Approval Workflow Handler – SendGrid & Baserow

This workflow automates the end-to-end approval process for any request type (e.g., purchase orders, content sign-off, access permissions). It routes the request to designated approvers, records every decision in a Baserow table, and notifies requesters and stakeholders via SendGrid at each stage.

Pre-conditions/Requirements

Prerequisites

• n8n instance (self-hosted, desktop, or n8n cloud)
• SendGrid account with an API Key
• Baserow workspace & table set up to store approval records
• Basic understanding of n8n node configuration

Required Credentials

• SendGrid API Key – For sending transactional emails
• Baserow Personal API Token – For creating, updating, and querying table rows

Specific Setup Requirements

How it works

This workflow automates the end-to-end approval process for any request type (e.g., purchase orders, content sign-off, access permissions). It routes the request to designated approvers, records every decision in a Baserow table, and notifies requesters and stakeholders via SendGrid at each stage.

Key Steps:

• Trigger: A Manual Trigger (or any upstream workflow) injects the initial request data.
• Create Record (Baserow): Store the new request as a “Pending” row.
• Notify Approver (SendGrid): Email the approver with approval/denial links.
• Wait for Action: Hold execution until the approver clicks a link that calls the workflow’s Webhook URL.
• Decision Branch (If node): Determine whether the request is Approved or Rejected.
• Update Record (Baserow): Write the new status and timestamp back to the row.
• Notify Requester (SendGrid): Send the final decision to the original requester.
• Error Handling: Error Trigger captures any unhandled failures and notifies ops.

Set up steps

Setup Time: 15-25 minutes

1. Clone or import the template into your n8n instance.
2. Add credentials
   a. Go to Credentials → New → SendGrid and paste your API key.
   b. Go to Credentials → New → Baserow and paste your Personal API Token.
3. Configure environment variables (optional but recommended)
   • APPROVER_EMAILS – Comma-separated list of default approvers.
   • STAKEHOLDER_EMAILS – Comma-separated list of CC recipients.
4. Edit the Baserow node
   • Select your workspace and the “Approvals” table that matches the column schema above.
5. Customize email templates in both SendGrid nodes (subject, HTML content, variables).
6. Update Wait node’s webhook URL if running self-hosted behind a reverse proxy.
7. Run a test execution using the Manual Trigger; confirm emails are delivered and the Baserow table updates correctly.
8. Switch the trigger (optional) from Manual to Webhook or Schedule for production use.
9. Enable workflow to begin processing live approval requests.

Node Descriptions

Core Workflow Nodes:

• Manual Trigger – Starts the workflow during testing or via UI.
• Set (Initialize Request) – Normalizes incoming data and generates a unique request_id.
• Baserow (Create Row) – Inserts a new “Pending” record.
• SendGrid (Notify Approver) – Sends approval request email with dynamic links.
• Wait – Pauses execution until the approver responds.
• If (Decision) – Routes the flow based on approved vs rejected.
• Baserow (Update Row) – Writes final status and timestamp.
• SendGrid (Notify Requester) – Communicates final decision.
• Merge – Consolidates parallel branches before ending.
• Error Trigger – Captures errors, logs them, and optionally notifies ops via email.
• Sticky Notes – Contain inline documentation for maintainers.

Data Flow:

1. Manual Trigger → Set → Baserow (Create Row) → SendGrid (Notify Approver) → Wait
2. Wait → If → (Approved ⬅︎ or ➡︎ Rejected) → Baserow (Update Row) → SendGrid (Notify Requester) → Merge

Customization Examples

1. Auto-assign approver based on request amount

// Code node: Dynamic approver selection
const amount = items[0].json.amount;
items[0].json.approver =
  amount > 10000 ? '[email protected]' : '[email protected]';
return items;

2. Slack notification instead of email

// Replace SendGrid node with Slack node
{
  "channel": "#approvals",
  "text": `Request ${$json["request_id"]} was approved by ${$json["approver"]}`
}

Data Output Format

The workflow outputs structured JSON data:

{
  "request_id": "2542",
  "title": "PO > $5K",
  "status": "Approved",
  "requester": "[email protected]",
  "approver": "[email protected]",
  "updated_at": "2024-04-27T15:41:22.347Z"
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Emails not sending – Verify SendGrid API key and account sender verification; check node credentials.
2. Baserow “permission denied” – Ensure the Personal API Token has access to the workspace and table.
3. Wait node never resumes – Confirm the public webhook URL is reachable and correctly embedded in email links.

Performance Tips

• Batch approvals in a single workflow run when possible to reduce API overhead.
• Set up Baserow table indexing on request_id for faster lookups.

Pro Tips:

• Use the Error Trigger to post incidents to a dedicated Slack or Microsoft Teams channel.
• Store reusable email templates in a separate “Settings” sheet or in n8n’s global static data.
• Add analytics by sending events to PostHog or Amplitude after each approval.

This is a community-contributed workflow template. It is provided “as-is” without warranty; review and test thoroughly before using in production.