How rules run
When B2B Desk runs auto-approve rules, how it picks one, the safety checks before approving, how to test a rule, and where each decision is logged.
Rules run once per application, in the background, right after it’s submitted. They only act on applications that are still New at that point.
Which rule decides
B2B Desk goes through your rules that are on, lowest Priority first. Rules with the same priority run in name order. The first rule whose conditions all match decides, and no later rule runs. If no rule matches, the application waits in To review.
The Automation page lists rules in the order they run. Use Move to change the order, and the On switch to turn a rule on or off.
Put narrow rules before broad ones. For example, a rule that sends applications expecting over $20,000 a month to a reviewer should run before a rule that approves everyone in your country.
What each action does
| Action | Status | Timeline entry | Source in the list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve | Approving, then Approved | Rule "Trusted cafés" matched: approved with preset "Wholesale · Net 30" |
Auto-approved |
| Send to a reviewer | Stays New | Rule "Large accounts" matched: routed to a reviewer |
Unchanged |
| Decline | Declined | Rule "Outside EU" matched: declined |
Auto-declined |
Decisions are credited to the rule. The application’s Summary shows Decided by “Rule:” and the rule’s name, and the approved banner says “Approved automatically by the rule” followed by its name.
Rule approvals always send the welcome email and use the applicant’s existing customer account if they have one. Rule declines always email the applicant, without a decline reason.
Safety checks before approving
An approve rule hands the application to a reviewer instead of approving it when:
- The applicant may already be a company. They match a company in Shopify, are already a contact at a company, or have an earlier approved application. The timeline says the rule “matched, but the applicant may already be a company: routed to a reviewer”.
- Its preset was deleted. The timeline says the rule “matched, but its preset no longer exists: routed to a reviewer”.
Test a rule before you turn it on
The rule editor’s Test against recent applications checks the rule as you edit it against your 25 most recently updated applications, in any status. “Testing changes nothing.” Each match shows what would happen:
- Approve or Decline: this rule would decide it.
- Earlier rule: another rule runs first and decides.
- Reviewer: the rule sends it to a person, or an approve rule would hand it to a reviewer because the applicant may already be a company or no preset is chosen.
When rules don’t run
Rules run only once, when the application arrives. They don’t run again when:
- An applicant uploads documents you asked for and the application returns to New.
- You mark an application as Not spam.
- You edit or add a rule. Existing applications aren’t re-checked.
Results
The Automation results card shows Approved by rules over the last 30 days, as a share of all approvals, and Rules on, like “2 of 3”.