Gitlab Mcp

gitlab-mcp

[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/gitlab-mcp)

A production-ready MCP server for GitLab. Provides 80+ tools that let AI assistants read and manage GitLab projects, merge requests, issues, pipelines, wikis, releases, and more through a unified, policy-controlled interface.

Highlights

• Comprehensive GitLab coverage — projects, merge requests (with code-context analysis), issues, pipelines, wikis, milestones, releases, labels, commits, branches, GraphQL, and file management
• Multiple transports — stdio for local CLI usage, Streamable HTTP for remote deployments, optional SSE
• Flexible authentication — personal access tokens, OAuth 2.0 PKCE, external token scripts, token files, cookie-based auth, and per-request remote authorization
• Policy engine — read-only mode, tool allowlist/denylist, feature toggles, and project-scoped restrictions
• Enterprise networking — HTTP/HTTPS proxy, custom CA certificates, Cloudflare bypass, multi-instance API rotation
• Output control — JSON, compact JSON, or YAML formatting with configurable response size limits

Usage

Supported clients

Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code, GitHub Copilot Chat (VS Code), Cursor, JetBrains AI Assistant, GitLab Duo, and any MCP client that supports stdio or streamable HTTP.

Current client format references:

• MCP transports and protocol
• Claude Code MCP
• VS Code MCP servers
• Cursor MCP
• JetBrains AI Assistant MCP

Authentication methods

The server supports three auth patterns:

1. Personal Access Token (PAT)
2. OAuth 2.0 PKCE (recommended for local interactive use)
3. Remote per-request auth (REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true, HTTP mode)

OAuth2 setup (stdio, recommended for local interactive use)

1. Create a GitLab OAuth application in Settings -> Applications.
2. Set redirect URI to http://127.0.0.1:8765/callback (or your custom callback).
3. Set scope to api.
4. Copy the Application ID as GITLAB_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "gitlab-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_USE_OAUTH": "true",
        "GITLAB_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "your_oauth_client_id",
        "GITLAB_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/callback",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4",
        "GITLAB_ALLOWED_PROJECT_IDS": "",
        "GITLAB_READ_ONLY_MODE": "false",
        "USE_GITLAB_WIKI": "true",
        "USE_MILESTONE": "true",
        "USE_PIPELINE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

If your OAuth app is confidential, also set GITLAB_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET.

Personal Access Token setup (stdio)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "gitlab-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4",
        "GITLAB_ALLOWED_PROJECT_IDS": "",
        "GITLAB_READ_ONLY_MODE": "false",
        "USE_GITLAB_WIKI": "true",
        "USE_MILESTONE": "true",
        "USE_PIPELINE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code .vscode/mcp.json examples

PAT with secure prompt input:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "gitlab_token",
      "description": "GitLab Personal Access Token",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/gitlab-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:gitlab_token}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4",
        "GITLAB_READ_ONLY_MODE": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

OAuth (confidential app) with secure prompt input:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "gitlab_oauth_secret",
      "description": "GitLab OAuth Client Secret",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/gitlab-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_USE_OAUTH": "true",
        "GITLAB_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "your_oauth_client_id",
        "GITLAB_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET": "${input:gitlab_oauth_secret}",
        "GITLAB_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/callback",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4"
      }
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code uses the same .vscode/mcp.json format.

Claude Desktop / Claude Code / Cursor

Claude Desktop reads claude_desktop_config.json. Claude Code supports project-level .mcp.json and claude mcp add-json. Cursor uses .cursor/mcp.json.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/gitlab-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4"
      }
    }
  }
}

GitLab Duo (~/.gitlab/duo/mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/gitlab-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4"
      }
    }
  },
  "approvedTools": ["gitlab_get_project", "gitlab_list_merge_requests"]
}

JetBrains AI Assistant

JetBrains can import an existing MCP JSON config or register the server manually. Use stdio command node /absolute/path/to/gitlab-mcp/dist/index.js, or HTTP endpoint http://127.0.0.1:3333/mcp with required headers.

Remote authorization (multi-user HTTP)

Start server:

REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true \
HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
HTTP_PORT=3333 \
node dist/http.js

Client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3333/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Dynamic per-request API URL:

REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true \
ENABLE_DYNAMIC_API_URL=true \
HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
HTTP_PORT=3333 \
node dist/http.js

Add header in client requests:

{
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "X-GitLab-API-URL": "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4"
  }
}

Remote auth behavior matrix:

| Server Mode | Required Request Headers | Token Fallback Chain | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | | REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=false on local HTTP bind only | none | enabled | | REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true | Authorization: Bearer , Private-Token: , or Job-Token: | disabled | | REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true + ENABLE_DYNAMIC_API_URL=true | Authorization, Private-Token, or Job-Token, and X-GitLab-API-URL: https://host/api/v4 | disabled |

When HTTP_HOST is not 127.0.0.1, localhost, or ::1, HTTP startup rejects server-side GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN or GITLAB_JOB_TOKEN unless REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true.

Docker

For containerized deployments, PAT or remote auth is recommended. OAuth interactive callback flow is usually less convenient in containers.

docker compose up --build -d

or:

docker build -t gitlab-mcp .

docker run -d \
  --name gitlab-mcp \
  -p 3333:3333 \
  -e GITLAB_API_URL=https://gitlab.com/api/v4 \
  -e GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx \
  gitlab-mcp

Compatibility notes

• GITLAB_PROJECT_ID is not a supported environment variable in this repository.
• To set an effective default project, use GITLAB_ALLOWED_PROJECT_IDS with one project ID, or pass project_id in tool arguments.
• CLI argument overrides such as --token or --api-url are not implemented (--env-file is supported).
• JSON config files do not support comments (//).

MCP Server Configuration

HTTP server

pnpm install
cp .env.example .env
pnpm build

# stdio (local MCP)
pnpm start

# streamable HTTP server (http://127.0.0.1:3333/mcp)
pnpm start:http

# optional: load a specific env file
pnpm start -- --env-file .env.local
pnpm start:http -- --env-file .env.local

Transport and entrypoint

| Transport | Entry Point | Endpoint | Best For | | ------------------- | -------------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | stdio | node dist/index.js | stdin/stdout | Local single-user MCP clients | | Streamable HTTP | node dist/http.js | POST/GET/DELETE /mcp | Remote/shared deployments | | SSE (legacy) | node dist/http.js | GET /sse, POST /messages | Legacy SSE-only clients (SSE=true) | | Health | node dist/http.js | GET /healthz | Liveness/readiness checks |

SSE=true is not compatible with REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true.

Tool Categories

Tools are organized into these categories. All GitLab tools use the gitlab_ prefix, except health_check.

| Category | Examples | Count | | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | | Projects | get_project, list_projects, create_repository, fork_repository | 8 | | Repository | get_repository_tree, get_file_contents, push_files, create_branch | 7 | | Merge Requests | list_merge_requests, get_merge_request_conflicts, merge_merge_request | 13 | | MR Code Context | get_merge_request_code_context (advanced code review) | 1 | | MR Discussions | list_merge_request_discussions, create_merge_request_thread | 7 | | MR Notes | list_merge_request_notes, create_merge_request_note | 7 | | Draft Notes | list_draft_notes, create_draft_note, bulk_publish_draft_notes | 7 | | Issues | list_issues, create_issue, update_issue, issue links | 13 | | Pipelines | list_pipelines, list_deployments, get_job_artifact_file_inline | 20 | | Commits | list_commits, get_commit, get_commit_diff | 3 | | Labels | list_labels, create_label, update_label | 5 | | Milestones | list_milestones, create_milestone, burndown events | 10 | | Releases | list_releases, create_release, download_release_asset | 7 | | Wiki | list_wiki_pages, create_wiki_page, update_wiki_page | 5 | | Uploads | upload_markdown, download_attachment | 2 | | GraphQL | execute_graphql_query, execute_graphql_mutation | 3 | | Users & Groups | get_users, list_namespaces, list_events | 6 | | Health | health_check | 1 |

See [docs/tools.md](docs/tools.md) for the complete reference.

Policy & Security

The policy engine controls which tools are available at registration time:

# Read-only mode — disables write/delete/admin capabilities
GITLAB_READ_ONLY_MODE=true

# Disable specific capability classes without going fully read-only
GITLAB_DISABLED_CAPABILITIES=delete,graphql

# Only expose specific tools (supports with or without gitlab_ prefix)
GITLAB_ALLOWED_TOOLS=get_project,list_merge_requests,get_merge_request

# Block tools by regex pattern
GITLAB_DENIED_TOOLS_REGEX=^gitlab_(delete|create)_

# Restrict to specific projects
GITLAB_ALLOWED_PROJECT_IDS=123,456,789

# Keep GraphQL tools enabled in project-scoped mode (disabled by default)
GITLAB_ALLOW_GRAPHQL_WITH_PROJECT_SCOPE=true

# Disable feature groups
USE_PIPELINE=false
USE_GITLAB_WIKI=false

Unsafe or invalid GITLAB_DENIED_TOOLS_REGEX patterns fail startup.

Configuration

All configuration is done through environment variables. Key settings:

For file-based loading, .env is loaded by default. You can override it with:

node dist/index.js --env-file .env.local
node dist/http.js --env-file=.env.production

| Area | Variable | Default | Description | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | GitLab API | GITLAB_API_URL | https://gitlab.com/api/v4 | Base API URL. Supports comma-separated multi-instance URLs. | | GitLab API | GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN | — | Static default token used when REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=false. | | GitLab API | GITLAB_JOB_TOKEN | — | Static CI job token fallback when no personal access token is configured. | | Remote Auth | REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION | false | Require per-request token headers in HTTP mode (disables fallback token chain). | | Remote Auth | ENABLE_DYNAMIC_API_URL | false | Require X-GitLab-API-URL per request. Requires REMOTE_AUTHORIZATION=true. | | Remote Auth | GITLAB_MCP_OAUTH | false | Enable MCP OAuth discovery/proxy endpoints for HTTP mode. Requires MCP_SERVER_URL. | | HTTP Server | HTTP_HOST | 127.0.0.1 | HTTP bind host (0.0.0.0 for external access). | | HTTP Server | HTTP_PORT | 3333 | HTTP server port. | | HTTP Server | MCP_SERVER_URL | — | Public base URL used when HTTP download tools return proxy URLs. | | HTTP Server | HTTP_JSON_ONLY | false | Force JSON-only responses (no streaming framing). | | HTTP Server | SSE | false | Enable legacy SSE endpoints (/sse, /messages). Not compatible with remote auth. | | Sessions | SESSION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS | 3600 | Idle session timeout in HTTP mode. | | Sessions | OAUTH_STATELESS_MODE | false | Use stateless Streamable HTTP transports; cl

…

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: mcpland
• Source: mcpland/gitlab-mcp
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.