> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/release-notes/continuous-delivery/release-orchestration-continuous-delivery.md).
# Release Orchestration
{% @harness-package-selector/package-selector platforms="%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Continuous%20Delivery%22%2C%22slug%22%3A%22continuous-delivery%22%2C%22path%22%3A%22release-notes%2Fcontinuous-delivery%2Fcontinuous-delivery-continuous-delivery%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22GitOps%22%2C%22slug%22%3A%22gitops%22%2C%22path%22%3A%22release-notes%2Fcontinuous-delivery%2Fgitops-continuous-delivery%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Pipeline%22%2C%22slug%22%3A%22pipeline%22%2C%22path%22%3A%22release-notes%2Fcontinuous-delivery%2Fpipeline-continuous-delivery%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Release%20Orchestration%22%2C%22slug%22%3A%22release-orchestration%22%2C%22path%22%3A%22release-notes%2Fcontinuous-delivery%2Frelease-orchestration-continuous-delivery%22%7D%5D" selectedPlatform="release-orchestration" %}
{% updates format="full" %}
{% update date="2026-10-15" %}
## October 2026
### Version 1.85.0
**New features and enhancements**
* Release Orchestration now supports separate **Create**, **View**, **Edit**, **Delete**, and **Execute** permissions for activities and processes, in addition to releases. A new migration adds the matching permissions to custom roles that already have **Releases** permissions. A new **Use Service Principal for Pipeline Authentication** default setting also lets a release run its pipeline activities as the Release Management service, so the release initiator does not need pipeline **Execute** permission. Go to [Process and activity permissions and pipeline identity](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-execution/permissions-and-pipeline-identity) for details.
* Changeset Git source can now be inferred from the build's connector and provider, reducing manual Git setup when tracking artifacts. Go to [Configure default connectors](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-artifacts/artifact-tracker-getting-started#configure-default-connectors) for details. (**RM-1473**)
* Remote activity YAMLs are now fetched from Git in batches, so large Git-backed processes load faster and more reliably. (**RM-1269**)
* Artifacts from pipelines that directly trigger a release are now automatically associated with that release. Go to [Link artifacts to releases](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-artifacts/artifact-tracker-getting-started#link-artifacts-to-releases-optional) for details. (**RM-1471**)
* When you select a remote process for an ad hoc release, a branch selector now appears next to it so you can choose which branch's process definition to run. Go to [Create an ad hoc release](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-releases/adhoc-releases#step-2-process-and-datetime) for details. (**RM-1514**)
* Processes, process inputs, and activities are now automatically created in Harness when their YAML file is pushed to the default branch of a connected Git repository, and existing git-backed processes, process inputs, and activities refresh automatically when their YAML changes in Git. Go to [Sync from Git to Harness](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-processes/process-modeling#sync-from-git-to-harness) for details. (**RM-1452**)
**Fixed issues**
* Fixed an issue where artifacts and changesets were recorded at the wrong scope. They are now recorded at the service mapping's scope, and commits and tickets ingest at the correct changeset scope. (**RM-1481**)
* Fixed an issue where releases only showed project-level changesets. Releases now also show changesets from parent scopes (organization or account) when they apply. (**RM-1471**)
* Fixed an issue where pipeline activities went on hold when policy evaluation returned a warning. Warn-and-continue policies now let the activity proceed. (**RM-1486**)
* Fixed an issue where ad hoc releases did not consistently honor the selected process Git branch. The selected branch is now honored end-to-end, across start, input moves, and the execution graph. (**RM-1514**, **RM-1533**)
* Fixed an issue where subprocess authentication and retry did not resolve trigger information correctly, affecting retries and permissions for nested process activities. (**RM-1340**)
* Starting a process now fails fast if the same release is already being started, instead of hanging on a lock. (**RM-1511**)
* Fixed an issue where an activity could not be retried when its execution input was missing. Activities can now be retried in this case. (**RM-1540**)
* Removed the deprecated AI activity-creation UI. (**RM-1512**)
{% hint style="info" %}
Versions 1.81.0 through 1.84.x are not listed here. Those releases were rolled into version 1.85.0, and upgrades skip directly from version 1.80.2 to version 1.85.0.
{% endhint %}
{% endupdate %}
{% update date="2026-09-01" %}
## September 2026
### Version 1.80.2
**New features and enhancements**
* Service mappings in Artifact Tracker can now select upstream services from any scope, account, organization, or project, regardless of the scope where the mapping is created. Previously, an account-scoped mapping could only select upstream services at the account level, and an org-scoped mapping could only select from the account and org levels. Go to [Map your services](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-artifacts/artifact-tracker-getting-started#map-your-services) to configure a service mapping. (**RM-1463**)
* The **Select Activity Queue** field in the Looping Strategy panel now accepts an expression in addition to a fixed Pipeline Queue activity, so the queue activity a loop reads from can be resolved at runtime. This feature requires feature flags `RMG_ENABLE_WEBHOOK_QUEUE_SUPPORT` and `RMG_LOOPING_ENABLED`. Contact [Harness Support](mailto:support@harness.io) to enable. Go to the [Looping strategy panel](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-phases/phase-looping#looping-strategy-panel) for details.
**Fixed issues**
* Fixed an issue where output expressions could resolve against the wrong execution scope, which could return stale or incorrect output values to downstream activities. (**RM-1434**)
{% hint style="info" %}
Versions 1.79.2 through 1.80.1 are not listed here. Those releases were rolled into version 1.80.2, and upgrades skip directly from version 1.79.1 to version 1.80.2.
{% endhint %}
### Version 1.79.1
#### New features and enhancements
* Release Orchestration now supports moving processes, process inputs, and activities from inline to remote Git storage using a **Move to Git** action. Process inputs require that the parent process already be stored in Git. Go to [Move inline entities to Git](https://developer.harness.io/harness-platform/use-harness-platform/git-experience/move-inline-entities-to-git) to configure this for a process, process input, or activity.
* OPA policy evaluation is now supported during release runs, allowing governance policies to differentiate between regular and ad hoc releases. Go to [Harness Governance Overview](https://developer.harness.io/harness-platform/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/harness-governance-overview#release-orchestration) to learn about on-run policy evaluation for Release Orchestration entities.
#### Fixed issues
* Fixed an issue where a release-triggered pipeline execution ran under the internal service identity instead of the identity of the user who started the release, so environment-level RBAC restrictions were not enforced. (**RM-1147**)
{% hint style="info" %}
Versions 1.73.x through 1.78.x are not listed here. Those releases were rolled into version 1.79.1, and upgrades skip directly from version 1.72.0 to version 1.79.1.
{% endhint %}
### Version 1.72.0
#### New features and enhancements
* Activities now support looping over deployment targets. You can run a separate iteration for each target from a single activity definition, eliminating the need to duplicate activities for multi-environment or multi-region deployments. This feature requires the feature flag `RMG_LOOPING_ENABLED`. Contact [Harness Support](mailto:support@harness.io) to enable. Go to [Loop phases and activities](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-phases/phase-looping) to configure looping on a phase.
* Input set variables can now be marked as read-only to prevent them from being overridden during execution. This gives process owners stronger control over runtime inputs.
* Process, process input, and activity pages now display a banner when GitX webhook sync is not enabled. This makes it easier to identify and activate bi-directional Git synchronization.
* Release process definitions now require owners and activities to be specified for every phase. This ensures consistent accountability and completeness across process templates.
* Phase inputs can now be fetched using a release's human-readable slug identifier, making API access more consistent with other endpoints.
* A new Looping Strategy panel is available in the phase and activity editor, making it easier to configure deployment targets for looping. This feature requires the feature flag `RMG_LOOPING_ENABLED`. Contact [Harness Support](mailto:support@harness.io) to enable. Go to the [Looping strategy panel](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-phases/phase-looping#looping-strategy-panel) for details.
* Phase re-run controls are now available. Users in a phase's user group can re-run or advance to the next phase. Manual activities in re-runnable phases can no longer be skipped.
* OPA policy evaluation on save is now supported for release groups. This catches governance violations at configuration time rather than at execution. Go to [Harness Governance Overview](https://developer.harness.io/harness-platform/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/harness-governance-overview#release-orchestration) to learn about on-save policy evaluation for Release Orchestration entities.
* Activity looping UI improvements include fixed row-click navigation and a streamlined targets configuration form.
* Reduced redundant API calls when checking for artifact updates on paused phases, improving page load performance.
#### Fixed issues
* Fixed an issue where a release activity would get stuck in "Running" indefinitely when an OPA governance policy blocked the triggered pipeline before any steps were executed. Activities now correctly transition to a failed state. (**RM-1356**)
* Fixed an issue where phase inputs were not loaded correctly when re-running a Process Direct Execution phase. (**RM-1465**)
* Fixed an issue where slug resolution for process direct execution during phase re-runs failed. (**RM-1486**)
* Fixed an issue where subprocess activities with keyed references would fail to execute correctly after a regression was introduced. These activities now execute as expected. (**RM-885**)
* Fixed an issue where subprocess activities failed when referencing org-level processes. References are now resolved correctly across process scopes. (**RM-1247**)
#### Security updates
* Updated an underlying HTTP framework component to address CVE-2026-55677.
{% hint style="info" %}
Version 1.71.x is not listed here. That release was rolled into version 1.72.0, and upgrades skip directly from version 1.70.0 to version 1.72.0.
{% endhint %}
{% endupdate %}
{% update date="2026-08-01" %}
## August 2026
### Version 1.70.0
#### New features and enhancements
* Releases and process executions now show who triggered them, with user name and avatar displayed in the releases table, release details, and execution views.
* When a phase is paused, Release Management automatically checks for newer release artifact tags and shows a warning banner when updates are available. Hover over phase inputs to see current artifact tags at a glance.
* Fixed governance policy metadata timestamps so that created and updated dates display correctly in release governance views.
#### Fixed issues
* Fixed an issue where the edit activity form could unexpectedly reset or lose changes while editing an activity. (**RM-1002**)
* Fixed an issue where starting a release could leave an inconsistent state if pipeline plan creation failed. Database changes are now rolled back when plan setup fails, and concurrent release starts are coordinated to prevent race conditions. (**RM-1311**)
{% hint style="info" %}
Version 1.69.x is not listed here. That release was rolled into version 1.70.0, and upgrades skip directly from version 1.68.0 to version 1.70.0.
{% endhint %}
### Version 1.68.0
#### New features and enhancements
* Phases can now pause when that option is enabled and be resumed or restarted without restarting the release.
* Semantic versioning can be enabled by default and overridden per service, so "previous artifact" follows the version order rather than just the latest timestamp. Go to [Get Started with Artifact Tracker and Changesets](https://developer.harness.io/release-orchestration/use-release-orchestration/release-orchestration-artifacts/artifact-tracker-getting-started#semantic-versioning) to configure semantic versioning.
* Phase and activity outputs can now be assigned types and edited inline in a table, keeping output definitions structured and easier to maintain.
#### Fixed issues
* Orchestration pipeline activities now detect completion from the execution record, so releases no longer stall after a pipeline has already finished. (**RM-1293**)
{% endupdate %}
{% endupdates %}
{% @harness-feedback/feedback module="release-notes" pagePath="release-notes/continuous-delivery/release-orchestration-continuous-delivery" %}