# Set a backup approver when you are away

> Researched. Small business · Beginner · Operations. Updated 2026-11-02.

Canonical page: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/set-a-backup-approver-when-you-are-away/

## What it does
Write an away plan for your AI agent: who approves which actions while you are out, what waits, and the holding message customers get so nothing stalls silently.

## Who it's for
Owners who approve their agent's drafts and worry about refunds, quotes or replies stalling when they are on a job, sick or on vacation.

## Tools
- ChatGPT or Claude
- The agent's standing instructions
- A trusted backup person, if you have one

## Steps
1. List what normally waits for your approval: replies, quotes, refunds, bookings.
2. For each, pick one: a named backup may approve, it waits until you are back, or the customer gets a holding message.
3. Keep money decisions with a named person. Anthropic says its Google Workspace connectors ask before sending by default; keep that on while you are away too.
4. Use the prompt below to turn your choices into an away plan, and paste it into the agent's instructions before you leave.
5. Test it: send yourself a fake refund request and check the agent sends the holding message, not a decision.
6. When you are back, ask the agent for a list of everything that waited.

## Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
```text
Write an away plan for my AI agent. Use only my choices.

I am away: [DATES]
Backup person (or none): [NAME, ROLE]
For each item, my choice (backup approves / waits for me / holding message):
- Customer replies: [CHOICE]
- Quotes: [CHOICE]
- Refunds and credits: [CHOICE]
- Bookings and changes: [CHOICE]

Include:
1. A short rule list the agent follows while I am away
2. A holding message under 50 words that tells the customer when they will hear back, with no promises about the outcome
3. A rule: anything not listed waits for me
Do not give the backup any permission I did not list.
```

## Guardrails
- What it touches: Chat input you provide (ChatGPT or Claude; The agent's standing instructions).
- Needs your OK: Send, pay, publish, delete, and CRM updates stay with you unless you explicitly opt in.
- Safety level: Read-only
- Letting the agent decide refunds because no one is around.
- Promising a resolution date the backup cannot keep.
- Forgetting to switch the plan off when you return.

## Tips
- A holding message beats silence; customers mostly want to know someone saw it.
- Give the backup a short list, not your whole inbox.
- Set an end date so the plan does not linger.

## Estimates (labeled, not measured)
- Time saved: About 20 minutes before each time away.
- Money saved: Not stated in sources.
- Tool cost: Free tiers can draft the plan. Prices: Not stated in sources.

## Sources
Summaries use the public sources below, not independent verification.
- Anthropic: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10166901-use-google-workspace-connectors (Use Google Workspace connectors: approval before send, reply or forward by default (read 2026-10-31 through a page fetch tool, not a direct browser open))
- OpenAI: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11752874-chatgpt-agent (ChatGPT agent: when signed into sites or apps it can access sensitive data and perform actions (read 2026-11-02 from a search result excerpt of the page))

## Get the free starter pack
Five beginner copy-paste AI setups, free by email: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/starter-pack/?utm_source=ai-agent&utm_medium=markdown&utm_campaign=setup-set-a-backup-approver-when-you-are-away

Related:
- [Make your AI agent stop for approval](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/make-your-ai-agent-stop-for-approval-before-it-sends/index.md)
- [Set guardrails before an AI agent gets access](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/set-guardrails-before-giving-an-ai-agent-access/index.md)
- [Reply to an unreasonable refund request](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/reply-to-an-unreasonable-refund-request/index.md)