Manual Gate - CI/CD Glossary Definition
A manual gate requires deliberate human action to proceed, unlike an automated gate that clears on a machine-checked condition.
A manual gate is any pipeline checkpoint that requires deliberate human action (a click, an approval, a comment) rather than an automated condition to release the next step.
Manual gates are the counterpart to automated gates. They are useful when a decision needs context a machine lacks (a marketing launch window, a customer commitment), but each one adds latency and a chance to forget.
Manual vs automated
Prefer automated gates for anything measurable (tests, coverage, security). Reserve manual gates for genuine business judgment calls that cannot be encoded as a check.
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