> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://to11.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Release Approvals

> Require review and sign-off before a routing or prompt change goes live.

Release approvals add a review gate to an environment. When the environment's [promotion policy](/docs/deploy/promotion-policies) requires approval, a promotion doesn't go live on its own — it lands as a pending release and waits for a reviewer to approve it.

## How approvals work

1. Someone promotes a change to the environment from the **Releases** tab (prompts) or a routing rule's **Environments** tab, entering a reason for the promotion.
2. Because the environment requires approval, the change is recorded as a **pending** release. It does not serve traffic, and it blocks further promotions to that environment until it's resolved.
3. A reviewer approves or rejects the pending release. They can attach an optional note explaining the decision.
4. On approval, the release becomes the version that environment serves. On rejection, the environment keeps serving its current version and the requester can revise and promote again.

The promotion reason, the person who requested it, and the reviewer's decision are all recorded on the release and in your [audit logs](/docs/platform/audit-logs).

### Separation of duties

If the promotion policy enables separation of duties, the reviewer must be someone other than the person who requested the promotion. This keeps a single person from both shipping and approving the same change.

## Enabling approvals

Approvals are turned on through the environment's promotion policy, not as a standalone setting. In the dashboard, go to **Project → Settings → Environments**, open the environment, and enable **Requires approval** in its **Promotion policy** section.

<Note>
  Configuring the approval requirement needs the `env:policies:manage` permission. Approving or rejecting a pending change needs the review permission for that resource — `routing:review` for routing-rule changes and the prompt review permission for prompt changes. See [Roles & permissions](/docs/platform/roles-and-permissions).
</Note>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Roles & permissions" icon="shield-check" href="/docs/platform/roles-and-permissions">
    Control who can approve changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit logs" icon="scroll-text" href="/docs/platform/audit-logs">
    Review who approved what, and when.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>