# POST /api/v4/projects/{}/merge_requests/{}/approvals stops working

Calls to POST /api/v4/projects/{id}/merge_requests/{id}/approvals on GitLab API stopped working on May 22, 2023.

On May 22, 2023, the GitLab API removed the POST /api/v4/projects/{id}/merge_requests/{id}/approvals endpoint. Calls made to this endpoint fail. The endpoint was previously used to change the approvals required for a merge request.

## What to use instead

Create or update merge request approval rules using /api/v4/projects/{id}/merge_requests/{iid}/approval_rules instead.

- API: GitLab API (gitlab.com)
- Kind: Endpoint removal
- Announced: June 22, 2021
- Takes effect: May 22, 2023
- Calls after that day: fail
- Calls it hits: `POST /api/v4/projects/{id}/merge_requests/{id}/approvals`
- Source: [Announcement](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/raw/master/doc/update/deprecations.md)
- Verified: November 6, 2026, against GitLab API's own pages
- Page: https://www.okapi.bot/providers/gitlab-api/breaking-changes/post-api-v4-projects-merge-requests-approvals-stops-working/

## GitLab API's words

> To change the approvals required for a merge request, you should no longer use the `/approvals` API endpoint, which was deprecated in GitLab 14.0.

Okapi finds the calls this change hits in your repo and opens the pull request with the fix: https://github.com/apps/okapi-agent