io.github.jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server

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by jmrplens · Go

GitLab MCP Server

Manage GitLab projects, issues, merge requests, pipelines, repositories, and admin workflows.

Manage GitLab projects, issues, merge requests, pipelines, and repositories.

Topics

ai-toolsgitlabgitlab-apigollmmcpmcp-servermodel-context-protocol

GitLab MCP Server

Connect your AI assistant to GitLab so it can review merge requests, triage pipelines, manage issues, and draft releases — in plain language. One static binary (or a container), 1000+ GitLab tools over the full REST + GraphQL API, working with Claude, Cursor, VS Code, and any MCP client.

You talk to your AI assistant; it does the GitLab work. No project IDs, API endpoints, or JSON to remember.

"Review merge request !15 — is it safe to merge?" · "Why did the last pipeline fail?" · "List open issues assigned to me" · "Generate release notes from v1.0 to v2.0"

🤖 Using an AI assistant? Give it this repository URL and ask it to install the server for your client. Everything a model needs to do it headlessly — the declarative per-client config, claude mcp add one-liners, and defaults — is in llms.txt (no interactive wizard required).

Install in 60 seconds

Pick one. Each path ends with you typing a prompt to your assistant.

One-click install

<table> <tr> <th align="left">Client</th> <th align="left">One-click button</th> <th align="left">Token step</th> </tr> <tr> <td>VS Code</td> <td><a href="https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gitlab&config=%7B%22command%22%3A%22docker%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22run%22%2C%22-i%22%2C%22--rm%22%2C%22-e%22%2C%22GITLAB_TOKEN%22%2C%22ghcr.io%2Fjmrplens%2Fgitlab-mcp-server%3Alatest%22%2C%22--http%3Dfalse%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22GITLAB_TOKEN%22%3A%22%24%7Binput%3Agitlab_token%7D%22%7D%2C%22inputs%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%22gitlab_token%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22promptString%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22GitLab%20Personal%20Access%20Token%20%28api%20scope%29%22%2C%22password%22%3Atrue%7D%5D%7D"><img alt="Install in VS Code" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_in-VS_Code-0098FF?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white" /></a></td> <td>prompts you (masked)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>VS Code Insiders</td> <td><a href="https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gitlab&config=%7B%22command%22%3A%22docker%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22run%22%2C%22-i%22%2C%22--rm%22%2C%22-e%22%2C%22GITLAB_TOKEN%22%2C%22ghcr.io%2Fjmrplens%2Fgitlab-mcp-server%3Alatest%22%2C%22--http%3Dfalse%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22GITLAB_TOKEN%22%3A%22%24%7Binput%3Agitlab_token%7D%22%7D%2C%22inputs%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%22gitlab_token%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22promptString%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22GitLab%20Personal%20Access%20Token%20%28api%20scope%29%22%2C%22password%22%3Atrue%7D%5D%7D&quality=insiders"><img alt="Install in VS Code Insiders" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_in-VS_Code_Insiders-24bfa5?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white" /></a></td> <td>prompts you (masked)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Cursor</td> <td><a href="https://cursor.com/install-mcp?name=gitlab&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoiZG9ja2VyIiwiYXJncyI6WyJydW4iLCItaSIsIi0tcm0iLCItZSIsIkdJVExBQl9UT0tFTiIsImdoY3IuaW8vam1ycGxlbnMvZ2l0bGFiLW1jcC1zZXJ2ZXI6bGF0ZXN0IiwiLS1odHRwPWZhbHNlIl0sImVudiI6eyJHSVRMQUJfVE9LRU4iOiJZT1VSX0dJVExBQl9UT0tFTiJ9fQ%3D%3D"><img alt="Install in Cursor" src="https://cursor.com/deeplink/mcp-install-dark.svg" height="28" /></a></td> <td>edit <code>YOUR_GITLAB_TOKEN</code></td> </tr> <tr> <td>LM Studio</td> <td><a href="https://lmstudio.ai/install-mcp?name=gitlab&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoiZG9ja2VyIiwiYXJncyI6WyJydW4iLCItaSIsIi0tcm0iLCItZSIsIkdJVExBQl9UT0tFTiIsImdoY3IuaW8vam1ycGxlbnMvZ2l0bGFiLW1jcC1zZXJ2ZXI6bGF0ZXN0IiwiLS1odHRwPWZhbHNlIl0sImVudiI6eyJHSVRMQUJfVE9LRU4iOiJZT1VSX0dJVExBQl9UT0tFTiJ9fQ%3D%3D"><img alt="Add to LM Studio" src="https://files.lmstudio.ai/deeplink/mcp-install-dark.svg" height="28" /></a></td> <td>edit <code>YOUR_GITLAB_TOKEN</code></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Kiro</td> <td><a href="https://kiro.dev/launch/mcp/add?name=gitlab&config=%7B%22command%22%3A%22docker%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22run%22%2C%22-i%22%2C%22--rm%22%2C%22-e%22%2C%22GITLAB_TOKEN%22%2C%22ghcr.io%2Fjmrplens%2Fgitlab-mcp-server%3Alatest%22%2C%22--http%3Dfalse%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22GITLAB_TOKEN%22%3A%22YOUR_GITLAB_TOKEN%22%7D%7D"><img alt="Add to Kiro" src="https://kiro.dev/images/add-to-kiro.svg" height="28" /></a></td> <td>edit <code>YOUR_GITLAB_TOKEN</code></td> </tr> </table>

Each button registers the Docker-based server (auto-pulls the image on first run; you need Docker installed). Need a token? Create a Personal Access Token with the api scope. Self-managed GitLab? Add a GITLAB_URL env var in your client's MCP config after install.

Claude Code (`claude mcp add`)

Docker (no install — pulls the image on first run):

bash

claude mcp add gitlab --env GITLAB_TOKEN=glpat-xxxx --transport stdio \
  -- docker run -i --rm -e GITLAB_TOKEN ghcr.io/jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server:latest --http=false

Or install the native binary first, then register it:

bash

# Linux/macOS
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server/main/scripts/install.sh | sh
# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

claude mcp add gitlab --env GITLAB_TOKEN=glpat-xxxx -- gitlab-mcp-server

Self-managed GitLab? Add --env GITLAB_URL=https://gitlab.example.com (and --env GITLAB_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY=true for self-signed certs).

Guided setup (any client, no flags to remember)

The binary ships a setup wizard that collects your GitLab token and configures your MCP client for you — ideal if you'd rather not edit JSON:

bash

gitlab-mcp-server --setup

It auto-detects VS Code, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf and writes the right config. On Windows, double-click the .exe to launch it.

Manual JSON (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, …)

<details> <summary>Show JSON config for native binary and Docker</summary>

Native binary (Claude Desktop mcpServers, Cursor, etc.):

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "/path/to/gitlab-mcp-server",
      "env": { "GITLAB_TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json, note servers + type):

json

{
  "servers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/gitlab-mcp-server",
      "env": { "GITLAB_TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" }
    }
  }
}

Docker variant — replace "command"/"args" with:

json

"command": "docker",
"args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "GITLAB_TOKEN", "ghcr.io/jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server:latest", "--http=false"]

For a shared, long-running HTTP deployment instead of per-user stdio, see HTTP Server Mode.

</details>

Then just ask: open your AI client and try "List my GitLab projects." See the Getting Started guide for per-client details and more example prompts.

Why this server

🗣️ Plain-language GitLab. The AI translates "is MR !15 safe to merge?" into the right API calls. You don't touch endpoints, IDs, or JSON.
🧰 The whole platform — 1000+ tools. Broad GitLab REST v4 + GraphQL coverage: projects, branches, tags, releases, merge requests, issues, pipelines, jobs, groups, users, wikis, environments, deployments, packages, container registry, runners, feature flags, CI/CD variables, security, admin, tokens, and more.
🪶 Low-token by default. The default dynamic surface exposes just 2 tools (find + execute) while reaching the full catalog — so it fits any client's context window. (Token footprint →)
✅ Proven with real models. An automated evaluator runs Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and Qwen against live GitLab instances: 99.5% aggregate success across thousands of operations. (Results →)
🔒 Safe by design. Read-only mode, safe mode (dry-run preview of every mutation), TLS options for self-hosted GitLab, and continuous SonarCloud quality/security gates.
🖥️ Runs anywhere. One static binary or container; Windows, Linux & macOS; amd64 & arm64; stdio (desktop) and HTTP (remote).

<details> <summary>More: resources, prompts, and capabilities</summary>

45 MCP resources (read-only data: projects, issues, pipelines, MRs, branches, members, the surface-aware gitlab://tools manifest, and workflow best-practice guides).
37 MCP prompts (code review, pipeline status, risk assessment, release notes, standup, analytics, audit, and more).
4 elicitation wizards (interactive issue/MR/release/project creation).
3 MCP capabilities (completions, progress, elicitation) and 50 SVG tool icons for visual identification in MCP clients.
Pagination on every list endpoint with full metadata.

</details>

Tool surfaces

The server can present GitLab in three shapes, controlled by TOOL_SURFACE. The default needs no configuration.

Surface	Visible tools	Best for
Dynamic (default)	2 (`gitlab_find_action`, `gitlab_execute_action`)	Lowest token cost; reaches the full catalog via find/execute.
Meta-tools (`meta`)	32 base / 49 Ultimate / 50 GitLab.com Ultimate	Domain-grouped dispatchers with an `action` parameter.
Individual (`individual`)	~862 Free/CE · ~999 Premium · 1065–1071 Ultimate	One MCP tool per GitLab operation; needs a large context window.

Tool counts scale with your GitLab edition (GITLAB_TIER); higher tiers expose more actions. See Dynamic Toolset and Meta-Tools Reference for the ranking model, safety guards, and full catalogs. For dynamic runs where resources dominate context, set CAPABILITY_SURFACE=minimal.

Token Footprint

Measured with go run ./cmd/audit_tokens/ -footprint against the current catalog. Totals estimate startup context visible to an MCP client: visible tool schemas plus shared resources and prompts, using the cl100k_base tokenizer (GPT-4/GPT-3.5 encoding). For the full matrix (meta and individual surfaces, all META_PARAM_SCHEMA modes), see Token Footprint Reference.

Default configuration: with TOOL_SURFACE unset or TOOL_SURFACE=dynamic, CAPABILITY_SURFACE=full, META_TOOLS unset, META_PARAM_SCHEMA=opaque, and GITLAB_TIER unset (detected, fallback free), the server uses the dynamic find/execute surface. Use TOOL_SURFACE=meta only when you explicitly want domain meta-tools; use TOOL_SURFACE=individual only when your client can handle the full tool catalog.

Configuration (`TOOL_SURFACE` / `CAPABILITY_SURFACE`)	Tier	Visible tools	Reachable actions	`META_PARAM_SCHEMA`	Tool schema tokens	Shared tokens	Total tokens
`dynamic` / `full` (default)	Free/CE	2	865	n/a	2,180	31,758	33,938
`dynamic` / `minimal`	Free/CE	2	865	n/a	2,180	1,088	3,268
`dynamic` / `full` (default)	Premium	2	1,003	n/a	2,180	31,758	33,938
`dynamic` / `minimal`	Premium	2	1,003	n/a	2,180	1,088	3,268
`dynamic` / `full` (default)	Ultimate	2	1,069	n/a	2,180	31,758	33,938
`dynamic` / `minimal`	Ultimate	2	1,069	n/a	2,180	1,088	3,268

Rows use the base Community Edition catalog unless the Tier column says otherwise. GITLAB_TIER controls which actions are available; higher tiers expose more tools and thus more reachable actions.

Compatibility

MCP Capability	Support
Tools	Up to 1071 individual / 32–50 meta
Resources	45 (static + templates)
Prompts	37 templates
Completions	Project, user, group, branch, tag
Logging	Structured (text/JSON) to stderr
Progress	Tool execution progress reporting
Elicitation	4 interactive creation wizards

Tested with: VS Code + GitHub Copilot, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains IDEs, Zed, Kiro, Cline. See the full Compatibility Matrix.

AI Model Tool-Use Evaluation

The project includes an automated evaluator for model-facing MCP quality. It runs schema-only checks against the tool catalog or executes validated model tool calls through MCP against Docker GitLab CE or licensed Enterprise instances populated with fixtures. It measures whether each model chooses the correct action, sends valid parameters, recovers from actionable GitLab errors, and respects destructive-action safeguards — across Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and Qwen.

Current published result: Docker CE dynamic 20260627-232303.

Provider	Model	Compatibility	Tool accuracy	Recovery	Docker live status
Anthropic	`claude-haiku-4-5-20251001`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (2/2)	100.0% final across 555 ops
Google	`gemini-flash-latest`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (4/4)	100.0% final across 555 ops
OpenAI	`gpt-5.4-nano`	Review	99.3%	84.6% (11/13)	98.0% final across 555 ops
Qwen	`qwen3.6-flash`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (5/5)	100.0% final across 555 ops

The published model-evaluation set covers 596 task attempts and 2220 expected MCP operations. Across the selected reports, models emitted 2265 tool calls over 2265 model requests, with 99.5% aggregate final success. See AI Model Evaluation Results for the detailed current matrix.

<details> <summary>Enterprise meta & dynamic evaluation results</summary>

Current published result: Docker Enterprise meta 20260527.

Provider	Model	Compatibility	Tool accuracy	Recovery	Docker live status
Anthropic	`claude-haiku-4-5-20251001`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (1/1)	100.0% final across 84 ops
Google	`gemini-flash-latest`	Review	78.2%	100.0% (7/7)	100.0% final across 84 ops
OpenAI	`gpt-5.4-nano`	Review	100.0%	100.0% (4/4)	100.0% final across 84 ops
Qwen	`qwen3.6-flash`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (1/1)	100.0% final across 84 ops

The published model-evaluation set covers 92 task attempts and 336 expected MCP operations. Across the selected reports, models emitted 345 tool calls over 350 model requests, with 100.0% aggregate final success. See AI Model Evaluation Results for the detailed current matrix.

Current published result: Docker Enterprise dynamic 20260628-015421.

Provider	Model	Compatibility	Tool accuracy	Recovery	Docker live status
Anthropic	`claude-haiku-4-5-20251001`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (1/1)	100.0% final across 202 ops
Google	`gemini-flash-latest`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (2/2)	100.0% final across 202 ops
OpenAI	`gpt-5.4-nano`	OK	100.0%	No repairs	100.0% final across 202 ops
Qwen	`qwen3.6-flash`	OK	100.0%	100.0% (1/1)	100.0% final across 202 ops

The published model-evaluation set covers 124 task attempts and 808 expected MCP operations. Across the selected reports, models emitted 817 tool calls over 817 model requests, with 100.0% aggregate final success. See AI Model Evaluation Results for the detailed current matrix.

</details>

Documentation

Full documentation is at jmrplens.github.io/gitlab-mcp-server. Use this map for the source-of-truth reference on a specific area:

Document	Description
Getting Started	Download, setup wizard, per-client configuration
IDE Configuration	Per-client stdio, HTTP legacy, and HTTP OAuth examples
Configuration	Environment variables, transport modes, TLS
Environment Variables	Exhaustive environment variable table with defaults and examples
CLI Reference	All command-line flags, exit codes, and runtime examples
HTTP Server Mode	Shared HTTP deployments, authentication, server pool isolation
Tools Reference	All individual tools with input/output schemas, including GitLab.com-only Orbit
Meta-Tools	32/48/49 domain meta-tools with action dispatching
Dynamic Toolset	2-tool low-token mode with canonical action catalog, safety model, and examples
Resources	All 45 resources with URI templates
Prompts	All 37 prompts with arguments and output format
Auto-Update	Self-update mechanism, modes, and release format
Testing	Unit, E2E, schema model evaluation, Docker model evaluation, and curated model results
Security	Security model, token scopes, input validation
Architecture	System architecture, component design, data flow
Development Guide	Building, testing, CI/CD, contributing
Troubleshooting	Common startup, token, TLS, transport, and tool-discovery issues

FAQ

<details> <summary>Does it work with self-hosted GitLab?</summary>

Yes. Set GITLAB_URL to your instance URL. When GITLAB_URL is omitted, stdio mode uses https://gitlab.com. Self-signed TLS certificates are supported via GITLAB_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY=true.

</details> <details> <summary>Is my data safe?</summary>

The server runs locally on your machine (stdio mode) or on your own infrastructure (HTTP mode). No data is sent to third parties — all API calls go directly to your GitLab instance. See <a href="SECURITY.md">SECURITY.md</a> for details.

</details> <details> <summary>Can I use it in read-only mode?</summary>

Yes. Set GITLAB_READ_ONLY=true to disable all mutating tools (create, update, delete). Only read operations will be available.

Alternatively, set GITLAB_SAFE_MODE=true for a dry-run mode: mutating tools remain visible but return a structured JSON preview instead of executing. Useful for auditing, training, or reviewing what an AI assistant would do.

</details> <details> <summary>What GitLab editions are supported?</summary>

Both Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE). Set GITLAB_TIER=premium or GITLAB_TIER=ultimate in stdio mode to enable additional tools for Premium/Ultimate features (DORA metrics, vulnerabilities, compliance, etc.); leave it unset to detect the tier from the instance license (fallback free). In HTTP mode, --tier can force the tier, otherwise it is detected per token+URL pool entry from the license.

</details> <details> <summary>How does it handle rate limiting?</summary>

The server includes retry logic with backoff for GitLab API rate limits. Errors are classified as transient (retryable) or permanent, with actionable hints in error messages.

</details> <details> <summary>Which AI clients are supported?</summary>

Any MCP-compatible client: VS Code + GitHub Copilot, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, JetBrains IDEs, Zed, Kiro, and others. The built-in setup wizard can auto-configure most clients.

</details>

Building from Source

bash

git clone https://github.com/jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server.git
cd gitlab-mcp-server
make build

The published container image is ghcr.io/jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server:latest. See the Development Guide for cross-compilation, Docker Compose, and contributing guidelines.

Component	Technology
Language	Go 1.26+
MCP SDK	`github.com/modelcontextprotocol/go-sdk` v1.6.1
GitLab Client	`gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go/v2` v2.43.0
Transport	stdio (default), HTTP (Streamable HTTP)

Contributing & Security

Contributing: see CONTRIBUTING.md for development guidelines, branch naming, commit conventions, and the PR process.
Security: see SECURITY.md for the security policy and vulnerability reporting.
Code of Conduct: see CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md (Contributor Covenant v2.1).

Repository mirror: GitHub is the canonical repository. A read-only mirror is available on GitLab.com for discoverability; please open contributions on GitHub.

<details> <summary>Unnecessary statistics — numbers nobody asked for</summary>

File counts

Category	Files	Lines
Source (`.go`, non-test)	964	191,920
Unit tests (`_test.go`)	527	293,739
End-to-end tests	143	35,337
Total	1,634	520,996

Functions

Category	Count
Source functions	7,341
— exported (public)	2,589
— unexported (private)	4,752
Unit test functions (`TestXxx`)	11,360
Subtests (`t.Run(...)`)	2,639
End-to-end test functions	287

Ratios worth noting

Observation	Value
Test lines vs source lines	1.53× more tests than code
Average source file length	~199 lines
Average test file length	~557 lines
Comment lines in source	20,714 (~10.8% of source)
Test functions per source function	1.5×

Code patterns

Pattern	Count
`if err != nil` checks	6,558
`defer` statements	705
`struct` types defined	2,701
`//nolint` suppressions	179
`TODO` / `FIXME` / `HACK` comments	2

Project

Metric	Value
Go packages	226
Direct dependencies (`go.mod`)	13
Indirect dependencies	50
Git commits	230
Unique contributors	4

Hall of fame

Record	File
Longest source file	`internal/tools/projects/projects.go` — 3,795 lines
Longest test file	`internal/tools/projects/projects_test.go` — 7,931 lines

Because why not

Fact	Value
Source code printed at 55 lines/page	~3,489 pages of A4
Source lines mentioning `"gitlab"`	12,459 (impossible to avoid)
Longest function name in source	`assertDynamicCompatibilityPolicyOwnedByActionCompat` (51 chars)
Longest test function name	`TestRequiredMissingAndUnknownParamNames_SchemaValidation_ReturnsSortedMissingAndUnknown` (87 chars)

</details>

Install

Configuration

Environment variables

GITLAB_URLdefault https://gitlab.com

GitLab instance URL (default: https://gitlab.com; set for self-managed instances)

GITLAB_TOKENrequiredsecret

GitLab Personal Access Token (glpat-...)

GITLAB_SKIP_TLS_VERIFYdefault false

Skip TLS certificate verification for self-signed certs (default: false)

TOOL_SURFACEdefault dynamic

Tool catalog selector: dynamic, meta, or individual (default: dynamic)

CAPABILITY_SURFACEdefault full

Resource and prompt catalog selector: full or minimal (default: full)

META_PARAM_SCHEMAdefault opaque

Meta-tool input schema detail: opaque, compact, or full (default: opaque)

GITLAB_TIER

GitLab edition tier: free/ce, premium, or ultimate. When unset, detected from GET /license (fallback free). Gates Premium/Ultimate tools; GitLab.com Ultimate also exposes Orbit Knowledge Graph tools. Replaces the deprecated GITLAB_ENTERPRISE boolean

GITLAB_READ_ONLYdefault false

Read-only mode: disables all mutating tools (default: false)

GITLAB_SAFE_MODEdefault false

Safe mode: intercepts mutating tools and returns a JSON preview instead of executing (default: false)

EMBEDDED_RESOURCESdefault true

Append EmbeddedResource content blocks (clickable links to MCP resources) to get_* tool results (default: true)

EXCLUDE_TOOLS

Comma-separated tool names to exclude from registration (e.g. gitlab_admin,gitlab_runner)

GITLAB_IGNORE_SCOPESdefault false

Skip Personal Access Token scope detection and register all tools regardless of token permissions (default: false)

UPLOAD_MAX_FILE_SIZEdefault 2147483648

Maximum attachment upload size in bytes or human-readable (e.g. 2GB). Default: 2147483648 (2 GB)

GITLAB_MCP_ALLOWED_IMPORT_DIRS

Extra OS path-list-separated directories allowed for local GitLab import archives

RATE_LIMIT_RPSdefault 0

Per-server tools/call rate limit in requests per second; 0 disables it (default: 0)

RATE_LIMIT_BURSTdefault 40

Token-bucket burst size when RATE_LIMIT_RPS is greater than 0 (default: 40)

LOG_LEVELdefault info

Logging verbosity (default: info)

AUTO_UPDATEdefault true

Auto-update mode: true (auto-apply), check (log-only), false (disabled). Default: true

AUTO_UPDATE_REPOdefault jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server

GitHub repository slug for release assets (default: jmrplens/gitlab-mcp-server)

AUTO_UPDATE_INTERVALdefault 1h

Periodic update check interval in HTTP mode (default: 1h)

AUTO_UPDATE_TIMEOUTdefault 60s

Startup/background update timeout, range 5s-10m (default: 60s)

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://gitlab-mcp-server.fly.dev/"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Desktop config is stdio-only; this bridges via mcp-remote. Native remote: Settings > Connectors.

Topics

GitLab MCP Server

Install in 60 seconds

One-click install

Claude Code (claude mcp add)

Guided setup (any client, no flags to remember)

Manual JSON (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, …)

Why this server

Tool surfaces

Token Footprint

Compatibility

AI Model Tool-Use Evaluation

Documentation

FAQ

Building from Source

Contributing & Security

File counts

Functions

Ratios worth noting

Code patterns

Project

Hall of fame

Because why not

Install

Configuration

Claude Code (`claude mcp add`)