Approval Depends on Output That Needs Approval

A required approval depends on an AI output or workflow result that itself cannot be produced or trusted until approval is granted.

What This Looks Like

A workflow requires approval before an AI output can be used, but the approval decision depends on that same output being available, complete, or trusted. The process may loop because the approver needs the generated result to approve it, while the system requires approval before generating or accepting the result.

Why It Matters

Approval loops block resolution. Users cannot tell whether to generate first, approve first, escalate, or stop. If the workflow guesses, it may either use unapproved output or prevent necessary work from being produced.

Structural Signal

The approval condition depends on the output that the approval condition is supposed to govern. The issue is not simply missing approval; it is a circular dependency between approval authority and output availability.

Common Triggers

Approval is required before generation but reviewers need the generated draft
A tool output is needed to determine whether tool use is approved
The workflow requires validation before producing the object to validate
Policy requires review of evidence that cannot be collected until approved
Draft and final states are not separated
The system lacks a provisional or preview state for approval

When to Use This Issue

Use this Issue when approval depends on an output or workflow result that itself requires approval before it can exist, be used, or be trusted.

When Not to Use This Issue

Do not use this Issue when approval is simply missing or delayed. Do not use it when the output can be produced in a clearly marked draft or preview state and the workflow handles that state correctly.

Primary Pattern

PAT-0250 — Circular Dependency

Declared Patterns

PAT-0250 — Circular Dependency
A structural condition where two or more elements depend on each other in a closed loop without an independent base condition or declared resolution mechanism.
PAT-0120 — Missing Authority
A structural condition where a region, action, state, or decision path exists without a declared governing authority.
PAT-0100 — Authority Collision
A structural condition where multiple authorities claim governance over the same region without a declared precedence or resolution rule.

Derived Primary Lenses

LEN-0100 — Absence Lens
Detects structurally required elements that are missing from the observed structure.
LEN-0110 — Authority Overlay Lens
Maps declared authority hierarchies onto observed structure to detect absence, override, or conflict.
LEN-0150 — Conflict Lens
Detects mutually incompatible constraints, claims, states, or declarations that cannot be simultaneously satisfied.
LEN-0250 — Propagation Lens
Traces how structural declarations, effects, or state changes propagate across boundaries or stages.

Derived Secondary Lenses

LEN-0210 — Invariant Lens
Verifies that declared invariants are structurally enforceable and not contradicted by observed structure.
LEN-0230 — Normalization Lens
Transforms structurally equivalent variants into a canonical form to prevent false divergence.
LEN-0270 — Reconciliation Lens
Evaluates whether structural changes align with declared authority updates, version changes, or reconciliation rules.

Search Intents

approval depends on output that needs approval
AI approval circular dependency
output needs approval before approval can happen
approval loop AI workflow
cannot approve because output not approved
workflow approval depends on itself

Ontology Metadata

Code: ISS-0088
Version: ISS-0088@0.1.0
Ontology release: 0.1.0
Updated: 2026-05-10T00:00:00Z

History

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