til 20260310

Author: kencx

content/til/2026-03-10-gitlab-manual-job-control.md

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+title = "The difference between optional and blocking manual jobs in GitLab CI"
+date = "2026-03-10"
+updated = "2026-03-10"
+
+[taxonomies]
+tags = ["gitlab", "ci/cd"]
++++
+
+To create an optional job in GitLab CI, add `when: manual` to the job
+configuration. However, the location of `when: manual` determines the type of
+manual job created:
+
+- If defined outside `rules`, the job will default to `allow_failure: true`,
+  making it optional. In this case, the pipeline can succeed - subsequent jobs
+  can continue to run - if the manual job is not run or fails.
+- If defined inside `rules`, the job defaults to `allow_failure: false`, making
+  it blocking. The pipeline will stop at the stage where the job is defined. The
+  blocking manual job must be run for the rest of the pipeline to proceed.
+
+## References
+- [GitLab - Job Control](https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/jobs/job_control/#types-of-manual-jobs)