How to update the Approval Status field in SharePoint List using Power Automate

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Posted on by itchel123

Hello,

I have a SharePoint list where under Versioning Settings, "Require content approval for submitted items?" is set to Yes. When you create an item, the Approval Status is Pending by default, When you approve the item, the Approval Status changes to Approved. However, if you updating the item, the Approval Status will revert back to Pending.

I have a Power Automate flow that is triggered when the Approval Status is Approved. Then, the flow updates a field in the SharePoint item. During this update, it changes the Approval Status back to Pending.

Is there a way to update the Approval Status in Power Automate when an item is updated? I've tried using the "Set content approval status" action which keeps the Approval Status to Approved when the item is updated. However, an infinite loop occurs.

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abm abm 32,865 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi

You mentioned "I have a Power Automate flow that is triggered when the Approval Status is Approved. Then, the flow updates a field in the SharePoint item. During this update, it changes the Approval Status back to Pending." Is this the same flow set the approval status back to pending? How many flows you have for this process?

Thanks

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Robu1 1,459 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hi itchel123,

Thank you for choosing Microsoft Power Platform Community.

You can prevent the infinite loop while maintaining the Approval Status as "Approved" when updating the item in Power Automate.

Here’s how:

To prevent infinite loops while keeping the Approval Status as "Approved" when updating a SharePoint item in Power Automate, follow these steps:

Modify the Flow Trigger – Add a Trigger Condition to check if the Approval Status is "Approved" before running.

Set Up a Trigger Condition – Use @equals(triggerOutputs()?['body/ApprovalStatus'], 'Approved') to prevent unnecessary executions.

Update Item Without Changing Approval Status – Ensure the Approval Status field is not included in the update action.

Use "Set Content Approval Status" Action (If Needed) – Apply this action at the end of the flow to reset status to "Approved" if required.

This approach keeps the status Approved while avoiding infinite loops.

Helpful Resources
Avoid Infinite Loops Using Trigger Conditions – Explains how to prevent unnecessary flow executions.

https://www.bulb.digital/blog/avoid-infinite-loops-using-trigger-conditions-with-sharepoint

Power Automate Update Loops Solution – Covers techniques to stop looping issues in SharePoint updates. https://jtdsgn.com/avoiding-power-automate-update-loops-with-trigger-conditions/

Microsoft Learn Documentation – Covers using approval outcomes in loops

Trigger approvals from lists created with Microsoft Lists - Power Automate | Microsoft Learn

If this fixes the issue, please mark as resolved to help others with find it.

Happy to help.

Robu 1
SuperUser|Moderator

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itchel123 46 on at

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Hi @Robu1

I'm already following the steps you've suggested. Here's the overall picture.

In my SharePoint list, a user manually approves an item.

The Power Automate has a trigger condition: @equals(triggerOutputs()?['body/{ModerationStatus}'], 'Approved')

In the flow, there's an Update Item action but the "Approval Status" column or it's internal name, "ModerationStatus" are not available as dynamic content. So, I can not update the Approval Status in the Update Item action.

So, to update the Approval Status for the SharePoint item, I've added "Set Content Approval Status" action. However, I think this is causing the flow to run again because the trigger condition says, run the flow when approval status is approved.

In the Update Item action, is there a way to set the approval status?

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itchel123 46 on at

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Hi @abm abm,

It's one flow. By default, in SharePoint, when you approve a SharePoint item, it sets the approval status to Approve. If you update this item, the approval status changes back to Pending. So, in Power Automate, when I update the item, the approval status changes to Pending. Here's the overall picture.

In my SharePoint list, a user manually approves an item.

The Power Automate has a trigger condition: @equals(triggerOutputs()?['body/{ModerationStatus}'], 'Approved')

In the flow, there's an Update Item action but the "Approval Status" column or it's internal name, "ModerationStatus" are not available as dynamic content. So, I can not update the Approval Status in the Update Item action.

So, to update the Approval Status for the SharePoint item, I've added "Set Content Approval Status" action. However, I think this is causing the flow to run again because the trigger condition says, run the flow when approval status is approved.

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