“You do not have access to send for signature” when using XML Merge in CLM as DS Sender

I’m working in DocuSign CLM and facing an issue during the “Review and Send for Signature” step.

Here’s the flow of my CLM workflow:
1. I use an XML Merge Document step to generate a Cover Letter, and store it in a variable (Cover_Letter_Generated).
2. This variable is then passed to the Review and Send for Signature step.
3. The person sending the document is a Legal Reviewer, who has a DocuSign Sender permission profile (not Admin).

Problem:
• When the Cover Letter is included via the XML Merge step, I get the error:
“You do not have access to send for signature.”
• However, if the Cover Letter step is removed, the same Legal Reviewer is able to send the document for signature successfully.
• The issue goes away completely if the sender has DocuSign Admin permissions, even with the Cover Letter included.

Expected Behavior:
I want to keep the sender as the Legal Reviewer (DS Sender) and still be able to include the Cover Letter generated by the XML Merge step.

What I’ve Tried:
• Checked workflow structure — the Cover Letter is stored in a variable and passed correctly.
• Verified that without the XML Merge step, sending works as expected.
• I can see the “Sender Email” option, but want to keep the sender as the Legal Reviewer.

Ask:
• Is this expected behavior that merged documents require Admin permissions to send?
• Is there any way to allow a DS Sender (Legal Reviewer) to send documents that were generated via XML Merge?