# Post Approvals

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/post-approvals

> Let members submit posts to a read-only channel and publish them once someone approves.

> **Enabling Chat**
>
> Chat is an optional feature. The Account Owner can turn it on from the [Optional Features](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/optional-features#chat) page.

Post approvals let members who cannot post in a [read-only channel](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/group-channels#read-only-channels) submit a post instead. It stays hidden until someone who can post approves it, so an announcements channel can collect stories from the whole team without opening up to general chatter.

Post approvals are included with Chat. They work on group channels only, and only while the channel is read-only.

## Turning On Post Approvals

Only the person who created the channel can turn post approvals on, and only once the channel is read-only.

1. Open the group channel
2. Click **Actions** > **Manage Channel**
3. Turn on **Read-only channel** if it is not already on
4. Turn on **Allow posts for approval**

![The Channel Details panel with Allow posts for approval switched on beneath Read-only channel](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-post-approvals-toggle.png)

A system message records the change in the channel, and another records it being switched off.

> **Read-only and post approvals travel together**
>
> Post approvals only make sense on a read-only channel, so turning **Read-only channel** off also turns off **Allow posts for approval**. Posts already waiting stay in the **Posts** tab for reviewers until they are approved or rejected.

## Submitting a Post

Members who cannot post get a message box that submits for approval instead of sending. Anyone who can already post sends messages as normal and never submits.

1. Open the channel
2. Write your post in the message box
3. Attach files if you need to
4. Click the send button, or press **Enter**

Astalty opens the **My posts** tab so you can see what you submitted. Polls cannot be submitted for approval.

Nothing appears in the channel until a post is approved - a waiting post stays out of the message list, chat search, exports and everyone's unread count.

## Reviewing Posts

Posts waiting for approval collect in the channel's **Posts** tab, beside **Messages** and **Pins**, with a badge showing how many are waiting. The same count appears against the channel in your chat list.

Posts are listed oldest first, each showing who submitted it, the post itself with any attachments, and how long it has been waiting. Anything waiting more than 24 hours is highlighted.

![The Posts tab of the Good News channel listing three posts waiting for approval, the oldest highlighted as waiting 3 days, each with Reject and Approve buttons](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-post-approvals-review-queue.png)

Who can review:

- The person who created the channel
- Members granted **Can post** on the channel
- Users whose role lets them create and manage channels - Administrators by default. See [Roles and Permissions](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/users/roles-permissions#chat)

### Approving a Post

Click **Approve**, then **Publish** to confirm. The post appears in the channel as the newest message, under the name of the person who submitted it, and everyone in the channel is notified as they would be for any message.

> **Publishing cannot be undone**
>
> Approving publishes the post to everyone in the channel straight away. Read it before you approve.

### Rejecting a Post

Click **Reject**, optionally give a reason, then click **Confirm rejection**. The post is not published, and the submitter is told - including your reason, if you gave one.

### Editing a Post Before Publishing

To fix a typo or trim a post before it goes live, open the post's actions menu (three dots) and click **Edit before publishing**. Your edited version is what publishes, still under the submitter's name.

## Seeing Your Own Posts

Everything you have submitted to the channel is in the **My posts** tab, newest first, with its status:

| Status                | What it means                                                         |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Awaiting approval** | Nobody has reviewed it yet                                            |
| **Published**         | It has been approved and is now in the channel                        |
| **Not published**     | It was rejected. Any reason the reviewer gave is shown under the post |

![The My posts tab of the Good News channel showing two posts awaiting approval and one published](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-post-approvals-my-posts.png)

## Notifications

- Reviewers get a **Post Awaiting Approval** notification each time someone submits. Muting the channel silences it - see [Muting Conversations](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/muting-conversations)
- The submitter gets a **Post Reviewed** notification once their post is published or turned down
- Approving also sends the channel's usual new-message notifications to everyone in it

## On the Mobile App

Support Workers can submit posts from the channel in the mobile app in the same way. To review, open the channel, tap **Actions**, then **Posts awaiting approval** - or **My posts** to check your own.