> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/llms.txt).
# Approve, skip and undo with Ask Zera
By default, every change Ask Zera makes to your books arrives as a card that waits for your Approve or Skip, and every applied change can be undone from its card. Here is how to read a card, approve or skip it, and undo a change afterwards.
## How does Zera ask before it changes my books?
When a job needs a change to your books, Zera shows it as a card in the chat. With the default **Ask first** setting, the card waits: nothing is written until you click **Approve**.
If you'd rather Zera applied changes as it makes them, switch the pill beside **New chat** to **Auto-approve**. See [Let Zera apply changes by itself (Auto-approve)](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/ask-zera/auto-approve).
## Read an approval card
1. **Title.** What will change, for example "Move 3 transactions to Office Supplies" or "Sign off 6 account-months".
2. **Risk.** **Low risk**, **Medium risk** or **High risk**. Signing off a month is high risk; routine edits are low.
3. **Summary.** One sentence on why, written to you.
4. **Before → after.** One line per item changed: a transaction's category before and after, an invoice line and its category, a journal entry's debits and credits. Up to 12 lines show, then "and N more".
5. **Approve** and **Skip.**
Two warnings can appear on a card:
- A red note when some or all of the change can't be undone from here, for example "An email can't be unsent once it goes." Read it before you approve.
- "Check this matches what you asked before approving." An independent AI check compares each card with your request. It speaks up only when the card looks like it may not do what you asked.
## How do I approve or skip a card?
1. Read the card's title and its before → after lines.
2. Click **Approve** to make the change. The button reads **Applying…** while it runs. Long jobs show their progress on the card, for example "Importing 3 of 20…", and the page underneath refreshes as the work lands.
3. Or click **Skip** to leave it. The card reads "Skipped. Nothing was changed." Tell Zera what you want instead.
When more than one card is waiting, a bar shows how many ("3 changes waiting for you"). Click **Approve all** to approve them in order.
Approved work runs on ZeraBooks' servers, so you can close the chat or change page while it runs. When the approved cards finish, Zera carries on with the next step of its plan by itself; a divider, "Carrying on after your approvals", marks the spot. There's no **Continue** button to press. See [Do your books with Ask Zera](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/ask-zera/do-your-books-with-ask-zera).
Every change goes through the same checks as doing it yourself on the page: sign-offs, a bill's posting checks, duplicate protection and so on. If one of those refuses it, the card shows **Didn't go through** with the reason, for example "This change did not go through. Nothing was changed.", and Zera works out the fix or the missing step.
## Do I have to approve closing or reopening the books?
No. The books lock looks after itself:
- When a change lands in a closed month, Zera opens the books just for that change and closes them again to the same date. The card or Zera's summary says where they stand, for example "Books closed through March 2025."
- The books close by themselves through the last month every bank and card account has signed off.
- You can still say "close March" or "reopen February", and Zera does it.
Signing off a month is different: it's still a card, **Sign off N account-months**, because it's your statement that the month is right. If your books have a closing password, Zera leaves the lock to you in **Reconciliations**.
## After you approve: the receipt
An applied card becomes a receipt, marked **Done**.
- The receipt says what happened, for example "Drafted an invoice for Northwind Outfitters. It's in Invoices, ready for you to review and send."
- **View it** opens the result: the invoice, the bill, the **Ledger** or **Reconciliations**.
- **Undo** reverses the change while it still can be. The button reads **Undoing…**, then the card is marked **Undone**: "This change was reversed. The books are as they were."
Every change Zera applies, whether you approved it or Auto-approve did, is also recorded in **Autopilot**, in the **Done by AI** log, next to what Autopilot did on its own. See [Review and undo AI actions](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/autopilot/review-and-undo-ai-actions).
## What can't be undone
Undo checks your books first and refuses, in plain words, when reversing would now break something. It isn't offered at all for changes that can't be reversed. These always wait for your **Approve**, even with Auto-approve on:
| Change | Why |
| --- | --- |
| Emailing an invoice, a payment reminder or financial statements | An email that was sent can't be unsent. |
| Merging two vendors or customers | Separating them again means moving each record back by hand. |
| Correcting a statement's rows or printed balances to match the bank | It's a correction to the bank's record. A removed row is deleted; the statement file stays as the record. |
| Removing a whole statement | Its rows and your category, vendor and match choices on them are deleted. Import the file again to bring it back. |
| Deleting a draft bill, invoice or credit, or a custom report | It can't be brought back. |
| Undoing past Autopilot actions | The undo can't itself be undone from here. Ask Zera to redo them. |
Some undos have limits:
- **A statement Zera imported:** it can be removed with **Undo**, but not once a month that uses it is signed off.
- **A draft bill or invoice Zera created:** it's discarded. If it has been approved since, it's a permanent record: void it from **Bills** or **Invoices** instead.
- **A row Zera removed:** it can be added back, but not its bill, invoice or transfer match. Redo those after.
If Undo is refused, the message says why, for example "This change can't be undone from here any more. Reverse it on its page."
## Frequently Asked Questions
Can Ask Zera change my books without asking?
Only if you turn on **Auto-approve**. By default (**Ask first**), every change is a card and nothing is written until you click **Approve**. Even with Auto-approve on, anything that can't be undone still asks. Zera's answers and lookups only read your books.
Do I need to approve reopening or closing the books?
No. Zera opens a closed month just for the change it's making and closes it again to the same date. The books close by themselves through the last month every account has signed off.
What does "High risk" mean on a card?
The change is hard to walk back or affects a lot, such as signing off a month. Read the card's lines before you approve.
What happens if I skip a card?
Nothing changes. The card is marked **Skipped**, and you can tell Zera what you want instead.
Where can I see everything Ask Zera changed?
In the chat, each card keeps its receipt, and reopening a chat from **Suggested Prompts** shows them again. Every change is also listed in **Autopilot** under **Done by AI**.
Why is there no Undo on a receipt?
The change can't be reversed from here, such as a sent email or a merge. The receipt says why. For other changes, if reversing would now break something that happened since, Undo refuses and says why; reverse it on its page instead.
What does "Check this matches what you asked before approving." mean?
A second AI check compared the card with your request and thinks it might not match. Read the card carefully. If it's wrong, click **Skip** and say what you meant.
---
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