| name | orca-approval-gate |
| description | Decide when risky work must pause for approval and record the approval request clearly. |
ORCA Framework Approval Gate
What This Skill Is
A policy workflow for deciding whether work can proceed automatically or needs approval first.
Trigger
Use before destructive actions, broad refactors, installer changes, dependency upgrades, release-risk decisions, or scope expansion.
Do Not Trigger
Do not use for low-risk discovery, documentation, or already approved narrow work.
Required Inputs
- Proposed action
- Risk and scope summary
Optional Inputs
- Related spec or plan
- Verification plan
- Rollback plan
Exact Workflow
- Classify the proposed action and blast radius.
- Decide whether the action is safe to proceed, needs approval, or should stop.
- If approval is needed, write a request using
templates/approval-request.md.
- Record the decision in the durable work record.
- If approval is denied or delayed, propose the safest next move.
Expected Outputs
- Filled
templates/approval-request.md when approval is needed
Quality Bar
A maintainer should understand the risk, decision, and next step quickly.
Common Failure Modes
- Treating low confidence as permission to proceed.
- Requesting approval without stating the blast radius.
- Expanding scope while waiting for approval.
Relationship To Other ORCA Framework Skills And Commands
Supports orca-plan, orca-build, orca-approve, orca-security-check, and orca-ship.