How to Fix "You don't have permission to complete this approval request" Error for Knowledge Article Approvals

Resolving the "Insufficient Permissions" Knowledge Article Approval Error

To resolve this error, grant the approving user the correct object-level permissions and Data Category visibility for the Knowledge article being approved. All required access must be in place simultaneously.

Required Object-Level Permissions

The approving user must have both of the following:

• Read object-level access to the Knowledge object (Lightning Knowledge) or the relevant Article Type (Classic Knowledge)
• The "Manage Articles" permission on their Profile or Permission Set

Both permissions are required. Having one without the other is not sufficient.

Data Category Visibility (Classic and Lightning Knowledge with Data Category Sharing)

In Classic Knowledge or Lightning Knowledge with Data Category-based sharing, article approvers must also have visibility to the Data Categories assigned to the article. Review the user's Data Category Visibility settings and ensure the relevant categories are accessible. See How Category Visibility Differs from Other Salesforce Sharing Models for more detail.

Standard Sharing Model (Lightning Knowledge Only)

If your Lightning Knowledge org uses the standard sharing model instead of Data Category-based sharing, the approving user's Profile needs Read access to the Knowledge object AND appropriate sharing access to the specific Knowledge Article record. Use manual sharing or sharing rules to grant access to the article record if needed. Admins can Choose the Sharing or Access Model for Lightning Knowledge in Setup.