Deployment approvals

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• Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated

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You can require additional approvals for deployments to protected environments. Deployments are blocked until all required approvals are given.

Use deployment approvals to accommodate testing, security, or compliance processes. For example, you might want to require approvals for deployments to production environments.

Configure deployment approvals

You can require approvals for deployments to protected environments in a project.

Prerequisites:

• To update an environment, you must have the Maintainer or Owner role.

To configure deployment approvals for a project:

1. Create a deployment job in the .gitlab-ci.yml file of your project:

   yamlCopy

   stages:
     - deploy
   
   production:
     stage: deploy
     script:
       - 'echo "Deploying to ${CI_ENVIRONMENT_NAME}"'
     environment:
       name: ${CI_JOB_NAME}
       action: start
   

   The job does not need to be manual (when: manual).

2. Add the required approval rules.

The environments in your project require approval before deployment.

Add multiple approval rules

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• Generally available in GitLab 15.0. Feature flag deployment_approval_rules removed.
• UI configuration introduced in GitLab 15.11.

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Add multiple approval rules to control who can approve and execute deployment jobs.

To add multiple approval rules, you must have the Developer role for the project. To add a group as an approver, you must invite the group to the project. Only invited groups appear in the approvers list.

To configure multiple approval rules, use the CI/CD settings. You can also use the API.

All jobs deploying to the environment are blocked and wait for approvals before running. Make sure the number of required approvals is less than the number of users allowed to deploy.

A user can give only one approval per deployment, even if the user is a member of multiple approver groups. Issue 457541 proposes to change this behavior so that the same user can give multiple approvals per deployment from different approver groups.

After a deployment job is approved, you must run the job manually.

Allow self-approval

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• Introduced in GitLab 15.8.
• Automatic approval removed in GitLab 16.2 due to usability issues.

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By default, the user who triggers a deployment pipeline can't also approve the deployment job.

A GitLab administrator can approve or reject all deployments.

To allow self-approval of a deployment job:

1. In the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Settings > CI/CD.
3. Expand Protected environments.
4. From the Approval options, select the Allow pipeline triggerer to approve deployment checkbox.

Approve or reject a deployment

In an environment with multiple approval rules, you can:

• Approve a deployment to allow it to proceed.
• Reject a deployment to prevent it.

Prerequisites:

• You have permission to deploy to the protected environment.

To approve or reject a deployment:

1. In the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Operate > Environments.
3. Select the environment's name.
4. Find the deployment and select its Status badge.
5. Optional. Add a comment which describes your reason for approving or rejecting the deployment.
6. Select Approve or Reject.

You can also use the API.

You can give only one approval per deployment, even if you are a member of multiple approver groups. Issue 457541 proposes to change this behavior so that the same user can give multiple approvals per deployment from different approver groups.

Deployment approval doesn't automatically trigger the corresponding deployment job. You must manually run the job.

View the approval details of a deployment

Prerequisites:

• You have permission to deploy to the protected environment.

A deployment to a protected environment can proceed only after all required approvals have been granted.

To view the approval details of a deployment:

1. In the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Operate > Environments.
3. Select the environment's name.
4. Find the deployment and select its Status badge.

The approval status details are shown:

• Eligible approvers
• Number of approvals granted, and number of approvals required
• Users who have granted approval
• History of approvals or rejections

View blocked deployments

Review the status of your deployments, including whether a deployment is blocked.

To view your deployments:

1. In the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Operate > Environments.
3. Select the environment being deployed to.

A deployment with the blocked label is blocked.

To get the approval status of a deployment, you can also use the API. The status field indicates whether a deployment is blocked.

Related topics

• Deployment approvals feature epic