diff --git a/bridge.py b/bridge.py
index 192be4e..64da8d3 100644
--- a/bridge.py
+++ b/bridge.py
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ class BridgeProtocol:
         requests = []
         for f in self.pending_dir.glob("*.json"):
             try:
-                data = json.loads(f.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+                data = json.loads(f.read_text(encoding="utf-8-sig"))
                 if data.get("status") == "pending":
                     requests.append(ApprovalRequest(**data))
             except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError, OSError) as e: