Everyone

Order Approval (Auto vs Manual)

Configure whether orders are auto-approved on payment or require admin review before provisioning.

Last updated 1776211200
  • Use Cases for Manual Approval
  • Notification Emails
  • Related Articles

    • The Two Modes

    Commerce supports two approval modes, controlled by a single setting:

    Mode Setting value Behaviour
    Auto-approve auto_approve_orders = 1 Order activates as soon as invoice is paid
    Manual approval auto_approve_orders = 0 Order waits in pending after payment; admin must approve

    Changing the Setting

    Go to Admin → Settings → Billing → Auto-approve orders and toggle the switch.

    [!TIP] Auto-approve is the default and works well for most use cases. Enable manual approval only if you have a specific reason (high fraud risk, high-value services, KYC requirements).

    Auto-Approve Mode

    With auto-approve enabled, the flow on invoice payment is:

    1. Invoice marked paid.
    2. Order status → active.
    3. Service records created.
    4. Provisioning jobs dispatched (for hosting type).
    5. Welcome email sent (on provisioning success).

    No admin action required. The client is served immediately after payment.

    Manual Approval Mode

    With manual approval enabled:

    1. Invoice marked paid.
    2. Order stays in pending status.
    3. Admin receives a notification email.
    4. Admin reviews the order at Admin → Orders.

    Approving an Order

    1. Open the order at Admin → Orders → [order].
    2. Click Approve.
    3. Order moves to active, services are created, provisioning dispatched, welcome email sent.

    Rejecting an Order

    1. Open the order at Admin → Orders → [order].
    2. Click Reject.
    3. Choose the outcome:
      • Set order to fraud (client flagged; note added to client record).
      • Set order to cancelled.
    4. Optionally issue a refund or account credit.
    5. A rejection notification email is sent to the client.

    [!IMPORTANT] Rejecting an order does not automatically issue a refund. You must manually process the refund via your payment gateway or issue an account credit.

    Use Cases for Manual Approval

    • High-value dedicated servers — verify client identity before provisioning hardware.
    • High-fraud niches — cross-check new clients against fraud databases before activating.
    • KYC/AML requirements — require document upload or verification before service delivery.
    • Custom services — other type products where you need to review requirements before activation.

    Notification Emails

    Event Who receives email
    New order paid (manual mode) Admin (new order notification)
    Order approved Client (welcome email)
    Order rejected Client (rejection notification)

    Customise templates at Admin → Email Templates.

    Related Articles

    Previous
    ← Public Order Form & Cart
    Next
    Managing Orders in Admin →