Auto-Decision on Timeout

How Auto-Decision Works

public async Task DecideAsync(SuspendedExecution suspension, CancellationToken ct)
{
    var decision = suspension.TimeoutBehavior == "AutoApprove"
                   ? ApprovalDecision.Approved
                   : ApprovalDecision.Rejected;

    var syntheticResponse = new ApprovalOutput
    {
        Decision      = decision,
        Comment       = $"Auto-{decision.ToString().ToLower()} after timeout. No response received.",
        ActorId       = "SYSTEM:AutoDecide",
        DecidedAt     = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow,
        IsAutoDecided = true
    };

    // Write synthetic decision to audit table
    await _decisionRepo.InsertAsync(new ApprovalDecision
    {
        ExecutionId    = suspension.ExecutionId,
        NodeId         = suspension.SuspendedNodeId,
        ActorId        = "SYSTEM:AutoDecide",
        Decision       = decision,
        IsAutoDecided  = true,
        DecidedAt      = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow
    }, ct);

    // Inject response and continue execution
    await _resumeService.ContinueWithAsync(suspension, syntheticResponse, ct);
}

Audit Trail Entry for Auto-Decision

// What appears in the approval audit trail for an auto-decision:
{
  "actorId"      : "SYSTEM:AutoDecide",
  "actorName"    : "System (Auto-Decision on Timeout)",
  "decision"     : "Approved",
  "comment"      : "Auto-approved after timeout. No response received.",
  "isAutoDecided": true,
  "decidedAt"    : "2026-05-25T18:00:00Z"
}

Compliance Note

For regulated industries (finance, healthcare, legal), auto-decisions may need explicit approval from your compliance team. Check your regulatory requirements before using AutoApprove in workflows that trigger regulated actions (e.g., payment disbursements, medical record changes).

Use Cases