diff --git a/extensions/approval-gates/CHANGELOG.md b/extensions/approval-gates/CHANGELOG.md
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@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# Changelog
+
+All notable changes to the Approval Gates extension are documented in this file.
+
+The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
+and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
+
+## [1.0.0] - 2026-04-05
+
+### Added
+
+- Initial release of Approval Gates extension
+- `speckit.approval-gates.status` command to display approval gates configuration
+- Support for per-phase approval requirements (specify, plan, tasks, implement, constitution)
+- Configurable approval requirements:
+  - `enabled` — Toggle approval requirement for a phase
+  - `min_approvals` — Minimum number of approvals needed
+  - `requires` — List of roles who can approve
+  - `description` — Description of what the gate enforces
+- `approval-gates-config.template.yml` template for team customization
+- Hook integration: After `/speckit.tasks`, optional prompt to check approval gates
+- Comprehensive documentation with configuration guide and examples
+- Support for optional configuration (teams can use extension without configuring gates)
diff --git a/extensions/approval-gates/LICENSE b/extensions/approval-gates/LICENSE
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+++ b/extensions/approval-gates/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 GitHub, Inc.
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/extensions/approval-gates/README.md b/extensions/approval-gates/README.md
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+# Approval Gates Extension
+
+Extension to enforce approval requirements between spec-driven development phases.
+
+## Installation
+
+### 1. Install the Extension
+
+```bash
+specify extension add --dev extensions/approval-gates
+```
+
+### 2. Create Configuration
+
+Copy the template to your project:
+
+```bash
+mkdir -p .specify/extensions/approval-gates
+cp extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.template.yml \
+   .specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml
+```
+
+### 3. Customize for Your Team
+
+Edit `.specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml` and set:
+
+- Which phases require approval
+- How many approvals are needed
+- Who can approve each phase
+- Descriptions for each gate
+
+## Configuration
+
+### Schema
+
+```yaml
+specify:
+  enabled: bool                    # Enable/disable this gate
+  requires: [role1, role2, ...]    # Who can approve
+  min_approvals: int               # How many approvals required
+  description: string              # (optional) What this gate enforces
+```
+
+### Example
+
+```yaml
+specify:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [product_lead, architect]
+  min_approvals: 1
+  description: "Functional spec approval"
+
+plan:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [architect, tech_lead]
+  min_approvals: 2
+  description: "Technical plan approval"
+
+tasks:
+  enabled: false
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+### Check Approval Gates Status
+
+```bash
+> /speckit.approval-gates.status
+```
+
+Shows which phases are gated and their approval requirements:
+
+```
+✅ Approval gates enabled
+
+  📋 specify
+     • Status: ✅ ENFORCED
+     • Min approvals: 1
+     • Description: Functional spec approval
+
+  📋 plan
+     • Status: ✅ ENFORCED
+     • Min approvals: 2
+     • Description: Technical spec approval
+```
+
+### After Tasks Phase
+
+The extension integrates with the workflow:
+
+```bash
+> /speckit.tasks
+# ... task generation ...
+# Prompt appears:
+# ❓ Check approval gates for next phase?
+> Y
+```
+
+## Phases
+
+Approval gates can be configured for the following phases:
+
+- `constitution` — Project setup and context
+- `specify` — Functional specification
+- `plan` — Technical specification and architecture
+- `tasks` — Task breakdown and planning
+- `implement` — Implementation phase (optional)
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Command Not Found
+
+```
+❌ Command not found: speckit.approval-gates.status
+```
+
+**Solution**: Reinstall the extension:
+
+```bash
+specify extension remove approval-gates
+specify extension add --dev extensions/approval-gates
+```
+
+### Config Not Loading
+
+```
+ℹ️ No approval gates configured
+```
+
+**Solution**: Ensure the config file exists:
+
+```bash
+ls .specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml
+# If missing, create it from template
+```
+
+### YAML Parse Error
+
+```
+❌ Error parsing approval-gates-config.yml
+```
+
+**Solution**: Validate YAML syntax:
+
+```bash
+yq eval '.' .specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml
+```
+
+Check for:
+- Proper indentation (2 spaces)
+- Quotes around strings
+- No trailing colons
+
+## Related Commands
+
+- `/speckit.constitution` — Project setup
+- `/speckit.specify` — Create specification
+- `/speckit.plan` — Create plan
+- `/speckit.tasks` — Generate tasks
diff --git a/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.template.yml b/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.template.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..874e524918
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+++ b/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.template.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+# Approval Gates Configuration
+# Copy this file to .specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml
+# Then customize for your team's approval workflow
+
+# Define approval requirements for each phase
+# Each phase can be enabled/disabled independently
+
+specify:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [product_lead, architect]
+  min_approvals: 1
+  description: "Functional specification approval"
+
+plan:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [architect, tech_lead]
+  min_approvals: 2
+  description: "Technical specification and architecture approval"
+
+tasks:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [tech_lead]
+  min_approvals: 1
+  description: "Task breakdown and planning approval"
+
+implement:
+  enabled: false
+  requires: [tech_lead]
+  min_approvals: 1
+  description: "Implementation gate (optional)"
+
+constitution:
+  enabled: false
+  requires: [owner]
+  min_approvals: 1
+  description: "Project constitution approval"
+
+# Future: GitHub Actions integration for automated checks
+github_actions:
+  enabled: false
+  # repository: "your-org/your-repo"
+  # branch: "main"
diff --git a/extensions/approval-gates/commands/status.md b/extensions/approval-gates/commands/status.md
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+++ b/extensions/approval-gates/commands/status.md
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+---
+description: "Show approval gates configuration and enforcement status"
+---
+
+# Approval Gates Status
+
+Display the current approval gates configuration.
+
+## Steps
+
+### Step 1: Check if Approval Gates are Configured
+
+```bash
+config_file=".specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml"
+
+if [ ! -f "$config_file" ]; then
+  echo "ℹ️  No approval gates configured"
+  echo ""
+  echo "To enable approval gates:"
+  echo "  1. Create .specify/extensions/approval-gates/ directory"
+  echo "  2. Copy the template: approval-gates-config.template.yml"
+  echo "  3. Customize for your team's workflow"
+  echo ""
+  echo "See: extensions/approval-gates/README.md for setup instructions"
+  exit 0
+fi
+```
+
+### Step 2: Display Approval Gates Status
+
+```bash
+echo "✅ Approval gates enabled"
+echo ""
+
+# Parse YAML and display each phase
+phases=$(yq eval 'keys[]' "$config_file" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+
+if [ -z "$phases" ]; then
+  echo "⚠️  No phases configured in approval-gates-config.yml"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+for phase in $phases; do
+  enabled=$(yq eval ".${phase}.enabled" "$config_file" 2>/dev/null)
+
+  if [ "$enabled" = "true" ]; then
+    min_approvals=$(yq eval ".${phase}.min_approvals // 1" "$config_file" 2>/dev/null)
+    requires=$(yq eval ".${phase}.requires // []" "$config_file" 2>/dev/null)
+    description=$(yq eval ".${phase}.description" "$config_file" 2>/dev/null)
+
+    echo "  📋 $phase"
+    echo "     • Status: ✅ ENFORCED"
+    echo "     • Min approvals: $min_approvals"
+
+    if [ -n "$description" ] && [ "$description" != "null" ]; then
+      echo "     • Description: $description"
+    fi
+
+    echo ""
+  else
+    echo "  ⊘ $phase: disabled"
+    echo ""
+  fi
+done
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+This command reads from `.specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml`.
+
+### Example Configuration
+
+```yaml
+specify:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [product_lead, architect]
+  min_approvals: 1
+  description: "Functional spec approval"
+
+plan:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [architect, tech_lead]
+  min_approvals: 2
+  description: "Technical spec approval"
+
+tasks:
+  enabled: true
+  requires: [tech_lead]
+  min_approvals: 1
+  description: "Task breakdown approval"
+
+implement:
+  enabled: false
+```
+
+### Configuration Fields
+
+- **enabled** (boolean): Whether this phase requires approval
+  - `true`: Approval is required
+  - `false`: Phase can proceed without approval
+
+- **min_approvals** (number): Minimum approvals needed from the required roles
+  - Example: `1` (at least one person from `requires` must approve)
+
+- **requires** (array): List of roles who can approve
+  - Example: `[product_lead, architect, tech_lead]`
+
+- **description** (string, optional): What this gate enforces
+  - Example: "Technical spec approval"
+
+## Examples
+
+### Check Current Gates
+
+```bash
+> /speckit.approval-gates.status
+```
+
+Output:
+```
+✅ Approval gates enabled
+
+  📋 specify
+     • Status: ✅ ENFORCED
+     • Min approvals: 1
+     • Description: Functional spec approval
+
+  📋 plan
+     • Status: ✅ ENFORCED
+     • Min approvals: 2
+     • Description: Technical spec approval
+
+  📋 tasks
+     • Status: ✅ ENFORCED
+     • Min approvals: 1
+     • Description: Task breakdown approval
+
+  ⊘ implement: disabled
+```
+
+### No Configuration
+
+```bash
+> /speckit.approval-gates.status
+```
+
+Output:
+```
+ℹ️  No approval gates configured
+
+To enable approval gates:
+  1. Create .specify/extensions/approval-gates/ directory
+  2. Copy the template: approval-gates-config.template.yml
+  3. Customize for your team's workflow
+
+See: extensions/approval-gates/README.md for setup instructions
+```
+
+## Related Commands
+
+- `/speckit.specify` — Create functional specification
+- `/speckit.plan` — Create technical specification and task breakdown
+- `/speckit.tasks` — Generate implementation tasks
+
diff --git a/extensions/approval-gates/extension.yml b/extensions/approval-gates/extension.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4692150aac
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+++ b/extensions/approval-gates/extension.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+schema_version: "1.0"
+
+extension:
+  id: "approval-gates"
+  name: "Approval Gates"
+  version: "1.0.0"
+  description: "Enforce approval requirements between spec-driven development phases"
+  author: "Spec Kit Team"
+  repository: "https://github.com/github/spec-kit/tree/main/extensions/approval-gates"
+  license: "MIT"
+  homepage: "https://github.com/github/spec-kit/tree/main/extensions/approval-gates"
+
+requires:
+  speckit_version: ">=0.1.0"
+
+provides:
+  commands:
+    - name: "speckit.approval-gates.status"
+      file: "commands/status.md"
+      description: "Show approval gates configuration and enforcement status"
+      aliases: ["speckit.approval-gates.check"]
+
+  config:
+    - name: "approval-gates-config.yml"
+      template: "approval-gates-config.template.yml"
+      description: "Approval gates configuration for this project"
+      required: false
+
+hooks:
+  after_tasks:
+    command: "speckit.approval-gates.status"
+    optional: true
+    prompt: "Check approval gates for next phase?"
+    description: "Show approval requirements after task breakdown"
+
+tags:
+  - "workflow"
+  - "governance"
+  - "approval"
+  - "quality-gates"
+
+defaults:
+  specify:
+    enabled: false
+  plan:
+    enabled: false
+  tasks:
+    enabled: false
+  implement:
+    enabled: false
+  constitution:
+    enabled: false