I am using the human in the loop to approve a request, from there I have the zap split into two, one waiting on the approved, the other on the declined, when I test the “human in the loop” and hit deny, the zap continues through the approved path even though I set it up correctly, when I asked copilot it basically said “issue on the backside of human in the loop”
help.
Question
Human in the loop approval not working as expected
- Beginner
+5- Zapier Solution Partner
Hello
This isn’t a backend issue. It’s how Human in the Loop works.
The step always completes successfully after a decision, even when you click Deny. Approval vs decline is returned as output data, not as a stop condition, so both branches will run unless you filter them.
Fix
Use a Filter or Path rule based on the decision output from the Human in the Loop step.
Approved path checks Decision equals Approved or Approved is true.
Declined path checks the opposite.
Also double check you’re using the correct output field from that step, not a test value.
Dr. Tanvi Sachar
Monday Certified Partner, Tuesday Wizard
- Beginner
Hello
This isn’t a backend issue. It’s how Human in the Loop works.
The step always completes successfully after a decision, even when you click Deny. Approval vs decline is returned as output data, not as a stop condition, so both branches will run unless you filter them.
Fix
Use a Filter or Path rule based on the decision output from the Human in the Loop step.
Approved path checks Decision equals Approved or Approved is true.
Declined path checks the opposite.
Also double check you’re using the correct output field from that step, not a test value.
Dr. Tanvi Sachar
Monday Certified Partner, Tuesday Wizard
I have tried that with the path filters, to no avail. Rules is run if “Decision:approved” exactly matches “approved” (and subsequently for the declined path)
I am also having a problem where while doing a test run, after responding to the request, the human in the loop is still says “pending review”, seeing that I can answer inside of the step during the test, it gives the error “Failed to submit review: A decision already exists for this review”
+5- Zapier Solution Partner
Human in the Loop and Paths can behave inconsistently in test runs due to cached test data, which can make it look like the approved Path runs even when the decision was Denied.
The “pending review” state is also normal. If you respond to the request outside the editor, the test step won’t refresh, which causes the “A decision already exists for this review” error when trying to answer again.
Next steps
Turn the Zap on and trigger it with a real request. Check Zap History to confirm the actual Decision value and which Path ran. If it still routes incorrectly, Zap History screenshots will be key for Support to investigate.
+6- Zapier Solution Partner
Hey
Please post screenshots of Data In, Data Out as well as how each Zap step is configured for us to have more context.
- Beginner
Hey, I’ve run into this issue before. It sounds like Zapier isn’t reading the approval outcome correctly.
Here’s what you can try:
-
Check the path settings: Make sure the "human in the loop" step is set up to clearly send the correct result (approved or denied) to each path. Double-check that both Approve and Deny paths are mapped correctly with the approval decision.
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Re-test the paths: Sometimes adding a quick delay or error handling step helps Zapier catch up with the flow after the decision is made.
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Verify the data Zapier receives: After the “human in the loop” step, add a Test step to see the exact data Zapier is receiving. This will let you know if it’s returning the wrong response (like “approved” even when it’s declined).
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