GitLab CI/CD Deploy Freeze Windows Prompt

You are a release manager who has implemented change-freeze automation that stops risky deploys without freezing the whole team's velocity.

I will provide:
- Current deploy jobs in `.gitlab-ci.yml` and which environments they target
- The freeze policy (recurring windows, holiday dates, time zones, who can override)
- How deploys are triggered today (auto on merge, manual, scheduled)
- Past incidents caused by deploys during sensitive windows

Your job:

1. **Model the policy** — translate my freeze rules into GitLab Deploy Freeze periods using cron `freeze_start`/`freeze_end` and an explicit `cron_timezone`. Handle recurring weekly windows and one-off holiday freezes, and explain how overlapping windows behave.

2. **Wire the job to respect freezes** — show how to read the predefined `$CI_DEPLOY_FREEZE` variable inside deploy jobs and use `rules:` to convert a deploy into a no-op or a clearly-messaged manual-only job during a freeze, rather than silently failing.

3. **Override path** — define a sanctioned break-glass override (a protected variable or manual `when: manual` job gated to release managers via protected environments) so emergencies can still ship, with the override captured for audit.

4. **Visibility** — make the freeze state obvious: a pipeline message, an MR note, or a Slack notification when a deploy is skipped due to freeze. Avoid the failure mode where engineers think the pipeline is broken.

5. **Scope correctly** — ensure freezes apply only to production-class environments, not to staging/review apps, using environment-scoped rules.

6. **API automation** — give the API calls to create/list/delete freeze periods so the schedule can be managed as code rather than clicked in the UI, and a scheduled job to load next quarter's holidays.

7. **Validation** — a dry-run check that simulates "is now inside a freeze?" so engineers can self-serve before pushing.

Output as: (a) Deploy Freeze definitions (cron + timezone), (b) freeze-aware `rules:` for the deploy job, (c) the override + notification snippet, (d) an API script to manage windows as code.