# Permissions and approvals

> What your AI assistant can do in StrideHQ, and the settings that let it approve runs or release payouts.

Your AI assistant never has more access than you.

- **It acts as you.** It uses your role and permissions, exactly as if you were using StrideHQ yourself.
- **Changes are logged.** Anything it changes is recorded in StrideHQ's activity log under your name.
- **You can disconnect at any time.** Owners and Admins see every connected person and AI client in **Settings > Developers**, under **Connected AI clients**, with when each was last used, and can revoke access straight away. Turning off **Allow AI clients** disconnects everyone.

### Approving payment runs

By default, your AI assistant can prepare payment runs but can't approve them or release payouts. A person approves every run in StrideHQ.

By default, a person approves every run in StrideHQ. Your Owner can extend that authority to the agent within limits, using the settings below.

Your Owner can change this in **Settings > Agents**. There are two settings, both off by default:

| Setting                              | What it allows                                                                                                              |
| ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Approve payment runs from AI clients | Someone with approval permission can approve a run through their AI assistant.                                              |
| Release payouts from AI clients      | Someone with permission can release payouts through their AI assistant. They still enter a code emailed to them every time. |

When either is on:

- Only people who already have that permission in StrideHQ can use it.
- A run prepared through an AI client can't be approved through an AI client by the same person.
- The Owner can set a limit. Runs above it must be approved and released in StrideHQ.
- Other approvers are notified, and the Owner is emailed whenever either setting changes.

When a setting is off, those tools aren't offered to your AI assistant at all.