes it. It removes the inbox limbo, not the authority.

HOW THE AGENT WORKS

TRIGGERLLMAPIDECISIONACTIONWAIT
TRIGGERApproval NeededA repair needs sign-off above threshold
LLMPackage RequestOptions, cost, timeline in one view
LLMPick ApproverApply routing rules by amount and type
ACTIONRoute RequestSend to the approver with one-tap options
WAITAwait Decision
DECISIONApproved?
ACTIONLog & ProceedRecord the decision, release the work
ACTIONLog & ReturnRecord a decline, send back with reason
The agent doesn't approve the spend. Your approver does. The agent packages the request and routes it so the decision is fast and recorded.

HOW TO BUILD IT

Three levels of depth. Pick the one that matches where you are.

For the ops person who needs to understand what's involved and brief their team.

Your RequestsRepairs needing sign-off
The AgentWorkflow engine + LLM
Your ApproversFast, logged decisions

WHAT YOUR TEAM PROVIDES ONCE

  • Approval thresholds - what needs sign-off and at what amount
  • Routing rules - who approves by amount, property, repair type
  • Request format - the options, cost, timeline an approver needs
  • Decision log - where approvals are recorded for audit
  • Reminder rule - how long before nudging a pending approver
What happens day-to-day: A repair needs approval. Instead of a vague email that sits for days, the agent sends one clear request, options, cost, timeline, to the right approver and logs the answer. The work moves the same day and there is a record of who decided what.

For the IT person or technical lead who needs to scope the integration.

INQUIRY SOURCES

Work order
Inspection / scope
Vendor bid

WORKFLOW ENGINE (N8N)

Trigger
LLM - Package request
Rules - Pick approver
Route request
Wait - decision
Branch - approved?
Log + proceed/return

CONNECTS TO

PMS (Yardi / AppFolio)Read: WO, costs. Write: approval status
Approval channel (email / Slack)Route requests, capture decisions
Decision log / audit storeRecord every approval and decline
Vendor / dispatchRelease work on approval
WITHOUT PMS API

Agent builds the request from provided details and routes by a static rules table, logging to a sheet. The routing and logging still run.

WITH PMS API

Agent reads live repair cost data, routes by real rules, and writes the decision back to the work order. Best experience.

For the person who wants to build this agent step by step. Each node below maps to an n8n workflow node.

TRIGGERNode 1
Trigger - Approval Needed
Fires when a repair cost exceeds the auto-approve threshold, from a WO or scope.
Output: { wo_id, repair, options[], est_cost, property }
LLMNode 2
LLM - Package Request & Pick Approver
Build a clear one-view request and choose the approver from routing rules.
Output: { summary, options[], approver, route_reason }
You prepare a repair approval request and route it.

Using the repair details and ROUTING RULES, return:
- summary: one-paragraph plain-language description
- options: [{ option, cost, timeline }]
- approver: the right approver from the rules
- route_reason: one line on why this approver

Respond ONLY with valid JSON.

ROUTING RULES: {routing_rules}
REPAIR: {repair_json}
INPUT
{ "repair": "water heater", "options": [{"option":"repair","cost":350},{"option":"replace","cost":1200}], "property": "Maple Court" }
OUTPUT
{
  "summary": "Water heater in unit 214 failing. Repair is cheaper short-term; replacement avoids a likely repeat within a year.",
  "options": [{ "option": "repair", "cost": 350, "timeline": "1 day" }, { "option": "replace", "cost": 1200, "timeline": "2 days" }],
  "approver": "regional_pm_west",
  "route_reason": "Between $500 and $2k at a West property routes to the regional PM."
}
ACTIONNode 3
Route Request
Send the packaged request to the approver with one-tap approve/decline per option.
Output: Approver has a clear, one-tap decision.
WAITNode 4
Wait & Check - Await Decision
Wait for the response, with a reminder after the set interval; escalate if it goes past SLA.
Output: Decision captured, or escalated.
DECISIONNode 5
Condition - Approved?
IF approved → log and release the work. IF declined → log with reason and return to the requester.
Output: Branch: APPROVED (proceed) or DECLINED (return)
ACTIONNode 6
Log & Act
Write the decision, approver, and timestamp to the audit log; release or return the work accordingly.
Output: Decision recorded; work released or returned.
MVP vs Advanced — Where To Start
MVP — START HERE
  • Threshold trigger
  • Manual option entry
  • Static routing rules
  • Email routing
  • Decision to a sheet
  • Manual reminder
ADVANCED — ADD LATER

    Full Video Walkthrough Coming Soon

    From a repair need to a logged approval - step by step.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Repair Approval Agent is an AI agent that standardises repair approval with cost, options, and and decision logging.
    The approval sits in an inbox. The repair waits. The Repair Approval Agent addresses this — it standardises repair approval with cost, options, and and decision logging.
    No — your team stays in control. Your approver makes the call. The agent prepares the request and routes it. It removes the inbox limbo, not the authority.

    This is 5 of 6 agents in Finance & Accounting. → · Explore all 10 departments →