Stage Controls

Stage controls let you manage the promotion flow between stages -- stopping, resuming, and overriding automatic behavior.

All stage control operations are available to any organization member and are recorded in the events audit trail. When a stage is automatically blocked (e.g., after a rollback), the block is visible in the dashboard on the stage view — team members need to check the dashboard to see blocked stages.

Stop Stage Promotions

Block a stage from receiving new deployments. Existing deployments in the stage continue, but no new deployments are promoted to it.

When to use: You want to prevent deployments from reaching a specific stage -- for example, pausing production while investigating an issue, while still allowing staging deployments to continue.

How it works:

1. Navigate to the pipeline in the dashboard.
2. Click on the stage you want to block.
3. Click Stop Promotions.
4. New deployments queue instead of executing in this stage.

Resume Stage Promotions

Unblock a stage so deployments can be promoted to it again.

How it works:

1. Navigate to the blocked stage.
2. Click Resume Promotions.
3. Any queued deployments begin executing.

Unblock After Rollback

After an emergency rollback or auto-rollback, the affected stage and the next stage are automatically blocked. This prevents the problematic code from being immediately redeployed.

To resume normal operations after resolving the issue:

1. Navigate to the pipeline in the dashboard.
2. Click on the blocked stage.
3. Click Unblock After Rollback.
4. The stage is unblocked and can receive new deployments.

tip

Always investigate and fix the root cause before unblocking. If you unblock and the same code promotes through the pipeline, the same issue will recur.

Bypass Deployment Blockers

Force a deployment through a blocked stage, overriding any active blockers.

When to use: A stage is blocked (e.g., by an auto-rollback alarm or a manual hold), but you have a fix ready and need to deploy it urgently.

How it works:

1. Navigate to the blocked stage.
2. Click Bypass Blockers.
3. The most recent queued deployment executes immediately, regardless of active blockers.

caution

Use this sparingly. Bypassing blockers skips safety checks that were put in place for a reason. Make sure you understand why the stage was blocked before bypassing.

Summary

Operation	Purpose
Stop Promotions	Prevent new deployments from reaching a stage.
Resume Promotions	Allow deployments to reach the stage again.
Unblock After Rollback	Remove the automatic block placed after a rollback.
Bypass Blockers	Force a deployment through despite active blocks.