Approval System

The Approval System is ModelMonkey's safety layer for spreadsheet modifications. Before any write operation changes your data, you see exactly what will happen and decide whether to proceed.

This gives you complete control over your spreadsheet. No surprises, no accidental overwrites, and the ability to reject any change you don't want.

Every write operation follows a three-step process:

1. Preview - ModelMonkey generates a preview showing exactly what will change. The affected cells are highlighted directly in your spreadsheet so you can see the impact.

2. Decide - Review the preview and choose to approve or reject. Take your time - nothing changes until you decide.

3. Execute or Rollback - If you approve, the change is finalized. If you reject, the preview is removed and your spreadsheet returns to its original state.

This workflow applies to all operations that modify your spreadsheet: writing data, formatting cells, inserting rows, creating charts, and more.

When ModelMonkey prepares a change, it highlights the affected cells directly in your spreadsheet using color-coded backgrounds:

Green highlighting - Creation operations like inserting rows, adding columns, or creating new sheets

Yellow highlighting - Modification operations like writing data, formatting cells, or updating values

Red highlighting - Deletion operations like removing rows, deleting columns, or clearing data

These visual cues help you immediately understand the scope and nature of the proposed change before you approve it.

When a change is pending approval, you have two options:

Approve - Accept the change. ModelMonkey finalizes the operation and removes the preview highlighting. The change becomes permanent in your spreadsheet.

Reject - Decline the change. ModelMonkey rolls back the preview, restores any original formatting, and your spreadsheet returns to exactly how it was before.

You can review multiple pending changes at once and approve or reject them individually.

Example workflow:
1. You: "Add a totals row at the bottom"
2. ModelMonkey: Shows preview with new row highlighted in green
3. You: Review and approve
4. ModelMonkey: Row is finalized, highlighting removed

The following operations require your approval before execution:

Data Operations

• Writing or updating cell values
• Clearing data from ranges
• Moving data between locations
• AutoFill operations

Structural Changes

• Inserting or deleting rows
• Inserting or deleting columns
• Creating, duplicating, or renaming sheets
• Merging or unmerging cells

Formatting

• Cell formatting (colors, fonts, borders)
• Conditional formatting rules
• Column width adjustments

Visual Elements

• Creating or modifying charts
• Managing notes

Read-only operations like reading data, searching, and scanning tables execute immediately without approval.

Review before approving - Always check the highlighted cells to understand the full scope of a change, especially for operations affecting large ranges.

Use rejection freely - If a preview doesn't look right, reject it. You can then refine your request and try again. There's no penalty for rejecting.

Check the description - Each pending change includes a description of what will happen. Read it carefully before deciding.

One change at a time - For complex tasks, consider breaking them into smaller steps. This makes it easier to review and approve each change confidently.

Trust the rollback - If you accidentally approve something, you can use version history in Google Sheets (File → Version history) or undo (Ctrl/Cmd + Z) in Excel to revert. However, it's better to review carefully and reject unwanted changes upfront.