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TutorialUpdated · 3 min read

Copilot vs Autopilot: how to choose your approval mode

Copilot waits for a person to approve every message. Autopilot approves and sends drafts that pass the sourcing check, up to a daily budget. Here is how to switch, and what never sends on its own.

Every campaign has an approval mode. Copilot is the default: each drafted message waits in Review until someone approves it. Autopilot approves the drafts that pass the sourcing check and sends them without anyone reading them first, up to a daily budget you set.

The mode is set per campaign, never for the whole workspace. Only the owner and admins can change it. Other roles see the setting greyed out, with Requires the autopilot permission.

1. Open the Approval mode section

Open Campaigns, open a campaign, and stay on its Overview tab. The Approval mode section shows which mode the campaign is in: Copilot — human review ("You approve each batch before it can send.") or Autopilot.

2. Turn on Autopilot and set a budget

Click Autopilot. The Turn on autopilot? window explains that drafts will go out without human review. Enter a Daily send budget in US dollars; it is required. Then click Turn on autopilot, or Keep copilot review to change nothing.

The budget is the most the campaign may spend on sending in a day, in US dollars, counted from midnight UTC. When a day's sending reaches it, the campaign stops sending until you resume it (see step 4).

3. Check that Autopilot is on

You should see Autopilot on — grounded drafts will send without review, up to the daily budget. The section now shows Autopilot.

From now on, each time Rainmaker drafts for this campaign, it approves every draft that passed the sourcing check, for email and LinkedIn alike, and the campaign starts sending if it was waiting in review. Drafts already waiting in Review are approved the next time the campaign drafts. You get a notification each time Autopilot approves drafts.

4. Change the budget later

To change the budget, open the campaign's Settings tab and edit Daily send budget under Volume and budget, then click Save changes. While Autopilot is on, the budget cannot be left blank.

When a day's budget is used up, the campaign stops sending and shows Paused — budget reached. Approved emails keep their place in the queue. Sending does not restart by itself: click Resume on the campaign's Overview when you are ready.

5. Switch back to Copilot

In Approval mode, click Copilot — human review. You should see Autopilot off — drafts return to copilot review. New drafts wait for approval again.

Switching back does not un-approve anything. Messages Autopilot already approved still send on schedule. To stop those too, click Pause at the top of the campaign.

What always needs a person, even on Autopilot

  • Blocked drafts. A draft that states something without a source, cites a source that does not support it, or breaks a length rule is blocked. Autopilot never approves it; it stays in Review until someone edits or rejects it. See how to check a draft's sources.
  • Replies to prospects. Autopilot only covers outreach. Every answer in Inbox & Meetings is sent by a person. See how to handle replies.
  • Booking meetings. Nothing is booked until someone clicks Book it.
  • A paused campaign or poor deliverability. If the campaign is paused, or bounces and complaints trip the deliverability safeguard, Autopilot approves nothing and drafts wait in Review. See resume a campaign after an automatic pause.

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