Review Workflows

Send documents for review and track approval status.

Review workflows require a Pro plan or higher.

Overview

Review workflows let you request feedback and approval from colleagues, clients, or external reviewers. Reviewers receive a secure link to view the document and submit their decision—no account required for external reviewers.

Creating a Review Request

Open the Document

Navigate to the document you want reviewed.

Click Send for Review

In the toolbar, click Share → Send for Review.

Add Reviewers

Enter reviewer details:

Email address - Where to send the invitation
Name - Displayed in the review interface
Permissions - What they can do (comment, annotate, approve)

Set Options

Configure the review:

Subject - Brief description of what’s being reviewed
Message - Instructions or context for reviewers
Deadline - Optional due date for responses

Send Invitations

Click Send to email review invitations to all reviewers.

Reviewer Permissions

Control what each reviewer can do:

Permission	Description
Can Comment	Add and reply to comments
Can Annotate	Add highlights, shapes, and other markups
Can Approve	Submit approval decision (Approve/Reject/Changes Requested)

External reviewers (without Penvio accounts) access the document via a secure link. They can only access the specific document they were invited to review.

Review Statuses

Request Status

Status	Description
Pending	Waiting for reviewers to respond
In Progress	At least one reviewer has viewed
Completed	All reviewers have submitted decisions
Cancelled	Review was cancelled by the sender

Reviewer Status

Status	Description
Pending	Hasn’t viewed the document yet
Viewed	Has opened the document
Completed	Has submitted a decision

Review Decisions

Reviewers with approval permission can submit:

Decision	Meaning
✅ Approved	Document is acceptable as-is
⚠️ Changes Requested	Needs modifications before approval
❌ Rejected	Document doesn’t meet requirements

Each decision can include a note explaining the reasoning.

Reviewer Experience

When reviewers click the email link:

View Document

The document opens in a dedicated review interface.

Review Content

Scroll through pages, zoom in/out, and examine the document.

Add Feedback

If permitted, add comments or annotations directly on the document.

Submit Decision

If approval permission is granted, select a decision and add optional notes.

Confirmation

A confirmation screen shows the review was submitted successfully.

Tracking Reviews

Monitor review progress from the document:

Open the document
Click Share → Review Status
See all reviewers and their status

Review Dashboard

The dashboard shows:

Total reviewers
Pending responses
Completed reviews
Breakdown by decision (approved, rejected, changes requested)

Managing Reviews

Resend Invitation

If a reviewer hasn’t responded:

Open the review status
Find the reviewer
Click Resend Invitation

A new email is sent with a fresh access link.

Cancel Review

To cancel a pending review:

Open the review status
Click Cancel Review
Confirm cancellation

Cancelling a review invalidates all reviewer links. Reviewers will see an “expired” message if they try to access the document.

Update Deadline

To change the review deadline:

Open the review status
Click Edit
Update the deadline
Save changes

Reviewers are not automatically notified of deadline changes.

Email Notifications

Penvio sends emails for review events:

Event	Recipients
Review invitation	Reviewers
Reminder	Reviewers (manual trigger)
Review completed	Document owner
All reviews done	Document owner

Best Practices

For Senders

Clear subject lines - Help reviewers understand what they’re reviewing
Helpful messages - Provide context and specific areas to focus on
Realistic deadlines - Give reviewers adequate time
Right permissions - Only give approval rights to decision-makers
Follow up - Resend invitations for overdue reviews

For Reviewers

Review thoroughly - Check the entire document before deciding
Use comments - Explain specific concerns or suggestions
Be timely - Respond before the deadline
Clear decisions - Choose the decision that best fits your assessment
Helpful notes - Explain your reasoning in the decision note

Security

Review workflows are secure:

Unique tokens - Each reviewer gets a unique, secure access link
Token expiration - Links expire after a set period
Audit trail - All review activity is logged
Permission enforcement - Reviewers can only perform permitted actions
No account required - External reviewers don’t need to create accounts

API Access

Manage reviews programmatically:

Create Review


POST /api/documents/{id}/reviews
{
  "subject": "Q4 Report Review",
  "message": "Please review the quarterly report",
  "deadline": "2024-02-15T00:00:00Z",
  "reviewers": [
    {
      "email": "reviewer@example.com",
      "name": "John Reviewer",
      "canComment": true,
      "canAnnotate": true,
      "canApprove": true
    }
  ]
}

Get Status


GET /api/documents/{id}/reviews/{reviewId}
 
# Response
{
  "id": "rev_123",
  "status": "IN_PROGRESS",
  "stats": {
    "total": 3,
    "pending": 1,
    "completed": 2,
    "approved": 1,
    "changesRequested": 1
  },
  "reviewers": [...]
}

Submit Decision


# Reviewers submit via public API
POST /api/review/{token}
{
  "decision": "APPROVED",
  "decisionNote": "Looks good, approved for publication"
}

Next Steps

Version History - Create a version before review
Comments - Detailed comment features
E-Sign - For legally binding signatures