feat(approvals): surface decisionOutputs keys on the request row (#3447 P2 UI enablement) (#3538)

* feat(approvals): surface decisionOutputs keys on the request row (#3447 P2 UI enablement)

The decision UI renders one input per author-declared output key; the set
varies per request (each node declares its own), so it rides the request
read (decision_outputs) rather than the object's static action params —
the params array cannot enumerate a per-request field set.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* feat(showcase): dynamic-approval demo flow — decision outputs feed the next stage's expression approvers (#3447)

The lead reviewer picks the co-signers in their decision (decisionOutputs);
the co-sign node resolves them at entry from vars.lead_review.next_reviewers.
Browser-dogfooded end to end: dialog renders the declared output field, the
decide body nests outputs, and the co-sign slate resolves to the picked ids.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Jack Zhuang <277994282+os-zhuang@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: os-zhuang

.changeset/decision-outputs-surface-3447.md

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/spec": patch
+"@objectstack/plugin-approvals": patch
+---
+
+Surface the approval node's author-declared `decisionOutputs` keys on the request read as `ApprovalRequestRow.decision_outputs` (#3447 P2 UI enablement). The set varies per request (each node declares its own), so it rides the row rather than the object's static action params — a decision UI renders one input per key and POSTs `outputs` with the decision.

examples/app-showcase/src/automation/flows/dynamic-approval.flow.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 ObjectStack. Licensed under the Apache-2.0 license.
+
+import { defineFlow } from '@objectstack/spec';
+
+/**
+ * #3447 P2 dogfood: dynamic approver routing end to end.
+ *
+ * Two-stage approval where the FIRST approver picks the second stage's
+ * approvers in their decision (`decisionOutputs`), and the second stage
+ * resolves them at node entry from an `expression` approver over `vars.*` —
+ * no record-field detour. Trigger: retitling an announcement (an otherwise
+ * approval-free object, so this demo never collides with the expense/invoice/
+ * project approval flows — the service dedupes pending requests per record).
+ */
+export const DynamicApprovalFlow = defineFlow({
+  name: 'showcase_dynamic_approval',
+  label: 'Announcement Dynamic Approval',
+  description: 'Lead reviewer picks the co-signers in their decision; the co-sign step resolves them at entry.',
+  type: 'autolaunched',
+  status: 'active',
+  nodes: [
+    {
+      id: 'start',
+      type: 'start',
+      label: 'On Announcement Retitled',
+      config: {
+        objectName: 'showcase_announcement',
+        triggerType: 'record-after-update',
+        condition: 'title != previous.title',
+      },
+    },
+    {
+      id: 'lead_review',
+      type: 'approval',
+      label: 'Lead Review',
+      config: {
+        // The seeded admin holds the org-membership `owner` tier, so the demo
+        // routes stage 1 to them without hard-coding a user id.
+        approvers: [{ type: 'org_membership_level', value: 'owner' }],
+        behavior: 'first_response',
+        lockRecord: true,
+        // The lead hands the co-signers to the flow with their decision.
+        decisionOutputs: ['next_reviewers'],
+      },
+    },
+    {
+      id: 'co_sign',
+      type: 'approval',
+      label: 'Co-sign',
+      config: {
+        // Resolved at node entry from the lead's decision outputs (#3447 P2).
+        approvers: [{ type: 'expression', value: 'vars.lead_review.next_reviewers' }],
+        behavior: 'unanimous',
+        lockRecord: true,
+        onEmptyApprovers: 'fail',
+      },
+    },
+    { id: 'approved', type: 'end', label: 'Approved' },
+    { id: 'rejected', type: 'end', label: 'Rejected' },
+  ],
+  edges: [
+    { id: 'e1', source: 'start', target: 'lead_review' },
+    { id: 'e2', source: 'lead_review', target: 'co_sign', label: 'approve' },
+    { id: 'e3', source: 'lead_review', target: 'rejected', label: 'reject' },
+    { id: 'e4', source: 'co_sign', target: 'approved', label: 'approve' },
+    { id: 'e5', source: 'co_sign', target: 'rejected', label: 'reject' },
+  ],
+});

examples/app-showcase/src/automation/flows/index.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright (c) 2025 ObjectStack. Licensed under the Apache-2.0 license.
 
 import { defineFlow } from '@objectstack/spec';
+import { DynamicApprovalFlow } from './dynamic-approval.flow';
 
 /**
  * Task Completed → Notify — an autolaunched, record-triggered flow that fires
@@ -1620,4 +1621,6 @@ export const allFlows = [
   ResilientSyncFlow,
   ProjectEscalationFlow,
   InboundTaskWebhookFlow,
+  // #3447 P2 dogfood: expression approvers + decision outputs, end to end.
+  DynamicApprovalFlow,
 ];

packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/approval-service.test.ts

@@ -441,6 +441,21 @@ describe('ApprovalService (node era)', () => {
     }, SYS)).rejects.toThrow(/VALIDATION_FAILED.*reserved/s);
   });
 
+  it('decision outputs: declared keys surface on the request row as decision_outputs (#3447 P2 UI)', async () => {
+    // The decision UI renders one input per declared key — the keys ride the
+    // request read (per-request; the static action params can't carry them).
+    const req = await svc.openNodeRequest(
+      openInput(['u9'], {}, { decisionOutputs: ['next_reviewers', 'note'] }), CTX,
+    ) as any;
+    expect(req.decision_outputs).toEqual(['next_reviewers', 'note']);
+    const listed = await svc.listRequests({ status: 'pending' }, SYS);
+    expect((listed[0] as any).decision_outputs).toEqual(['next_reviewers', 'note']);
+    // A node declaring none omits the field entirely.
+    engine._tables['sys_approval_request'] = [];
+    const plain = await svc.openNodeRequest(openInput(['u9']), CTX) as any;
+    expect(plain.decision_outputs).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   it('decision outputs: accepted keys return from decideNode and snapshot as __decisionOutputs', async () => {
     const req = await svc.openNodeRequest(
       openInput(['u9'], {}, { decisionOutputs: ['next_reviewers', 'note'] }), CTX,

packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/approval-service.ts

@@ -229,6 +229,13 @@ function rowFromRequest(row: any): ApprovalRequestRow {
     sla_due_at: slaDueAt(row.created_at, cfg),
     // ADR-0044 revision round (rides the config snapshot; absent ⇒ round 1).
     round: typeof cfg?.__round === 'number' ? cfg.__round : undefined,
+    // #3447 P2: the node's author-declared decision-output keys, surfaced so a
+    // decision UI can render input fields for them and POST `outputs` on
+    // approve/reject. Per-request (each node declares its own), which is why
+    // this rides the row instead of the static action params.
+    decision_outputs: Array.isArray(cfg?.decisionOutputs) && cfg.decisionOutputs.length
+      ? cfg.decisionOutputs.map(String)
+      : undefined,
   } as any;
 }
 

packages/spec/src/contracts/approval-service.ts

@@ -48,6 +48,13 @@ export interface ApprovalRequestRow {
   /** ADR-0019 correlation: the suspended flow run this request belongs to. */
   flow_run_id?: string;
   flow_node_id?: string;
+  /**
+   * #3447 P2: the node's author-declared decision-output keys
+   * (`config.decisionOutputs`), surfaced from the config snapshot so a
+   * decision UI can render one input per key and POST `outputs` with the
+   * decision. Absent when the node declares none.
+   */
+  decision_outputs?: string[];
   completed_at?: string;
   created_at?: string;
   updated_at?: string;