How do I automatically add approvals to newly created work items?

There is no way I know of to do something similar using the attribute customization JavaScript. The only options are

1. The API's using some kind of batch (which costs a lot of performance) see: https://rsjazz.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/adding-approvals-to-work-items-using-the-plain-java-client-libraries/
2. Use a follow up action. This would require that anyone that saves the work item has permission to add approvers. See https://rsjazz.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/a-create-approval-work-item-save-participant/
3. Another option could be an asynchronous solution that monitors work item changes and adds stuff in a server permission process or something based on change events that does it asynchronously as well

I don't think there is a nice solution here.

1 would be great If you can find a query to find the work items or some other means to limit the number of items to look at a system user could be used

2. would be good and almost immediate if you can provide all users the requires permissions or make sure the users that trigger it always have it

Reminder: Please post new questions as questions, and not as an "answer" to a related question.

Agreed, getting tired to write it so often.