diff --git a/templates/gitlab-ci-gcloud.yml b/templates/gitlab-ci-gcloud.yml
index 690d372870739e7026735a1396ee7a0a4ed3f61c..28a30620291abcd3418ae1bde70b18bdb5df5395 100644
--- a/templates/gitlab-ci-gcloud.yml
+++ b/templates/gitlab-ci-gcloud.yml
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@
 # program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth 
 # Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
 # =========================================================================================
-# default workflow rules
+# default workflow rules: Merge Request pipelines
 workflow:
   rules:
-    # exclude merge requests
-    - if: $CI_MERGE_REQUEST_ID
+    # prevent branch pipeline when an MR is open (prefer MR pipeline)
+    - if: '$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH && $CI_OPEN_MERGE_REQUESTS'
       when: never
     - when: always