# Agentic Development Lifecycle (ADLC)

ADLC helps your team ship workflow changes safely. It replaces “edit → publish → live” with staged deployments and reviews.

Use ADLC when multiple people ship changes. Use it when you want fewer surprises in production.

### Why ADLC helps

ADLC makes changes safer and easier to track:

* review changes before they go live
* test on separate URLs before production
* keep a history of what shipped, and when
* reduce accidental production breaks

### Key concepts

* **Stage** is an environment with its own URL. Stages keep testing away from real users.
* **Version** is a locked-in build of your workflow. Versions move through stages.
* **Pull request (PR)** is a request to promote a version to the next stage. A PR shows a diff and a frozen snapshot.

### Enable ADLC for your org

1. Go to `Settings → Feature Access`.
2. Toggle on `Deployment Stages`.
3. New projects will use ADLC stages. Note that your existing projects will not have ADLC.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/gr4UGv9VENLVIwD4Nla1" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

### Deployment pipeline

By default, workflows move through four stages:

`Draft → Development → Staging → Production`

1. **Draft**: Build and iterate. Nothing is deployed.
2. **Development**: First deployed stage. Use it for internal testing.
3. **Staging**: Final checks. Use it for QA and stakeholder sign-off.
4. **Production**: Live deployment. Real users interact with it.

{% hint style="warning" %}
You can’t skip stages. Promotion must follow the pipeline order.

You can configure ADLC to omit a stage. Example: Draft → Development → Production.
{% endhint %}

### What ADLC changes in the product

When ADLC is enabled:

* **Publish** becomes **Create Pull Request**.
* A **Deployments** tab appears in the project navigation.
* Export shows per-stage URLs instead of a single “live URL”.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/cKPD0YhdVAR3IDZsoV17" alt=""><figcaption><p>ADLC projects show Deployments and stage URLs.</p></figcaption></figure></div>

### ADLC surfaces in the Deployments tab

ADLC is built around four screens. Each one answers a different question.

#### 1) Active deployments

Use this to answer: “What’s live in each stage right now?”

You get separate URLs for Development, Staging, and Production.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/OaxshZAeOqBbkHjpcF3E" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Deploying to Development only changes the Development URL. Other stages keep running.

#### 2) Deployment history

Use this to answer: “What happened to each version over time?”

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/Xa7MLnZd8BZZnDKBGBRy" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

You can see:

* which versions exist
* which stage each version reached
* whether a PR is pending for a version
* who approved and when

#### 3) Pull requests list

Use this to answer: “What PRs exist for this version?”

Each version can have multiple PRs. You usually create one per stage transition.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/sRoBXx1Yrvu4orh1ioKB" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

The PR list shows:

* status of each PR
* who created each PR
* PR description
* reviewers and comments

#### 4) Pull request review view

Use this to answer: “What exactly will deploy if I approve?” Review mode is read-only. It loads the PR snapshot.

You can:

* view the workflow canvas
* view export and interface settings
* inspect the diff
* leave comments
* approve or reject

{% embed url="<https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFSlso1Kjob5CLDrh0dVn%2Fuploads%2FUOzvcRjZy5ygrApiwHpL%2FArea.mp4?alt=media&token=9b71cc0d-e50d-4571-8f35-cd5986f1a54b>" %}

### How to create a pull request

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Make changes in Draft

Make your changes in Draft. Save when you’re ready to promote them.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Click Create Pull Request

Use the toolbar action. This asks to promote your changes to the next stage.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Review the diff and describe the change

Open **View Changes** to inspect the diff.

Add a description. Keep it specific and testable.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Submit the PR

Submitting captures a snapshot of:

* workflow definition (nodes, edges, connections)
* export and interface settings
* form settings
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}

After submission, the PR shows as **pending** in Deployments. Your teammates can review it.

### How to review a pull request

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Open Deployments

Go to the workflow project. Open the **Deployments** tab.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Find the pending PR

Open the version. Then open its PR list.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Open review mode

Click **Review**. You will see the frozen PR snapshot.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Comment and decide

Leave comments on the diff or workflow.

Then **Approve** or **Reject** the PR.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

If approved, that version deploys to the target stage.

### Best practices

* Add descriptions to each PR highlighting key changes and things to note for the reviewer.
* Validate in Staging with the people who will sign off.
* Treat Production as read-mostly. Limit who can promote to it.

### Troubleshooting and gotchas

* **“My draft changed after I opened the PR”**: That’s expected as PRs always show the frozen snapshot. Create a new PR if you need to include newer Draft edits.
* **“I don’t see the Deployments tab”**: Confirm ADLC is enabled for your org. Note that once you turn ADLC on, only new projects will show ADLC stages. Existing projects will remain the same.


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