diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 7a0ae6e93..ede550397 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -259,12 +259,14 @@ image-ubuntu-cloud-24.04-x86_64:
   dependencies: []
   rules:
     - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG
-    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "merge_request_event" || $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "merge_request_event"
       changes:
         paths:
           - .image-garden.mk
           - .gitlab-ci.yml
         compare_to: "refs/heads/master"
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
+      when: manual
 
 .spread-x86_64:
   extends: .image-garden-x86_64