[$250] Rules - Report is auto-approved even if the total exceeds the limit set in Rules

[lanitochka17]

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Version Number: 9.2.74-2
Reproducible in staging?: Y
Reproducible in production?: Y
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail: #76302
Issue reported by: Applause - Internal Team

Action Performed:

1. Sign in to ND with gmail account
2. Create a workspace, enable Rules
3. Open Rules page, enable "Auto-approve compliant reports under", do not change the data (the limit is set to $100 by default)
4. Navigate to the workspace chat, create two expenses
5. Open expense report, click Submit

Expected Result:

The report is not auto-approved, as the total exceeds the limit for auto-approval

Actual Result:

The report is auto-approved via WS rules, even though the total exceeds the limit for auto-approval

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Select the officially supported platforms where the issue was reproduced:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Platforms Tested:

On which of our officially supported platforms was this issue tested:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Screenshots/Videos

Add any screenshot/video evidence

Bug7025348_1765315581335.PR_10.1.1.mp4

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Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021998686263686290926
• Upwork Job ID: 1998686263686290926
• Last Price Increase: 2026-03-09

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @akinwale

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @dylanexpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021998686263686290926

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @akinwale (External)

[LorenzoBloedow]

I think this might be a BE issue

[muhammadawais20]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

Report is auto-approved even if the total exceeds the limit set in Rules

What is the root cause of that problem?

• The auto-approval check is applied per expense line instead of the report total, so the combined amount over $100 still passes.

• Client shows the rule toggle in src/pages/workspace/rules/ExpenseReportRulesSection.tsx (component: ExpenseReportRulesSection) and saves the limit via src/libs/actions/Policy/Policy.ts (setPolicyAutomaticApprovalLimit), but no total-based guard is enforced there; the decision is server-driven and currently uses a per-line check.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

• In the rules engine, evaluate auto-approval against the report total (or unheld total) rather than per-transaction.

• If total exceeds the policy’s autoApproval.limit, skip auto-approval and emit the OVER_AUTO_APPROVAL_LIMIT violation (or equivalent) so the report stays submitted/needs approval.

• Optionally add a client-side guard to avoid showing “approved via rules” when total > limit, but the main fix is server-side.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

N/A

Reminder: Please use plain English, be brief and avoid jargon. Feel free to use images, charts or pseudo-code if necessary. Do not post large multi-line diffs or write walls of text. Do not create PRs unless you have been hired for this job.

[melvin-bot]

@akinwale Eep! 4 days overdue now. Issues have feelings too...

[melvin-bot]

📣 It's been a week! Do we have any satisfactory proposals yet? Do we need to adjust the bounty for this issue? 💸