In this paper we extend the concept of the group of covering automorphisms associated to a universal covering space ϕ: U → X (where X is a connected topological manifold), to the case of left (or right) minimal approximations. In the case of torsion-free coverings of abelian groups we exhibit a topology on these groups which makes them into topological groups and we give necessary and sufficient conditions for these groups to be compact. Finally we prove that when these groups are compact they are pronilpotent (Theorem 5·3). We also characterize when these groups are torsion-free (Proposition 5·4).