---
title: Auto-Cancel for Incomplete Approvals
slug: auto-cancel-for-incomplete-approvals
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-07-25T03:04:21.477Z
---

Some organisations experience delays when users fail to approve or decline requests in Activate. This often results in jobs being routed to the Service Desk—teams that may not have the authority to approve or decline, creating bottlenecks and additional workload.

To address this, you can enable **Auto-Cancel** within Activate. This feature automatically cancels jobs that remain in an approval state beyond a defined time period, encouraging users to take timely action.

:::hint{type="warning"}
Before implementing Auto-Cancel, **communicate this change to your users**. They must understand why their jobs are being cancelled and the impact of not responding to approval requests promptly.
:::

### Configuration Options

- **Global Level:** Apply Auto-Cancel across all approvals.
- **Approval Level:** Apply Auto-Cancel to specific approval steps within a workflow.

### Configure Global Auto-Cancel

1. Open **Activate Administrator** and go to:
2. Click **Add After**.
3. In the **Timeout Actions Editor**, configure:
   - **Name** (for the timeout rule).
   - **Timeout After** (how long before Auto-Cancel applies).
4. Click **Add Cancel**.
5. Optionally, add a **custom message** to explain why the job was cancelled.
6. Click **OK**.
7. (Optional) Add additional custom messages under the **Custom Messages** tab.
8. Click **OK** to save.

### Configure Auto-Cancel for a Specific Approval

1. Open the **Workflow** you want to customise.
2. Select the **Approval Node**, then click the **Timeout** button.
3. Configure the timeout in the **Timeout Editor** using the same steps as the global setup.

### Notes

- Auto-Cancel only affects jobs **waiting for approval**. Jobs in a **delay**, **ticket**, or **waiting for a child job** are not affected.
- If you set a timeout on a workflow approval step, **default approvals will not run**. You’ll need to configure any required **escalations and reminders** within the step.