{
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  "generated_at_utc": "2026-10-16T13:36:43.315Z",
  "record_id": "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-GITLAB-APPROVAL-IDENTITY-01-v1",
  "record_kind": "external_reference",
  "title": "GitLab approvals: Independent people and revisions",
  "system": "GitLab",
  "evidence_family": "vendor_evidence_review",
  "index_status": "PUBLIC_SAFE_SOURCE_REVIEW",
  "evidence_state": "PRIMARY_DOCUMENTATION_REVIEW_ONLY",
  "canonical_question": "Does a GitLab approval count prove independent review of the latest revision?",
  "near_questions": [
    "Can a committer approve this merge request?",
    "Is approval by the author prevented?",
    "Can request-level rules override project rules?",
    "Are approvals reset after changed diffs?",
    "Was the approval recorded before commit processing finished?",
    "Does a rebase change approver eligibility?",
    "Which patch identity was approved?",
    "Were later changes added?",
    "Is re-authentication required?",
    "Does an approval count show distinct independent people?",
    "Which inherited settings apply?",
    "Can I save the review-independence boundary?"
  ],
  "supported_claims": [
    {
      "claim": "Approval settings separately govern authors, committers, rule overrides and reset behaviour after changes. Committers can approve by default unless restricted. Changed diffs normally reset approvals, but that behaviour can be changed. Counts alone do not identify reviewer independence or the revision accepted.",
      "reliance": "DOCUMENTED_CAPABILITY_ONLY"
    }
  ],
  "not_demonstrated_claims": [
    "Verified buyer configuration or effective access rights",
    "Independent execution, completeness or security testing",
    "Vendor certification, legal compliance or guaranteed suitability"
  ],
  "public_summary": "Approval settings separately govern authors, committers, rule overrides and reset behaviour after changes. Committers can approve by default unless restricted. Changed diffs normally reset approvals, but that behaviour can be changed. Counts alone do not identify reviewer independence or the revision accepted.",
  "related_record_ids": [],
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    "source_type": "official_external_documentation",
    "source_title": "GitLab merge request approval settings",
    "source_url": "https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/merge_requests/approvals/settings/",
    "checked_on": "2026-10-16",
    "candidate_record_id": "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-GITLAB-APPROVAL-IDENTITY-01-v1",
    "candidate_record_sha256": "760a4bdc001601c91355c39720e4b732f9627937b92e4024534a31ecf685056b",
    "method": "Primary documentation reviewed for the published bounded statement.",
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    "revalidation": "The delivered snapshot preserves the review date shown. Recheck current primary documentation and deployment context before relying on present applicability; payment does not trigger fresh research."
  },
  "answer_policy": {
    "classification": "DOCUMENTED_WITH_DEPLOYMENT_BOUNDARY",
    "bounded_answer": "Approval settings separately govern authors, committers, rule overrides and reset behaviour after changes. Committers can approve by default unless restricted. Changed diffs normally reset approvals, but that behaviour can be changed. Counts alone do not identify reviewer independence or the revision accepted.",
    "required_buyer_context": "Project tier, approval settings, identities and revision history. Effective configuration and dated operational evidence have not been inspected.",
    "missing_evidence": "A broader claim needs evidence matching the intended use. Payment does not upgrade the evidence state."
  },
  "private_boundary": "Raw logs, thresholds, private paths, source code, protected mechanisms and reconstruction-level details are excluded from public and paid delivery.",
  "decision_profile": {
    "schema": "varexis-vendor-evidence-review/1",
    "review_status": "documentation_review_only",
    "checked_on": "2026-10-16",
    "claim_to_check": "Two recorded approvals prove independent acceptance of the current code.",
    "documented_statement": {
      "status": "documented",
      "statement": "Approval settings separately govern authors, committers, rule overrides and reset behaviour after changes. Committers can approve by default unless restricted. Changed diffs normally reset approvals, but that behaviour can be changed. Counts alone do not identify reviewer independence or the revision accepted.",
      "source_ids": [
        "gitlab-approvals"
      ]
    },
    "buyer_evidence_required": [
      "Author and committer identities.",
      "Approval-rule override and reset settings.",
      "Approved revision and later diff changes."
    ],
    "review_condition": {
      "status": "varexis_review_policy",
      "statement": "Bind approvers and approvals to the accepted revision before claiming independent review."
    },
    "unknowns": "The buyer configuration, contract, effective entitlement and operational evidence have not been inspected. Missing evidence does not establish absence or failure of the feature.",
    "evidence_sources": [
      {
        "source_id": "gitlab-approvals",
        "url": "https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/merge_requests/approvals/settings/",
        "final_url": "https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/merge_requests/approvals/settings/",
        "title": "GitLab merge request approval settings",
        "checked_on": "2026-10-16",
        "sha256": "7b557d26796a8cb2f03699fecded03d93857d2b203ef121eaede8a4372785099",
        "bytes": 53058
      }
    ],
    "observed_deployment": false,
    "commercial_reliance_boundary": "Procurement evidence support only; no supplier clearance, legal conclusion, configuration audit or verification of the buyer's claim is supplied.",
    "paid_value": {
      "decision_context": "Retain the documented evidence required to substantiate a supplier review claim.",
      "free": "Complete review, practical questions, sources and limitations; may be saved locally.",
      "single_request": "Existing server-saved version-bound route snapshot for later authenticated retrieval.",
      "evidence_receipt": "The same snapshot plus the existing unsigned delivery receipt.",
      "excluded": [
        "Fresh vendor research",
        "Continuous monitoring or change alerts",
        "Testing the buyer configuration",
        "Private evidence or vendor certification"
      ],
      "integrity": "Hashes identify content versions; they do not prove truth or provide a signature."
    },
    "revalidation": {
      "trigger": "A saved purchase does not recheck the source or buyer configuration.",
      "specific_watch": "Project tier, approval settings, identities and revision history."
    }
  },
  "paid_access_note": "The full published answer and boundaries are free. Paid access saves the selected route and source versions, with an unsigned receipt when purchased. Preview coverage before paying. Fresh research, bespoke assessment and protected evidence are excluded.",
  "service_route": {
    "request_guide": "/varexis-index/request.html",
    "request_workflow": "/varexis-index/request-workflow.json",
    "service_id": "single_request",
    "service_routes_url": "/varexis-index/service-routes.json",
    "payment_required": true,
    "availability_endpoint": "/api/index/capabilities",
    "operational_status": "AUTOMATIC_SERVICE_CAPABILITIES_GATED",
    "checkout_url": "/index-access"
  },
  "authority_boundary": "VAREXIS-INDEX informs evidence reliance. It does not provide advice, certification, deployment authority, security assurance, production approval, or guarantee.",
  "human_page": "/varexis-index/catalog.html#gitlab-approval-committer-and-revision-boundary",
  "machine_readable_record": "/varexis-index/records/gitlab-approval-committer-and-revision-boundary.json"
}