This guide explains how to configure ordered flows for Signers and Approvers, how to change the order, and what changes when you also control link delivery.

Activate ordering on a Signature Request

When you set up a Signature Request, you can decide if Approvers and Signers must complete their actions in a specific order or in any order.

You control this in the Initiate a new Signature Request endpoint with these parameters:

• ordered_signers (boolean): controls whether Signers sign one-by-one or in any order.
  • false = All Signers are notified at once and can sign independently, in any order. This is the default behaviour.
  • true = Signers are notified one after another, based on their order in the request. Each Signer must sign before the next one is notified. When Signer n has signed, Signer n+1 can sign. If Signer n never signs, Signer n+1 will never be able to sign.
• ordered_approvers (boolean): controls whether Approvers act one-by-one or in any order.
  • false = All Approvers are notified at once and can approve independently, in any order. This is the default behaviour.
  • true = Approvers are notified one after the other, based on their order in the request. Each Approver must approve before the next one is notified. When Approver n has approved, Approver n+1 can approve. If Approver n never approves, Approver n+1 will never be able to approve.

Impact on link delivery

• Non-ordered (default): everyone can act as soon as the Signature Request is activated (with Approvers first, if any).
  • If Yousign sends the emails: all recipients are notified at the same time.
  • If you send the links yourself: you can fetch all links and share them whenever you want.
• Ordered: recipients act in the order you define. The next recipient can only act once the previous one has finished.
  • If Yousign sends the emails: each recipient is notified automatically by email when it’s their turn.
  • If you deliver the links: you are responsible for enforcing the sequence.

See Manage signature link delivery for recommended approaches.

Reorder recipients

By default, recipients are ordered in the sequence in which you create them.

For example, if you create Signer “A” and then Signer “B”, the order will be: A, then B.

• For Approvers: Create Approver, Update Approver
• For Signers: Create a new Signer, Update a Signer

Example: insert Signer C after Signer A

{
  "insert_after_id": "signer_A_id"
}

This sets the order: A → C → (other recipients…)

Note: If you explicitly set insert_after_id to null, the recipient is moved to the very top of the list.