# Redeem a one-time approval token

`POST /api/v1/approvals/redeem` · operationId `redeemApproval`

For developers: your server sends this request with a server key; it is not a button in the dashboard.

Bound to the same session, action and target; valid once, for 15 minutes after approval. An approval is evidence, not authorization: run your own authorization before performing the write. Refusals are 409 approval_invalid, approval_used, approval_expired or approval_mismatch.

## Authentication

Send `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SERVER_KEY` (siteServerKey: Site server key in Authorization: Bearer <key> (the scheme is case-insensitive and required; a bare key is 401). Shown once on creation or rotation. Publishable keys cannot authenticate). Keep the server key in server-only configuration; never send it to a browser.

## Request body

Content-Type: application/json (required)

- `approvalToken` (string, required) · pattern `^ao_ap_`
- `sessionToken` (string, required) · minLength 1, maxLength 250: Opaque browser session token; do not log.
- `actionId` (string, required) · pattern `^[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,64}$`
- `targetId` (string | null, optional) · pattern `^[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,128}$`

```json
{
  "approvalToken": "ao_ap_PASTE_APPROVAL_TOKEN",
  "sessionToken": "PASTE_BROWSER_SESSION_TOKEN",
  "actionId": "export_report",
  "targetId": "report_1042"
}
```

## Responses

- **200**: Success · body `Redemption`
- **400**: bad_request: the request is invalid; message says what to fix and field names the request field · body `Error`
- **401**: unauthorized (missing or invalid server key, missing Bearer scheme, or a malformed or unsigned session token) or session_reinit_required (a token this collector issued whose session expired, was revoked or was removed); use the code to distinguish · body `Error`
- **403**: forbidden: the server key and session token belong to different Sites, or the call came from a browser page · body `Error`
- **404**: not_found: unknown path, or an ID in the path that is not on this Site · body `Error`
- **409**: approval_invalid (not a token for this Site), approval_used (already redeemed), approval_expired (more than 15 minutes after approval) or approval_mismatch (another session, action or target) · body `Error`
- **413**: payload_too_large: the request body exceeds 131072 bytes · body `Error`
- **429**: rate_limited: wait for Retry-After · body `Error` · headers `Retry-After`
- **500**: internal_error: fail the protected action; do not retry automatically · body `Error`
- **503**: service_unavailable: temporarily unavailable; only verify retries · body `Error`

### Success body fields

- `redeemed` (true, required)
- `replayed` (boolean, required)
- `decisionId` (string, required)
- `actionId` (string, required) · pattern `^[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,64}$`
- `targetId` (string | null, required)
- `sessionId` (string, required)
- `approvedAt` (number, required): Unix epoch milliseconds.
- `approvedBy` (string | null, required)
- `reason` (string, required)
- `note` (string, required)

Failures are not verdicts. Error bodies follow the `Error` schema: `code` is one of `bad_request`, `unauthorized`, `session_reinit_required`, `forbidden`, `not_found`, `conflict`, `identity_required`, `payload_too_large`, `rate_limited`, `internal_error`, `service_unavailable`, `request_failed`, `approval_invalid`, `approval_used`, `approval_expired`, `approval_mismatch`, `step_up_not_held`, `step_up_mismatch`, `step_up_settled`, `step_up_expired`, `step_up_superseded`, `agent_tokens_disabled`, `tool_not_approved`, `tool_not_read_only`. [Errors and retries](/docs/errors) explains each code and what to do.

## Example

```sh tab=curl
curl -sS -X POST 'https://app.trytelltale.dev/api/v1/approvals/redeem' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TELLTALE_SERVER_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{"approvalToken":"ao_ap_PASTE_APPROVAL_TOKEN","sessionToken":"PASTE_BROWSER_SESSION_TOKEN","actionId":"export_report","targetId":"report_1042"}'
```

```js tab=fetch
const response = await fetch("https://app.trytelltale.dev/api/v1/approvals/redeem", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: 'Bearer ' + process.env.TELLTALE_SERVER_KEY,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "approvalToken": "ao_ap_PASTE_APPROVAL_TOKEN",
    "sessionToken": "PASTE_BROWSER_SESSION_TOKEN",
    "actionId": "export_report",
    "targetId": "report_1042"
  }),
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000)
});
const result = await response.json();
```

Machine-readable contract: [openapi.json](https://app.trytelltale.dev/openapi.json). Request builder: the [API explorer](/docs/api-explorer) shows every operation as curl; it sends requests only on a local dashboard.