Provide a deployment option to allow new applications and message flows to be deployed in a stopped state, giving teams control over activation timing and preventing unintended message processing during pre-go-live deployments.

Currently, when deploying a BAR file in IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE), any new applications or message flows are automatically started, with no option to defer their startup as part of the deployment process. While redeploying existing applications/message flows correctly preserves their prior started or stopped state, this behavior does not apply to newly introduced artifacts.

In many environments, deployments are performed ahead of go-live while upstream systems (such as MQ or HTTP endpoints) may already be active. In these situations, even a brief period where newly deployed applications/message flows are running can result in unintended message processing, potentially before the system is ready to handle production traffic.

Because stopping applications/message flows must be done as a separate step after deployment, there is an inherent timing gap that teams must manage operationally. To mitigate this, organizations often introduce additional controls such as temporarily disabling inbound traffic or implementing application-level gating logic, which increases deployment complexity and coordination effort.

Providing a supported option to deploy new applications and message flows in a stopped state would:

• Give teams explicit control over activation timing
• Support safer and more predictable deployment practices
• Reduce reliance on operational workarounds
• Align with common enterprise release patterns

Ideally, this capability could be provided via mqsideploy and the Web UI, allowing deployment and activation to remain separate and intentional steps.