How to Write an Email Approval Policy for an AI Assistant

Quick answer

An email approval policy should name which messages an assistant may draft, which may be sent under standing authority, and which always require review. Define approvals against a concrete recipient and message, and state what happens when the draft changes afterward.

The policy is an operating agreement. Verify which controls your assistant enforces technically rather than assuming that written instructions create a hard permission boundary.

Divide correspondence into meaningful groups

Routine logistics may be suitable for narrow standing authority once the workflow is demonstrated. Examples include confirming a previously agreed appointment or requesting an item from an approved checklist.

Commercial, contractual, personnel, and sensitive customer messages usually need a clearly identified decision owner. An assistant can prepare drafts and organize sources without deciding the commitment.

Ambiguous messages should go to review. If a routine appointment confirmation includes a new price or unusual promise, it no longer fits the ordinary logistics category merely because the subject line looks familiar.

Define what approval covers

An approval should identify the actual draft, sender account, recipients, subject, body, attachments, and any timing instruction. “Send it” can be sufficient in a clear thread only if everyone knows which concrete draft is referenced.

State that material changes require renewed review. Adding a recipient, changing a delivery promise, or attaching another document changes the action. Correcting a harmless typo may be treated differently if your policy says so.

Decide who can approve. In a team, an approval from someone without responsibility for the client or budget should not automatically authorize the action.

An illustrative proposal reply

A founder asks an assistant to draft a reply to a prospect. The founder approves a message offering a discovery call. The prospect then asks whether the service can begin next Monday at a discounted rate.

That new request exceeds the approved message. The assistant should prepare an answer for review rather than carrying forward the prior approval as broad authority to negotiate.

If the founder approves a revised offer, the assistant should verify the exact recipient and attachment version before sending. The completion report should distinguish the approved draft from the message actually sent and identify anything still pending.

An approval policy template

Draft replies for the approved work inbox. You may send only appointment confirmations and checklist requests that use our approved wording and contain no new price, deadline, or service commitment. Hold commercial offers, complaints, contractual questions, personnel matters, and ambiguous requests for my review. Approval applies to the named draft, sender, recipients, and attachments. If any material detail changes, ask again. Report the sent message link and unresolved questions.

This illustrative policy is a starting point, not a claim that every assistant can enforce every category. Ask which controls are available before relying on standing authority.

Make the review efficient

Present a ready-to-send draft with the reason for the response, relevant source facts, and any proposed commitment highlighted in plain language. The owner should not need to reconstruct the entire thread to decide.

Do not bury a substantive change in a long summary. If the draft promises delivery Friday, call that out as a commitment requiring approval. If the fact is missing, leave a visible placeholder or question in the review artifact rather than inventing it.

Batch routine reviews where appropriate. A consolidated set of drafts can reduce interruptions, but each should retain its recipient and context so approvals do not become ambiguous.

Handle delays and revocation

Decide what happens if approval does not arrive. The default may be to hold the draft and send one owner reminder. An approaching deadline should trigger an explicit decision request, not automatic sending.

Provide a way to pause pending communication when the owner takes over or changes instructions. Confirm how your chosen product handles queued actions and access removal.

Review the policy after a few real messages. If the assistant repeatedly asks about the same low-risk case, define it narrowly. If standing authority produces uncomfortable drafts, return that category to review until the rules are clearer.

FAQ

Does approving one email authorize the thread indefinitely?

It should not unless you explicitly grant that scope. New commitments, recipients, or material changes deserve a separate decision under the policy.

Can I approve messages in a quick text?

Yes, if the referenced draft and scope are clear and the product supports that workflow. Keep the concrete message available for inspection.

How can I set this up with Righthand?

Read email management, multi-channel communication, and email triage, then verify the available controls with a draft-first pilot.