GitLab 16.9 introduces Duo Chat for Premium customers and enhances merge request features

GitLab, the widely used DevOps platform, has announced the release of its 16.9 version. This latest version introduces GitLab Duo Chat for Premium SaaS and self-managed customers, while still in Beta. GitLab Duo Chat was previously made available for self-managed instances in version 16.8, and with this update, it expands its availability to Premium customers.

In addition, GitLab 16.9 introduces a feature that allows users to request changes in a merge request without blocking the merge. This is visible in the sidebar, showing the outcome of your review next to your name. While this feature doesn't block the merge request, it provides additional context for other participants in the merge request.

The 16.9 update also improves the user experience of the CI/CD variables page. Enhancements to the variables creation flow include improved validation when variable values do not meet the requirements, help text during variable creation, and the ability to resize the value field in the variables form.

Another significant update in GitLab 16.9 is the additional options for auto-canceling pipelines. Users can now configure the pipeline to only cancel jobs set with interruptible: true, even if they haven’t started yet. Additionally, jobs can be set to never be automatically cancelled.

Apart from these, GitLab 16.9 includes many other new features, improvements, and bug fixes, further enhancing the usability and functionality of the platform.