Withdraw an approval
Platform module
POST/approval-instances/{id}/cancelapprovalInstances.cancel
Withdraws an approval in review, or an Approved one the document has not used (app.cancel_approval): the requester, when approvals.requester_may_cancel allows it (approval_requester_cancel_off: 422), or a holder of org.approval_policies.write. Requires `Idempotency-Key`; a replay returns the original response. A rule that refuses the request returns 422 with `refusal` and `reason`.
- Requires the capability inbox.notifications.write.
- OAuth scopes: inbox.
- Send an Idempotency-Key header. A replay with the same key returns the original response.
- Error statuses: 400, 401, 404, 409, 422, 429. Errors are RFC 9457 problem details.
Path and query parameters
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | string (uuid) | Yes | Identifier of the approval instance. |
Request body: ApprovalCancelRequest
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| reason | string | Yes | Why the approval is withdrawn.Constraints: length 1 to 500 |
{
"reason": "Submitted against the wrong order."
}Response 200: ApprovalInstance
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | string (uuid) | Yes | Identifier of the approval instance. |
| org_id | string (uuid) | Yes | Identifier of the owning organization, derived from the parent row and never accepted from the caller. |
| created_at | string (date-time) | Yes | When the row was created. |
| created_by | string (uuid) | null | Yes | Identifier of the person who created the row; null when a seed, platform or system process created it. |
| updated_at | string (date-time) | Yes | When the row was last updated. |
| updated_by | string (uuid) | null | Yes | Identifier of the person who last updated the row; null when a seed, platform or system process updated it. |
| approval_policy_id | string (uuid) | Yes | Identifier of the approval policy. |
| requested_by | string (uuid) | Yes | Identifier of the requester. |
| approval_state | "In Review" | "Approved" | "Rejected" | "Canceled" | Yes | Approval state. |
| document_type | "Purchase Order" | "Change Order" | "Expense" | "Invoice Approval" | "Payroll Run" | "Requisition" | Yes | Spend document type. |
| document_id | string (uuid) | Yes | Identifier of the spend document submitted for approval. |
| subject_table | string | Yes | Table of the document.Constraints: pattern ^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9._-]{0,63}$ |
| subject_reference | string | null | Yes | The document's own number or name.Constraints: length 1 to 300 |
| project_id | string (uuid) | null | Yes | Identifier of the project of the document. |
| amount_minor | integer (int64) | null | Yes | Amount submitted; the approval covers the document while its amount stays at or below it. Never null: an unpriced document is not submitted. Integer minor units of the resource currency; null means unpriced, never zero. |
| currency_code | string | Yes | ISO 4217 currency of the amount.Constraints: pattern ^[A-Z]{3}$ |
| current_step | integer | Yes | Step the approval waits on; the last step once decided.Constraints: range 1 to any |
| decided_at | string (date-time) | null | Yes | When it was approved, rejected or canceled. |
{
"id": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"org_id": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"created_at": "2026-10-08T14:30:00Z",
"created_by": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"updated_at": "2026-10-08T14:30:00Z",
"updated_by": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"approval_policy_id": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"requested_by": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"approval_state": "In Review",
"document_type": "Purchase Order",
"document_id": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"subject_table": "purchase_orders",
"subject_reference": "17",
"project_id": "0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
"amount_minor": 4000000,
"currency_code": "USD",
"current_step": 1,
"decided_at": "2026-10-08T14:30:00Z"
}Code samples
curl -X POST "$XOS_BASE_URL/approval-instances/0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f/cancel" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XOS_API_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"reason":"Submitted against the wrong order."}'const { data } = await xos.approvalInstances.cancel("0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f", {
"reason": "Submitted against the wrong order."
});response = xos.approval_instances.cancel("0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f", {"reason": "Submitted against the wrong order."})xos approval-instances cancel 0192f1e2-7c3a-7b4d-9e8f-1a2b3c4d5e6f --data '{"reason":"Submitted against the wrong order."}'