GitLab MCP server tools

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• Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate
• Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated
• Status: Beta

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[!warning] To provide feedback on this feature, leave a comment on issue 561564.

The GitLab MCP server provides a set of tools that integrate with your existing GitLab workflows. You can use these tools to interact directly with GitLab and perform common GitLab operations.

get_mcp_server_version

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.3.

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Returns the current version of the GitLab MCP server.

Example:

What version of the GitLab MCP server am I connected to?

create_issue

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.

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Creates a new issue in a GitLab project.

Example:

Create a new issue titled "Fix login bug" in project 123 with description
"Users cannot log in with special characters in password"

get_issue

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.

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Retrieves detailed information about a specific GitLab issue.

Example:

Get details for issue 42 in project 123

create_merge_request

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.5.
• assignee_ids, reviewer_ids, description, labels, and milestone_id added in GitLab 18.8.

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Creates a merge request in a GitLab project.

Example:

Create a merge request in project gitlab-org/gitlab titled "Bug fix broken specs"
from branch "fix/specs-broken" into "master" and enable squash

get_merge_request

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.
• Changed to accept url and return associated data facets in GitLab 19.3.

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Retrieves a merge request and, optionally, its diffs, commits, notes, pipelines, or discussions. Only the base merge request is returned unless you request associated data with the include parameter.

The diffs facet returns change statistics only: overall totals and per-file additions and deletions. To get patch text, use get_merge_request_diffs.

Example:

Get merge request 15 in project gitlab-org/gitlab with its commits

list_duo_sessions

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3.

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Lists your GitLab Duo Agent Platform sessions, excluding Duo Chat sessions. Each session includes its individual status, goal preview, flow definition, and creation timestamp. Project sessions also include a session URL. The goal preview might be truncated.

The status_group filter can return sessions with multiple individual statuses. Each call returns a single page of results. If more pages exist, the response includes pageInfo.endCursor that you can pass as after.

Example:

List my active Duo Agent Platform sessions in gitlab-org/gitlab

list_merge_requests

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3.

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Lists or searches merge requests in a GitLab project, returning compact merge request metadata.

To retrieve a single merge request in full detail, use get_merge_request. Its diffs, commits, and notes are available from get_merge_request_diffs, get_merge_request_commits, and get_merge_request_notes. For full-text search across resource types, use search.

Example:

List my open merge requests in gitlab-org/gitlab

get_merge_request_commits

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.

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Retrieves the list of commits in a specific GitLab merge request.

Example:

Show me all commits in merge request 42 from project 123

get_merge_request_diffs

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.

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Retrieves the diffs for a specific GitLab merge request.

Example:

What files were changed in merge request 25 in the gitlab project?

get_merge_request_pipelines

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.

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Retrieves the pipelines for a specific GitLab merge request.

Example:

Show me all pipelines for merge request 42 in project gitlab-org/gitlab

create_merge_request_note

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.2.

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Adds a comment or reply to a discussion on a GitLab merge request as the authenticated user.

Example:

Reply "Thanks, fixed in the latest push" to merge request 42 in project gitlab-org/gitlab

get_merge_request_notes

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.2.

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Retrieves the notes (comments and system notes) for a specific GitLab merge request.

Each returned note includes its discussion ID, so related notes can be grouped into threads.

Example:

Show me all comments on merge request 5 in project gitlab-org/gitlab

add_branch

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3. create_branch is also accepted as an alias.

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Adds a branch to a GitLab project from a source ref.

Example:

Create a branch named feature/x from main in project gitlab-org/gitlab

get_repository_file

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3.

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Retrieves the contents of a single file from a repository at a specific ref.

Content comes from the repository, not from your local filesystem. The file is returned as committed at ref, so uncommitted changes in a local checkout are not included.

The response contains a metadata object with total_lines, returned_lines, truncated, and size_bytes. When the response covers only part of the file, system_instruction states the offset to use in the next call.

This tool returns text only. Binary files and files stored in Git LFS return an error. Files that a project excludes from GitLab Duo context also return an error.

Example:

Show me app/models/user.rb from the main branch of my-group/my-project

get_pipeline

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3.

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Retrieves a pipeline, and optionally its jobs, downstream pipelines, or bridge (trigger) jobs.

A bridge job's downstream_pipeline is omitted (null) both when the trigger job hasn't triggered a downstream pipeline yet, and when you don't have access to that pipeline.

Each downstream pipeline includes a project_full_path, because a downstream pipeline can belong to a different project. Use that value as the id of a follow-up call.

Examples:

• Get a pipeline:

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  Get the status of pipeline 12345 in project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

• Get a pipeline's failed jobs:

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  Show me the failed jobs in pipeline 12345 for project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

• Get a pipeline's downstream pipelines:

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  Show me the downstream pipelines triggered by pipeline 12345 in project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

get_pipeline_jobs

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.

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Retrieves the jobs for a specific GitLab CI/CD pipeline. To get jobs alongside the rest of the pipeline's data in a single call, use the get_pipeline tool with include: jobs instead.

Example:

Show me all jobs in pipeline 12345 for project gitlab-org/gitlab

get_job_log

Retrieves the trace (log output) for a specific CI/CD job.

Example:

Show me the log output for job 88 in project gitlab-org/gitlab

list_pipelines

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3.

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Lists pipelines in a GitLab project, with optional filters.

Child pipelines are excluded from the results by default. To return only child pipelines, set source to parent_pipeline.

The default order (id, desc) returns pipelines with the highest ID first. ID order usually matches creation order, but the two aren't guaranteed to agree. Use created_after or created_before to filter by an explicit time boundary. A caller can page through results and stop at the first pipeline outside its target range.

Example:

List all failed pipelines on the main branch for project gitlab-org/gitlab

save_pipeline

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3.

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Runs, retries, or cancels a CI/CD pipeline in a GitLab project. To update pipeline metadata or delete a pipeline, use the manage_pipeline tool instead. To list pipelines, use the list_pipelines tool instead.

Examples:

• Create a pipeline:

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  Create a pipeline on the main branch for project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

• Retry a pipeline:

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  Retry failed jobs in pipeline 12345 for project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

• Cancel a pipeline:

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  Cancel pipeline 12345 in project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

manage_pipeline

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.10.
• Removed the list action in favor of the list_pipelines tool in GitLab 19.3.
• Removed the create, retry, and cancel actions in favor of the save_pipeline tool in GitLab 19.3.

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Updates pipeline metadata or deletes a pipeline in a GitLab project. To create, retry, or cancel a pipeline, use the save_pipeline tool instead. To list pipelines, use the list_pipelines tool instead.

Examples:

• Update a pipeline:

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  Rename pipeline 12345 to "My deploy pipeline" in project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

• Delete a pipeline:

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  Delete pipeline 12345 in project gitlab-org/gitlab
  

create_workitem_note

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.7.

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Creates a new note (comment) on a GitLab work item.

Example:

Add a comment "This looks good to me" to work item 42 in project gitlab-org/gitlab

get_workitem_notes

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.7.

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Retrieves all notes (comments) for a specific GitLab work item.

Example:

Show me all comments on work item 42 in project gitlab-org/gitlab

link_work_items

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.0.

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Links a work item to one or more other work items with a relationship type.

Example:

Mark work item 42 in project gitlab-org/gitlab as blocked by work item 40

get_saved_view_work_items

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.11.

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Retrieves a saved view and its list of work items from a namespace. The tool applies the filters and the sort order in the saved view to the returned work items.

Example:

Show me the work items in this saved view: <URL>

search

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.4.
• Searching groups and projects and ordering and sorting results added in GitLab 18.6.
• Renamed from gitlab_search to search in GitLab 18.8.

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Searches for a term across the entire GitLab instance with the search API. This tool is available for global, group, and project search. Available scopes depend on the search type.

Example:

Search issues for "flaky test" across GitLab

search_labels

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.9.

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Searches for labels in a GitLab project or group.

When you search group labels, the results include labels from ancestor and descendant groups.

Example:

Show me all labels in project gitlab-org/gitlab

list_wiki_pages

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.3.

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Lists the wiki pages in a GitLab project or group.

Provide only one project_id or group_id. Each call returns a single page of results. If more pages exist, the response includes an end_cursor you can pass as after to fetch the next page.

Example:

List the wiki pages in gitlab-org/gitlab

semantic_code_search

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• Add-on: GitLab Duo Core, Pro, or Enterprise
• Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed

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• Introduced as an experiment in GitLab 18.5 with a feature flag named code_snippet_search_graphqlapi. Disabled by default.
• Search by project path added in GitLab 18.6.
• Changed from experiment to beta in GitLab 18.7. Feature flag code_snippet_search_graphqlapi removed.
• Added to the GitLab UI in GitLab 18.7 with a feature flag named mcp_client. Disabled by default.
• Updated to use the REST API in GitLab 18.11 with a feature flag named mcp_semantic_code_search_use_rest_api. Disabled by default.
• Using the REST API generally available in GitLab 19.1. Feature flag mcp_semantic_code_search_use_rest_api removed.

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[!flag] The availability of this feature is controlled by a feature flag. For more information, see the history.

Searches for relevant code snippets in a GitLab project. For more information, including setup and enablement, see semantic code search.

For best results, describe the functionality or behavior you're interested in rather than using generic keywords or specific function or variable names.

Example:

How are authorizations managed in this project?

attach_scan_profile

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• Introduced in GitLab 19.2.

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Attaches the given security scan profile to the specified projects, or to all projects under the specified groups.

Example:

Attach `gid://gitlab/Security::ScanProfile/1` to all projects under `gid://gitlab/Group/1`.