# Automatically trigger block step overlay

**URL:** <https://forum.buildkite.community/t/automatically-trigger-block-step-overlay/3498>\
**Category:** Features Requests\
**Created:** [January 18, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/automatically-trigger-block-step-overlay/3498 "2024-01-18T21:43:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cwawrzonek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@cwawrzonek](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/cwawrzonek)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/automatically-trigger-block-step-overlay/3498/1 "2024-01-18T21:43:06Z")

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Is it possible to automatically trigger the block step overlay panel when a block step is reached? We often miss the block step and the pipelines sit waiting. Or maybe keep the pipeline color yellow while waiting in block step?

Would love to know if this feature is possible!

Christian

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**Author:** ![james.s](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.buildkite.community/james.s/32/1305_2.png) [@james.s](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/james.s)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/automatically-trigger-block-step-overlay/3498/2 "2024-01-18T21:54:20Z")

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Hey Christian (@cwawrzonek)!

Thanks for the question 🙂

A `block` step is designed to be a place in a pipeline that requires manual intervention - so at the moment it’s not possible to process said popup (you might be more interested in `wait` [steps](https://buildkite.com/docs/pipelines/wait-step) for that need - combined with [explicit](https://buildkite.com/docs/pipelines/dependencies#defining-explicit-dependencies) dependencies with `depends_on`).

On the case for block steps’ _state_, by default a build is marked in its `passed` state when blocked - but you can [use](https://buildkite.com/docs/pipelines/block-step#block-step-attributes) the `blocked_state` attribute on that step to change the `block` steps state when a build reaches it. You’d be after `running`: which will mark said build in the same state as a running build.

Hope that helps!

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**Author:** ![cwawrzonek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@cwawrzonek](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/cwawrzonek)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 10:01pm UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/automatically-trigger-block-step-overlay/3498/3 "2024-01-18T22:01:05Z")

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Excellent! For the record, we don’t want to automatically process block steps, just make the human intervention requirement more explicit for less technical users who don’t know they need to intervene.

But the yellow color should at least help!

Thanks for the speedy response.

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**Author:** ![james.s](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.buildkite.community/james.s/32/1305_2.png) [@james.s](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/james.s)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/automatically-trigger-block-step-overlay/3498/4 "2024-01-18T22:07:21Z")

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No worries!

In that case, `blocked_state` will definitely fit the bill.

Let us know if anything else arises 🙂