Prerequisites
Before setting up EasyFlow, make sure you have the following ready:
monday.com Account
An active monday.com workspace with admin access to install apps on your boards.
Board with Status Column
At least one board with a Status column to track the approval state (e.g., "Pending Approval", "Approved", "Rejected").
Email Columns
One Email or Text column per approval step containing the approver's email address.
Admin Permissions
You need to be a board admin or workspace admin to configure approval chains in EasyFlow settings.
Installation
Install EasyFlow from the monday.com Marketplace
Search for "EasyFlow" in the monday.com Apps Marketplace, or use the direct install link. Click Install and choose the workspace where you want to use it.
Add EasyFlow to your board
Open the board you want to add approval workflows to. Click the "+" button on the board header, go to Apps, and add EasyFlow. Two views will appear:
- EasyFlow Settings — Admin view to configure approval chains (add as a Board View)
- Approval Status — Per-item panel showing the approval timeline (add as an Item View)
Prepare your board columns
Make sure your board has:
| Column Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Tracks approval state automatically | Labels: "Pending Approval", "Approved", "Rejected" |
| Email / Text | One per approval step (holds approver's email) | "Manager Email", "Director Email" |
| Any column | Context shown in approval emails (optional) | "Budget Amount", "Department", "Description" |
Configuration
Open the EasyFlow Settings view on your board to configure approval chains. This is where you define who approves, in what order, and what happens at each stage.
Create an Approval Chain
Click "+ Add Approval Chain" to create a new chain. Each chain defines a complete approval workflow with its own steps, statuses, and rules.
A descriptive name for this workflow. Shown in the approval status panel and email notifications.
Status Column Mapping
EasyFlow automatically updates a Status column on your board as the approval progresses. Configure three status labels:
Adding Approval Steps
Each step represents one person who must approve the request. Steps are executed sequentially — Step 2 is only notified after Step 1 approves.
Context Columns
Select which board columns to include in the approval email. This gives approvers the information they need to make a decision without logging into monday.com.
Toggle columns on/off. Selected columns appear in the approval request email as a data table.
Token Expiry
Set how long approval links remain valid. After expiry, the approver will need the flow to be re-triggered.
Default: 48 hours
Triggering Approvals
Manual Trigger
To start an approval flow for any item:
Open the item
Click on any item in your board to open its detail panel.
Navigate to Approval Status
Switch to the Approval Status item view tab.
Click "Start Approval Flow"
Select the approval chain to use and click the button. EasyFlow will:
- Read the approver email from the first step's column
- Generate secure, time-limited approval tokens
- Send an email notification to the first approver
- Update the item status to the trigger label
- Log the action as an update on the item
Example: Budget Approval
Marketing team submits a $45,000 Q2 budget for approval
john@acme.comsarah@acme.comjohn@acme.comsarah@acme.comApproving & Rejecting
Approvers have three ways to respond to approval requests. No monday.com account is needed for any of them.
One-Click Email Actions
The simplest way. Approvers receive a branded email with all the context they need, plus two buttons:
Approve
Clicking opens a confirmation page where the approver can add an optional comment, then confirm.
Reject
Opens a page to provide a reason for rejection. The requester is notified immediately with the feedback.
Detailed Review Page
The email also includes a "View full details" link that opens a secure web page showing:
- Item name, board, and requester
- Full approval timeline with all steps and their statuses
- Context data from your selected columns
- Approve / Reject buttons with comment fields
- Previous approvers' comments (if any)
Status Tracking & Timeline
Open any item and navigate to the Approval Status view to see the live timeline of the approval flow:
Audit Trail
Every approval action is automatically logged as an update on the monday.com item, creating a permanent, timestamped record. This includes:
Real-World Examples
Finance: Purchase Order Approval
Scenario
Your procurement team submits purchase orders. Orders under $5,000 need one approval; orders over $5,000 need three levels of approval.
Board Setup
| Chain Name | PO Approval (High Value) |
| Status Column | PO Status with labels: "Awaiting Approval", "PO Approved", "PO Rejected" |
| Step 1 | Department Manager → Manager Email column |
| Step 2 | Finance Controller → Finance Email column |
| Step 3 | CFO → CFO Email column |
| Context Columns | Vendor, Amount, Description, Category |
| Token Expiry | 72 hours |
Result
When triggered, the manager reviews first. If approved, the finance controller is notified. Finally, the CFO gives the last sign-off. Each approver sees the vendor, amount, and description right in their email.
HR: Offer Letter Approval
Scenario
Before an offer letter is sent, it needs to be approved by the hiring manager and the HR director.
Board Setup
| Chain Name | Offer Approval |
| Status Column | Offer Status with labels: "Pending HR", "Offer Ready", "Offer Rejected" |
| Step 1 | Hiring Manager → HM Email column |
| Step 2 | HR Director → HR Director Email column |
| Context Columns | Candidate Name, Position, Salary, Start Date, Location |
| Token Expiry | 24 hours (time-sensitive) |
Result
Both the hiring manager and HR director can approve from their phone via email. The recruiter is notified the moment the offer is fully approved and can send it immediately. If rejected, they see the reason and can revise.
Content: Blog Post Publishing
Scenario
Blog posts need editorial review before publishing. An external freelance editor (not on monday.com) reviews first, then the content lead gives final approval.
Board Setup
| Chain Name | Content Review |
| Status Column | Publish Status with labels: "In Review", "Ready to Publish", "Needs Revision" |
| Step 1 | Freelance Editor → Editor Email column |
| Step 2 | Content Lead → Lead Email column |
| Context Columns | Title, Category, Word Count, Target Publish Date |
| Token Expiry | 168 hours (7 days) |
Result
The external editor uses the portal to see all pending articles in one view, reviewing and approving them batch-by-batch. They don't need a monday.com seat. The content lead then gives the final go-ahead.
Troubleshooting
The email column for that step is empty on the item. Make sure each approver's email is filled in the corresponding column before triggering the flow.
The approval token has expired. Re-trigger the approval flow on the item to generate fresh links. Consider increasing the token expiry hours in your chain configuration.
Each approval link is single-use for security. The approver already clicked the link once. Check the item's approval status to see the recorded action.
Ensure the status labels in your chain configuration exactly match the labels in your monday.com Status column (including capitalization and spaces). Go to the column settings on your board to verify.
You've exceeded the step limit for your current plan. Upgrade to Basic (up to 3 steps) or Pro (unlimited steps) to add more approval levels.
Check the spam/junk folder. Emails are sent from approvals@easyflow.day. Ask the approver to allowlist this address. Also verify the email address in the column is correct and doesn't contain typos.
Uninstalling EasyFlow
Uninstalling EasyFlow from your monday.com account is destructive. Here is exactly what happens so you can plan accordingly.
- Pending approvals are invalidated immediately. Any approval email links already sent will return an error when clicked, because the approval chain configuration and tokens are deleted.
- All EasyFlow data is erased within a few minutes. Approval chains, pending approvals, approval tokens, portal sessions, and settings are purged from monday.com Storage.
- Past approval decisions remain in your board history. Approvals and rejections already posted as monday.com item updates are part of your board — they stay even after uninstall.
- Reinstalling starts fresh. No stale configuration or history is restored — you will configure your approval chains again from scratch.
Ready to get started?
Install EasyFlow and set up your first approval chain in minutes.