# Protect care flows
URL: https://docs.awellhealth.com/docs/data/protect-care-flows

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.awellhealth.com/llms.txt).



A **protected** care flow can be edited in Awell Studio by anyone, but
**publication requires the changes to be merged into the branch Source Control pushes to** through the Source Control
provider.

## It separates who can design from who can release [#it-separates-who-can-design-from-who-can-release]

Clinical and operations colleagues keep full freedom to build and change care flows. Engineers keep
control of when a care flow is ready to go live.

The gate matters most when a care flow is tightly integrated with proprietary systems, where publishing
can have effects outside Awell.

## It requires Source Control on the care flow [#it-requires-source-control-on-the-care-flow]

Protection requires [Source Control](/docs/data/source-control) on the care flow, since the merge is the
gate.

## Next steps [#next-steps]

**Next:** [Deploy care flows](/docs/data/deploy-care-flows).