How to restrict a user can not approve own request in JSM

@Arkadiusz Wroblewski thank you so much for the link shared.  I am sorry I can not change the field type, and also, I can not make the change on "affected user" and "approvers".  If so, to restrict a user can not approve own request in JSM, what I should do?

Hi @Benjamin Zhou You don't need to change either field - you need one extra hidden field that mirrors the Assets object's user, because the native "Exclude approvers" setting only speaks user-picker.

The pattern:

1. Create a new user picker field (call it "Affected person (user)") and keep it off the portal form entirely - requesters never see it.
2. Automation rule: when issue created (or when the Affected user Assets field changes), set "Affected person (user)" from the user attribute of the Assets object. The Atlassian KB "Automate Reporter Assets Field in JSM Cloud" that Arkadiusz linked shows the smart-value syntax for pulling an attribute out of the Assets object.
3. In your workflow's approval step, set Exclude approvers = "Affected person (user)".

Now the person the request is about physically cannot appear as an approver, enforced by the approval step itself rather than by hoping nobody notices. Your existing fields stay untouched - the mirror field is additive, which usually gets past the "we can't change the form" constraint, because you aren't changing anything anyone sees.

@Shreyas_Quietmill thank you very much for your reply.  I read through your answer, after that I have a concern, please feel free to let me know if my understanding is wrong.  I am using cloud, JSM, not JIRA.  I want users to get a error notice before they submit a request when Affected user (asset object)= approver. If I use your method, it looks like it will take effect after user submit the request, because automation will run after the request is submitted.  Am I right? 

@Benjamin Zhou You're right - the automation runs after submit, and there's no way on JSM Cloud to throw an error before submission. The portal can't compare two fields at submit time, with or without Forms.

Instead, I would add a workflow status, i.e. a stage in the ticket's life (like "To Do → In Progress → Done"). before the approval status (call it "Triage"). 

The Flow becomes:

1. Request created → lands in Triage (nothing approval-related exists yet)
2. Automation fires: copies the Assets user into the mirror field, swaps in a fallback approver if needed
3. The same rule's last action transitions the ticket into the approval status
4. Only now does Jira create the approval — with the exclusion data already in place

You can't show the notice before submit, but you can show it right after: have the same rule drop a comment on the request - something like "since this request is about you, someone else needs to approve it - it's gone to X instead". It lands seconds after they hit submit, so nobody's left wondering why they can't approve their own ticket.

True submit-time validation would need Atlassian to build it :)

@Shreyas_Quietmill Thank you again for your support!  Your answer is very valuable for me.  I do appreciate your support!

@Benjamin Zhou 

One quick technical tip: add a Re-fetch issue data action right after populating the hidden user field and before transitioning out of Triage.

Jira Automation uses cached data during execution, so re-fetching ensures the transition evaluates the updated helper field when setting up approvals.

Best,

Arek🤠