> **Updated 2026-10-16.** Design: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/merge_requests/7419 (ADR-001, accepted). Spike: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/633284. Demo: https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/work_items/24022#note_3996770120. ## Summary Roll out [following up with Duo Developer in the same session](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/work_items/24022), currently behind the `duo_developer_continuable_sessions` feature flag. With the flag on, Duo Developer sessions started from a mention or an assignment stay open after each answer. You can continue them from the session page, and sessions that are only done for now show as idle instead of "input required". - DRI: @thomas-schmidt - Team Slack channel: [`#f_duo_developer`](https://gitlab.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0B8K9EL0RF) > [!note] > Process and guidance live in the docs — this issue is just the commands and a place to track the rollout. > "Rolling out" means incrementally enabling the flag on GitLab.com to validate stability — it is not the same as releasing the feature, which happens when the flag is removed. > [Feature flag controls](https://docs.gitlab.com/development/feature_flags/controls/) · [Feature flag lifecycle](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product-development/how-we-work/product-development-flow/feature-flag-lifecycle/#feature-flag-lifecycle) ## What the flag controls - Which Duo Developer version **new** sessions from mentions and assignments run: `^4.0.0` (rests after each answer) or `^3.0.0` (ends, as today). - Everything that depends on that version follows from it: the idle status, the reply box, delivery per turn. Sessions on `^3.0.0` never rest, so they never show a reply box or turn idle. **Not controlled by the flag:** - Sessions already on 4.x keep running on the version they started on after the flag turns off (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/630374). Turning the flag off is not a kill switch for open sessions; stopping them is the user's or an admin's action. - Shared changes that ship unflagged and backward compatible: Rails accepting `idle`, answer delivery on "turn ended" for every messaging flow (rolled out over two releases), and one send at a time on `POST /resume`. ## What could go wrong? - **Notification noise:** if idle doesn't land before the flag is on, every session would rest as "input required" and send a to-do and an email. Turn the flag on only after the idle status ships. - **Lost answers:** a resting session that doesn't deliver its answer to the discussion. Turn the flag on only after delivery on "turn ended" runs in production, and watch the messaging callback errors. - **Runner cost:** a continued session starts a new CI job per turn, and each follow-up re-reads the history without the prompt cache. Watch cost per turn in https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/work_items/3172. - **Quality:** the new version must be no worse than today's on SWE-bench, tokens, latency and LLM calls before we enable it beyond customer zero. - **Session-finished features don't fire** for sessions on 4.x (work item status on finish, automation waiting for `finished`). See https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/633375. - **Status-triggered chains stop:** the flag also applies to Duo Developer sessions that a work item status trigger starts. Exit settings that wait for "the session finished" (`ai_flow_trigger_status_on_finish`, https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/261137) never fire for a session that rests. Don't enable both flags for the same group until https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/633375 has an answer. ## Events - [Exceptions with duo_developer_continuable_sessions:1](https://log.gprd.gitlab.net/app/discover#/?_g=(time:(from:now-1d,to:now))&_a=(index:'7092c4e2-4eb5-46f2-8305-a7da2edad090',query:(language:kuery,query:'json.exception.feature_flag_states.keyword:%22duo_developer_continuable_sessions:1%22'),columns:!(json.exception.class,json.exception.message,json.extra.workflow_id,json.meta.caller_id),sort:!(!(json.time,desc)))) - [Events with duo_developer_continuable_sessions:1](https://log.gprd.gitlab.net/app/discover#/?_g=(time:(from:now-1d,to:now))&_a=(index:'7092c4e2-4eb5-46f2-8305-a7da2edad090',query:(language:kuery,query:'json.feature_flag_states:%22duo_developer_continuable_sessions:1%22'),columns:!(json.meta.caller_id,json.feature_flag_states),sort:!(!(json.time,desc)))) - [Error rate and other graphs by modifying the examples in the Visualization Library](https://log.gprd.gitlab.net/app/visualize#/?_g=h@358d019&s=FF%20Observability) Feature Flag events are only logged by default for feature flags marked for the current or future milestones. To enable while the feature flag is active, see https://docs.gitlab.com/development/feature_flags/#logging ## Rollout Run all production `/chatops` in [`#production`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/C101F3796) and cross-post the results to [`#f_duo_developer`](https://gitlab.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0B8K9EL0RF). **Non-production** ``` /chatops gitlab run feature set duo_developer_continuable_sessions true --dev --pre --staging --staging-ref ``` **Production: customer zero** ``` /chatops gitlab run feature set --user=thomas-schmidt duo_developer_continuable_sessions true /chatops gitlab run feature set --feature-group=gitlab_team_members duo_developer_continuable_sessions true /chatops gitlab run feature set --group=gitlab-org,gitlab-com duo_developer_continuable_sessions true ``` **Production: customers** (after customer zero; 19.6 if it goes fast, otherwise 19.7), percentage rollout, wait ≥15 min between steps: ``` /chatops gitlab run feature set duo_developer_continuable_sessions <percentage> --actors ``` ## Before global rollout - [ ] GitLab stores the idle status: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/633285 - [ ] The AI Gateway writes idle for the new version: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/work_items/2878 - [ ] `developer/4.0.0` is listed on the chat engine: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/work_items/3173 - [ ] Answers are delivered on "turn ended", both releases deployed: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/633286 - [ ] A continued session runs the version it started on: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/630374 - [x] The Duo CLI and IDE handle idle: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/editor-extensions/gitlab-lsp/-/work_items/3244 (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/editor-extensions/gitlab-lsp/-/merge_requests/4408) - [ ] Session-finished consumers have an answer: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/633375 - [ ] Quality gate passed: the new version is no worse than today's (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/work_items/3172) - [ ] [Docs + version history](https://docs.gitlab.com/development/documentation/feature_flags/) updated - [ ] [Breaking changes](https://docs.gitlab.com/development/documentation/release_notes/#deprecations-removals-and-breaking-changes) announced, if any - [ ] [Change management issue](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/infrastructure-platforms/change-management/#feature-flags-and-the-change-management-process) opened, if required ## Cleanup Remove the flag once [deemed stable](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product-development/how-we-work/product-development-flow/feature-flag-lifecycle/#feature-flag-lifecycle). Then: ``` /chatops gitlab run release check <merge-request-url> <milestone> /chatops gitlab run feature delete duo_developer_continuable_sessions --dev --pre --staging --staging-ref --production ``` ## Rollback ``` /chatops gitlab run feature set duo_developer_continuable_sessions false /chatops gitlab run feature set duo_developer_continuable_sessions false --dev --pre --staging --staging-ref ```