Send-and-wait email approval
Carly emails a stakeholder, pauses the workflow for up to 48 hours, and resumes on their reply. Works on Gmail or Outlook.
The workflow at a glance
How this workflow works, step by step
- 1 Trigger Manual
The flow begins on manual. Carly is listening for this event and kicks off the rest of the steps automatically.
- 2 Action Send for approval
Finally Carly takes action in Gmail or Outlook: send for approval. This is the thing that actually moves the world.
- 3 Wait Wait for reply
Carly pauses here. Wait for reply. The workflow resumes the moment the wait condition is met — a reply, a timer, an external signal.
- 4 Branch Approved?
The flow splits on "Approved?." Different inputs follow different paths through the rest of the workflow.
- 5 Action Proceed
Finally Carly takes action in Microsoft Teams: proceed. This is the thing that actually moves the world.
When to use this template
- You want this work to happen consistently without anyone remembering to do it.
- You're already using Gmail and Outlook, and the manual version of this is eating real minutes a week.
- You want a visible canvas you can audit and edit — not a black-box agent doing things you can't see.
When not to use it
- This task only happens once or twice a month — the setup cost won't pay back.
- The decision in the middle of the flow needs human judgment every single time, not just on edge cases.
- Your stack doesn't include any of the apps above and you don't want to wire a generic HTTP step.
Build it in 10 minutes — copy this prompt
Paste this in an email to and Carly will build the workflow for you.
Hey Carly — please build me this workflow. Name: Send-and-wait email approval What it should do: Carly emails a stakeholder, pauses the workflow for up to 48 hours, and resumes on their reply. Works on Gmail or Outlook. Steps: 1. Trigger: Manual (or upstream) 2. Action: Send for approval 3. Wait: Wait for reply (up to 48h) 4. Branch: Approved? 5. Action: Proceed Tools to wire up: Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft Teams Set it live once you've got it working. Thanks!
Apps you'll connect
Carly authenticates these for you over OAuth when she sets up the workflow.
Questions teams ask before building this
How long does this workflow take to set up?
Most teams have "Send-and-wait email approval" running in under 10 minutes. Copy the prompt on this page into an email to carly@usecarly.com and Carly wires the workflow together for you, including authenticating Gmail.
Can I edit this template after Carly builds it?
Yes. Every workflow lives on the Carly canvas where you can rename steps, change conditions, swap LLM models, add filters, and re-route branches. Templates are starting points, not locked recipes.
What if I use a different tool than the ones in this template?
Carly connects to 200+ tools, plus a generic HTTP node for any API that doesn't have a native integration. Tell Carly your stack when you send the prompt and she'll pick the right connectors.
Does this run automatically once it's built?
Yes. The trigger at the start of the workflow fires automatically — on a schedule, on an inbound email, on a webhook, on a calendar event, whatever this template specifies. Carly handles the listening; you only step in when a step is gated on you.
More Email triage templates
Ready to run Send-and-wait email approval?
Carly will build it for you and you'll be up and running in 10 minutes.
Build it in Carly