diff --git a/pipelines/types/istio.go b/pipelines/types/istio.go
index dae91f0..b04a884 100644
--- a/pipelines/types/istio.go
+++ b/pipelines/types/istio.go
@@ -22,10 +22,18 @@ type IstioUpgradeStep struct {
 	StepMeta   `json:",inline"`
 	AKSCluster string `json:"aksCluster"`
 	DryRun     bool   `json:"dryRun,omitempty"`
+	// "install" installs the new control plane alongside the existing one
+	// and stops before workload migration. "upgrade" migrates workloads and
+	// completes the canary. Empty runs the full lifecycle in one step.
+	Phase string `json:"phase,omitempty"`
 }
 
 func (s *IstioUpgradeStep) Description() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("Step %s\n  Kind: %s\n  AKSCluster: %s\n  DryRun: %v\n", s.Name, s.Action, s.AKSCluster, s.DryRun)
+	phase := s.Phase
+	if phase == "" {
+		phase = "full"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("Step %s\n  Kind: %s\n  AKSCluster: %s\n  DryRun: %v\n  Phase: %s\n", s.Name, s.Action, s.AKSCluster, s.DryRun, phase)
 }
 
 func (s *IstioUpgradeStep) RequiredInputs() []StepDependency {
diff --git a/pipelines/types/pipeline.schema.v1.json b/pipelines/types/pipeline.schema.v1.json
index 9ba2ae0..f2ff4cf 100644
--- a/pipelines/types/pipeline.schema.v1.json
+++ b/pipelines/types/pipeline.schema.v1.json
@@ -820,6 +820,37 @@
         }
       ]
     },
+    "istioUpgradeStep": {
+      "unevaluatedProperties": false,
+      "allOf": [
+        {
+          "$ref": "#/definitions/stepMeta"
+        },
+        {
+          "properties": {
+            "action": {
+              "const": "IstioUpgrade"
+            },
+            "aksCluster": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "dryRun": {
+              "type": "boolean"
+            },
+            "phase": {
+              "type": "string",
+              "enum": [
+                "install",
+                "upgrade"
+              ]
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "aksCluster"
+          ]
+        }
+      ]
+    },
     "helmStep": {
       "unevaluatedProperties": false,
       "allOf": [
@@ -2073,6 +2104,22 @@
                   "then": {
                     "$ref": "#/definitions/grafanaDatasourcesStep"
                   }
+                },
+                {
+                  "if": {
+                    "type": "object",
+                    "properties": {
+                      "action": {
+                        "const": "IstioUpgrade"
+                      }
+                    },
+                    "required": [
+                      "action"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "then": {
+                    "$ref": "#/definitions/istioUpgradeStep"
+                  }
                 }
               ],
               "required": [