diff --git a/src/gate/schema-change.test.ts b/src/gate/schema-change.test.ts
index 0b31abe..68cc0fa 100644
--- a/src/gate/schema-change.test.ts
+++ b/src/gate/schema-change.test.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,28 @@ describe("gateSchemaChange", () => {
     expect(gateSchemaChange({ changed: false })).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it("passes once someone has approved the migration", () => {
+    expect(gateSchemaChange({ changed: true, approved: true })).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("still blocks a schema change nobody has approved", () => {
+    expect(gateSchemaChange({ changed: true, approved: false })?.conclusion).toBe(
+      "failure",
+    );
+  });
+
+  // An API that predates the field sends no `approved` at all. Reading that as
+  // approved would drop the gate for every repo on an older deployment.
+  it("blocks when the API sends no approval field", () => {
+    expect(gateSchemaChange({ changed: true })?.conclusion).toBe("failure");
+  });
+
+  it("names the tool that clears the gate", () => {
+    expect(gateSchemaChange({ changed: true })!.message).toContain(
+      "approve_schema_change",
+    );
+  });
+
   it("passes when the API returned no schema-change signal", () => {
     expect(gateSchemaChange(null)).toBeNull();
     expect(gateSchemaChange(undefined)).toBeNull();
diff --git a/src/gate/schema-change.ts b/src/gate/schema-change.ts
index 8d6de8f..213c078 100644
--- a/src/gate/schema-change.ts
+++ b/src/gate/schema-change.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ import { resolveVerdict } from "./policy.ts";
 /** The schema diff the API returns on a run (`runMetadata.schemaChange`). */
 export interface SchemaChangeSignal {
   changed: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Whether someone validated this pull request's migration and the schema has
+   * not moved since (Site#3289). Absent on a Site deployment that predates the
+   * field, and read as unapproved — reading an absent field as approved would
+   * drop the gate for every repo on an older API.
+   */
+  approved?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface SchemaGateResult {
@@ -20,20 +27,25 @@ export interface SchemaGateResult {
 }
 
 const MESSAGE =
-  "This PR changes the database schema — validate the migration before merge. " +
-  "To stop schema changes from blocking this repo, set the schema-drift check " +
-  "to warn or off in CI settings.";
+  "This PR changes the database schema. Review the migration, then call " +
+  "approve_schema_change({ runId, reason }) and re-run CI; approving does not " +
+  "change a check that has already reported. To stop schema changes blocking " +
+  "this repo, set the schema-drift check to warn or off in CI settings.";
 
 /**
  * Decide the schema-change gate from the API's schema diff and the repo policy.
  * Returns the check outcome when the PR changes the schema and the policy
- * surfaces it, or `null` when there is no change or the policy is `off`.
+ * surfaces it, or `null` when there is no change, the migration is approved, or
+ * the policy is `off`.
  */
 export function gateSchemaChange(
   schemaChange: SchemaChangeSignal | null | undefined,
   config: RepoPolicyConfig = {},
 ): SchemaGateResult | null {
   if (!schemaChange?.changed) return null;
+  // An approved migration has already had the human eyeball this gate exists to
+  // force, so it stops blocking without the repo having to soften the policy.
+  if (schemaChange.approved) return null;
   const { conclusion, surfaced } = resolveVerdict(
     { condition: "schema-drift", verdictClass: "finding" },
     config,
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index c3b9dab..04d26b6 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -289,8 +289,12 @@ async function runInCI(
           regressedCount: reportContext.comparison?.regressed.length ?? 0,
           newQueryCount: reportContext.comparison?.newQueries.length ?? 0,
           indexedNewQueryCount: eligible.length,
+          // An approved migration is not drift the roll-up should count: a
+          // person has already validated it, so the condition is satisfied
+          // rather than softened.
           schemaChanged:
-            reportContext.runMetadata?.schemaChange?.changed === true,
+            reportContext.runMetadata?.schemaChange?.changed === true &&
+            reportContext.runMetadata.schemaChange.approved !== true,
           untestedDataAccessFileCount:
             reportContext.testPresenceVerdict?.dataAccessFiles.length ?? 0,
           regressionThreshold: config.regressionThreshold,
diff --git a/src/reporters/site-api.ts b/src/reporters/site-api.ts
index 9edb222..f567171 100644
--- a/src/reporters/site-api.ts
+++ b/src/reporters/site-api.ts
@@ -166,6 +166,12 @@ export interface CiRunMetadata {
     changed: boolean;
     operations: Op[];
     changes?: NamedSchemaChange[];
+    /**
+     * Whether someone validated this pull request's migration and the schema
+     * has not moved since (Site#3289). Absent on a Site API that predates the
+     * field, and read as unapproved so the gate keeps blocking.
+     */
+    approved?: boolean;
   } | null;
 }