How do I submit a record for approval from a flow?

Add the Submit for Approval core action, set Record ID to the record (for example {!$Record.Id}) and Approval Process Name Or ID to the API name of an active approval process. Optionally add Submission Comments. In a record-triggered flow this submits records automatically when they meet your conditions.

Can an approval process start a flow?

Not directly from the classic approval actions, which are field updates, email alerts, tasks and outbound messages. The usual pattern is a final approval field update (for example Approval Status = Approved) plus a record-triggered flow on that field change. The newer Flow Approval Processes are built in Flow Builder and can run flow steps themselves.

Why do I get ALREADY_IN_PROCESS when submitting from a flow?

The record is already pending in an approval process, and a record can be in only one at a time. Run the flow only when a record is updated to meet the conditions, and add a fault path to the action so the error never blocks the save.

What does Skip Entry Criteria do?

When True, the record is submitted even if it doesn't meet the approval process's entry criteria. Keep it False unless the flow already checks everything the process requires.

Does Submit for Approval work with Flow Approval Processes?

No. The Submit for Approval action submits records to classic approval processes from Setup. Flow Approval Processes are started from Flow Builder in their own way.

Call an Approval Process From Flow in Salesforce (Tested)

To call an approval process from Flow in Salesforce, add the Submit for Approval core action to your flow, set Record ID to the record and Approval Process Name Or ID to the approval process’s API name, and optionally add a submission comment. In a record-triggered flow this submits records automatically, so users no longer have to click Submit for Approval.

I built a real approval process and a record-triggered flow in a Salesforce Developer Edition org that submits every opportunity of 100,000 or more, tested it on create and on update, and tried submitting a record twice. Below are the settings, the approval requests that arrived, and the error you get when a record is already in approval.

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