Approval Chain Note Tool

WHAT IT DOES

Approval Chain Note Tool is a browser extension that automatically scans the current webpage for approval chain elements, approver names, approval statuses, review indicators, and sign-off metadata. It detects approval-related elements by examining class names, IDs, data attributes, and text patterns for keywords like "approval", "approve", "reviewer", "sign-off", "status", "pending", "approved", or "rejected". The extension adds a floating "track approval" button (✓) next to each detected approval element, allowing you to capture approval details, approver names, approval status, review dates, and custom notes with a single click. Clicking the button opens a panel where you can review the captured information, add notes about approval conditions, pending items, review observations, or any other relevant details, and save it to your local database. The extension maintains a complete approval database per document or URL with approval history, status changes, approver information, and notes for each tracked document. The main panel displays all tracked documents, showing the latest approval status, approver, entry count, and any notes. Status changes are highlighted with color-coded indicators showing whether a document is Approved (green), Rejected (red), Pending (yellow), or in another state. All data is stored locally in your browser using GM_setValue, ensuring your approval tracking information persists across page reloads and browser sessions. This helps project managers, quality assurance teams, compliance officers, and documentation reviewers track approval chains, monitor review statuses, and document approval conditions across different documents and pages.

WHERE IT RUNS

This extension runs on any webpage that displays approval chain information, approver names, approval statuses, review indicators, or sign-off metadata – including document management systems, workflow platforms, project management tools, compliance systems, quality assurance dashboards, and any page containing approval-related elements. The extension intelligently adapts to different page structures and supports a wide range of common approval display patterns. No manual configuration is required per site; the extension automatically detects approval elements using a flexible pattern matching system. This makes it ideal for teams managing document approvals, workflow reviews, compliance sign-offs, and quality assurance processes.

HOW TO USE

Simply install the extension and navigate to any webpage displaying approval information. The extension automatically detects approval elements and places a small "track approval" button (✓) next to each one. Click any of these buttons to open the tracking panel with approver names, approval status, and review date pre-filled. Add a note about approval conditions, pending items, review observations, or any other relevant detail, then click "Log Approval Data" to save it. A floating button (✅) appears in the bottom-right corner of the page – click this to open the main panel. The main panel shows all tracked documents, sorted by most recent entry, with document title, latest approval status, primary approver, entry count, and latest note displayed. Click any document card to view detailed approval history, including all logged entries with timestamps, approver names, approval statuses, review dates, and notes. The detail view shows a complete audit trail of approval status changes. Use the "Track Current Document Approval" button to quickly log approval from the current page, or "Add Manually" to enter approval details for a document you're not currently viewing. The "Clear All Approval Data" button removes all tracking data when needed.

ONE TECHNICAL SECTION – WHY IT WORKS

The extension employs a multi-layered detection system that identifies approval chain information with high accuracy. First, it scans the DOM using a comprehensive set of CSS selectors targeting common approval-related class patterns, IDs, and data attributes like "approval", "approve", "reviewer", "sign-off", "status", "pending", "approved", and "rejected". Second, it uses a TreeWalker to examine text nodes for approval-related text patterns, capturing approval information that may not be wrapped in typical approval elements. The approver extraction uses a pattern-matching engine with name detection algorithms that identify capitalized names following keywords like "approver:", "approved by:", or "reviewer:". The status detection analyzes multiple signals: text content containing status keywords, status badges or labels, and class-based indicators like "active" or "inactive". The date extraction identifies multiple date formats including ISO (2024-01-15), US (01/15/2024), and natural language dates. Each tracked document is assigned a unique ID based on the document URL and title, ensuring that history stays correctly associated even when pages use different query strings. A MutationObserver detects dynamic content updates and re-scans only when new approval elements appear, balancing real-time accuracy with system performance.

THE PANEL – DRAG / PER-SITE POSITION / SNAP / COLLAPSE / RESIZE / ESCAPE

The approval tracking panel includes a draggable title bar, allowing you to position it anywhere on screen for convenient access during workflow reviews. The extension remembers your preferred position per website, so the panel opens in the same location each time you return to that domain. The panel supports snap-to-edge behavior – when dragged near screen edges, it gently snaps into place for a tidy workspace layout. You can collapse the panel down to just its title bar by clicking the collapse button, keeping it accessible without taking up screen space. The document list and approval history are contained within a scrollable body, ensuring all content remains accessible even on smaller screens. Pressing the Escape key closes the panel instantly, returning you to your workflow management tasks.

PLEASE NOTE

This extension requires the free BotGentz extension to be installed and enabled, as it relies on BotGentz's userscript injection and GM_* API shims for cross-browser compatibility. Websites frequently update their HTML structures and class names, which may cause approval detection to break temporarily – we actively maintain the matching patterns and release updates regularly. The extension stores all approval data, approval history, timestamps, approver information, and notes exclusively in your local browser storage (GM_setValue); no data is ever transmitted to any external server or third party. You are responsible for backing up your approval tracking data if you switch browsers or clear your storage. The extension does not read, modify, or interfere with any approval workflow, document content, or site functionality – it operates solely on the static page content and stores only metadata (approver names, statuses, dates, and notes) that you explicitly create. Use this tool responsibly for internal workflow tracking and compliance documentation purposes.