GitLab MCP server
GitLab's official, built-in remote MCP server for issues, merge requests, pipelines, and code search via OAuth.
The GitLab MCP Server is GitLab's official, first-party integration, built directly into the GitLab platform rather than shipped as a separate package. It exposes a remote MCP endpoint on your instance at /api/v4/mcp (use gitlab.com for SaaS) so an agent can act on real GitLab data: creating and reading issues, opening and inspecting merge requests with their commits and diffs, driving CI/CD pipelines and reading job output, commenting on work items, and searching across the instance including semantic code search.
Authentication is handled with OAuth 2.0, and the server supports Dynamic Client Registration so a connecting AI tool can register itself as an OAuth application on first use and receive a scoped access token - no manual app setup required. The recommended connection is the HTTP transport pointed straight at the endpoint; for clients that cannot speak remote MCP yet, GitLab documents a local stdio bridge using the mcp-remote proxy. Because these tools can read your source and act on your behalf, GitLab warns to use them only on objects you trust and to guard against prompt injection.
Quick install
Copy-paste configs are provided for all 8 supported clients. Pick your client below.
Add to ~/.claude.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gitlab": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/mcp"
}
}
}claude mcp add --transport http gitlab https://gitlab.com/api/v4/mcpHeads up
- First tool call opens a browser to authorize.
Available tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| get_mcp_server_version | Returns the current version of the GitLab MCP server. |
| create_issue | Creates a new issue in a GitLab project. |
| get_issue | Retrieves detailed information about a specific GitLab issue. |
| create_merge_request | Creates a merge request in a GitLab project. |
| get_merge_request | Retrieves detailed information about a specific GitLab merge request. |
| get_merge_request_commits | Retrieves the list of commits in a specific GitLab merge request. |
| get_merge_request_diffs | Retrieves the diffs for a specific GitLab merge request. |
| get_merge_request_pipelines | Retrieves the pipelines for a specific GitLab merge request. |
| get_pipeline_jobs | Retrieves the jobs for a specific GitLab CI/CD pipeline. |
| manage_pipeline | Manages CI/CD pipelines in a project: list, create, retry, cancel, or delete a pipeline. |
| create_workitem_note | Creates a new note (comment) on a GitLab work item. |
| get_workitem_notes | Retrieves all notes (comments) for a specific GitLab work item. |
| search | Searches for a term across the entire GitLab instance using the search API. |
| search_labels | Searches for labels in a GitLab project or group. |
| semantic_code_search | Searches for relevant code snippets in a GitLab project using semantic search. |
Required configuration
- GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKENOptional
GitLab personal access token for bearer authentication. Not needed when using the interactive OAuth flow.
- GITLAB_API_URLOptional
Base API URL of your GitLab instance, e.g. https://gitlab.com/api/v4 for SaaS or a self-managed host.
What you can do with it
Open and track merge requests
An agent creates a merge request, then reads its commits, diffs, and pipeline status to report whether the change is ready to merge.
Investigate a failing pipeline
Using get_pipeline_jobs and manage_pipeline, the agent inspects which CI jobs failed, retries them, and summarizes the cause.
FAQ
- Is it free?
- The MCP server is part of GitLab itself, so there is no separate purchase; availability follows your GitLab plan and instance configuration, and you only need an account with access to the projects involved.
- Does it support remote/OAuth?
- Yes. It is a remote server at /api/v4/mcp (gitlab.com for SaaS) that uses OAuth 2.0 with Dynamic Client Registration; a local stdio bridge via mcp-remote is documented for clients that cannot connect remotely.
- Is this the official GitLab server or a community one?
- This record describes GitLab's official, built-in MCP server. There are also maintained community servers such as @zereight/mcp-gitlab, but the canonical, verifiable option is the one shipped with GitLab.