GitLab Automation via Rube MCP

Automate GitLab operations including project management, issue tracking, merge request workflows, CI/CD pipeline monitoring, branch management, and user administration through Composio's GitLab toolkit.

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
Active GitLab connection via
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
gitlab
```
Always call
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add

https://rube.app/mcp

as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
responds
Call
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
gitlab
```
If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete GitLab OAuth
Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Manage Issues

When to use: User wants to create, update, list, or search issues in a GitLab project

Tool sequence:

```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECTS
```
- Find the target project and get its ID [Prerequisite]
```
GITLAB_LIST_PROJECT_ISSUES
```
- List and filter issues for a project [Required]
```
GITLAB_CREATE_PROJECT_ISSUE
```
- Create a new issue [Required for create]
```
GITLAB_UPDATE_PROJECT_ISSUE
```
- Update an existing issue (title, labels, state, assignees) [Required for update]
```
GITLAB_LIST_PROJECT_USERS
```
- Find user IDs for assignment [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
id
```
: Project ID (integer) or URL-encoded path (e.g.,
```
"my-group/my-project"
```
)
```
title
```
: Issue title (required for creation)
```
description
```
: Issue body text (max 1,048,576 characters)
```
labels
```
: Comma-separated label names (e.g.,
```
"bug,critical"
```
)
```
add_labels
```
/
```
remove_labels
```
: Add or remove labels without replacing all
```
state
```
: Filter by
```
"all"
```
,
```
"opened"
```
, or
```
"closed"
```
```
state_event
```
:
```
"close"
```
or
```
"reopen"
```
to change issue state
```
assignee_ids
```
: Array of user IDs; use
```
[0]
```
to unassign all
```
issue_iid
```
: Internal issue ID within the project (required for updates)
```
milestone
```
: Filter by milestone title
```
search
```
: Search in title and description

scope

"created_by_me"

"assigned_to_me"

, or

"all"

```
page
```
/
```
per_page
```
: Pagination (default per_page: 20)

Pitfalls:

```
id
```
accepts either integer project ID or URL-encoded path; wrong IDs yield 4xx errors
```
issue_iid
```
is the project-internal ID (shown as #42), different from the global issue ID
Labels in
```
labels
```
field replace ALL existing labels; use
```
add_labels
```
/
```
remove_labels
```
for incremental changes
Setting
```
assignee_ids
```
to empty array does NOT unassign; use
```
[0]
```
instead
```
updated_at
```
field requires administrator or project/group owner rights

2. Manage Merge Requests

When to use: User wants to list, filter, or review merge requests in a project

Tool sequence:

```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECT
```
- Get project details and verify access [Prerequisite]
```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECT_MERGE_REQUESTS
```
- List and filter merge requests [Required]
```
GITLAB_GET_REPOSITORY_BRANCHES
```
- Verify source/target branches [Optional]
```
GITLAB_LIST_ALL_PROJECT_MEMBERS
```
- Find reviewers/assignees [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
id
```
: Project ID or URL-encoded path

state

"opened"

"closed"

"locked"

"merged"

, or

"all"

scope

"created_by_me"

(default),

"assigned_to_me"

, or

"all"

```
source_branch
```
/
```
target_branch
```
: Filter by branch names
```
author_id
```
/
```
author_username
```
: Filter by MR author
```
assignee_id
```
: Filter by assignee (use
```
None
```
for unassigned,
```
Any
```
for assigned)
```
reviewer_id
```
/
```
reviewer_username
```
: Filter by reviewer
```
labels
```
: Comma-separated label filter
```
search
```
: Search in title and description
```
wip
```
:
```
"yes"
```
for draft MRs,
```
"no"
```
for non-draft

order_by

"created_at"

(default),

"title"

"merged_at"

"updated_at"

```
view
```
:
```
"simple"
```
for minimal fields
```
iids[]
```
: Filter by specific MR internal IDs

Pitfalls:

Default
```
scope
```
is
```
"created_by_me"
```
which limits results; use
```
"all"
```
for complete listings
```
author_id
```
and
```
author_username
```
are mutually exclusive
```
reviewer_id
```
and
```
reviewer_username
```
are mutually exclusive
```
approved
```
filter requires the
```
mr_approved_filter
```
feature flag (disabled by default)
Large MR histories can be noisy; use filters and moderate
```
per_page
```
values

3. Manage Projects and Repositories

When to use: User wants to list projects, create new projects, or manage branches

Tool sequence:

```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECTS
```
- List all accessible projects with filters [Required]
```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECT
```
- Get detailed info for a specific project [Optional]
```
GITLAB_LIST_USER_PROJECTS
```
- List projects owned by a specific user [Optional]
```
GITLAB_CREATE_PROJECT
```
- Create a new project [Required for create]
```
GITLAB_GET_REPOSITORY_BRANCHES
```
- List branches in a project [Required for branch ops]
```
GITLAB_CREATE_REPOSITORY_BRANCH
```
- Create a new branch [Optional]
```
GITLAB_GET_REPOSITORY_BRANCH
```
- Get details of a specific branch [Optional]
```
GITLAB_LIST_REPOSITORY_COMMITS
```
- View commit history [Optional]
```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECT_LANGUAGES
```
- Get language breakdown [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
name
```
/
```
path
```
: Project name and URL-friendly path (both required for creation)
```
visibility
```
:
```
"private"
```
,
```
"internal"
```
, or
```
"public"
```
```
namespace_id
```
: Group or user ID for project placement
```
search
```
: Case-insensitive substring search for projects
```
membership
```
:
```
true
```
to limit to projects user is a member of
```
owned
```
:
```
true
```
to limit to user-owned projects
```
project_id
```
: Project ID for branch operations
```
branch_name
```
: Name for new branch
```
ref
```
: Source branch or commit SHA for new branch creation

order_by

"id"

"name"

"path"

"created_at"

"updated_at"

"star_count"

"last_activity_at"

Pitfalls:

```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECTS
```
pagination is required for complete coverage; stopping at first page misses projects
Some responses place items under
```
data.details
```
; parse the actual returned list structure
Most follow-up calls depend on correct
```
project_id
```
; verify with
```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECT
```
first
Invalid
```
branch_name
```
/
```
ref
```
/
```
sha
```
causes client errors; verify branch existence via
```
GITLAB_GET_REPOSITORY_BRANCHES
```
first
Both
```
name
```
and
```
path
```
are required for
```
GITLAB_CREATE_PROJECT
```

4. Monitor CI/CD Pipelines

When to use: User wants to check pipeline status, list jobs, or monitor CI/CD runs

Tool sequence:

```
GITLAB_GET_PROJECT
```
- Verify project access [Prerequisite]
```
GITLAB_LIST_PROJECT_PIPELINES
```
- List pipelines with filters [Required]
```
GITLAB_GET_SINGLE_PIPELINE
```
- Get detailed info for a specific pipeline [Optional]
```
GITLAB_LIST_PIPELINE_JOBS
```
- List jobs within a pipeline [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
id
```
: Project ID or URL-encoded path

status

: Filter by

"created"

"waiting_for_resource"

"preparing"

"pending"

"running"

"success"

"failed"

"canceled"

"skipped"

"manual"

"scheduled"

scope

"running"

"pending"

"finished"

"branches"

"tags"

```
ref
```
: Branch or tag name
```
sha
```
: Specific commit SHA
```
source
```
: Pipeline source (use
```
"parent_pipeline"
```
for child pipelines)

order_by

"id"

(default),

"status"

"ref"

"updated_at"

"user_id"

```
created_after
```
/
```
created_before
```
: ISO 8601 date filters
```
pipeline_id
```
: Specific pipeline ID for job listing
```
include_retried
```
:
```
true
```
to include retried jobs (default
```
false
```
)

Pitfalls:

Large pipeline histories can be noisy; use
```
status
```
,
```
ref
```
, and date filters to narrow results
Use moderate
```
per_page
```
values to keep output manageable
Pipeline job
```
scope
```
accepts single status string or array of statuses
```
yaml_errors: true
```
returns only pipelines with invalid configurations

5. Manage Users and Members

When to use: User wants to find users, list project members, or check user status

Tool sequence:

```
GITLAB_GET_USERS
```
- Search and list GitLab users [Required]
```
GITLAB_GET_USER
```
- Get details for a specific user by ID [Optional]
```
GITLAB_GET_USERS_ID_STATUS
```
- Get user status message and availability [Optional]
```
GITLAB_LIST_ALL_PROJECT_MEMBERS
```
- List all project members (direct + inherited) [Required for member listing]
```
GITLAB_LIST_PROJECT_USERS
```
- List project users with search filter [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
search
```
: Search by name, username, or public email
```
username
```
: Get specific user by username
```
active
```
/
```
blocked
```
: Filter by user state
```
id
```
: Project ID for member listing
```
query
```
: Filter members by name, email, or username
```
state
```
: Filter members by
```
"awaiting"
```
or
```
"active"
```
(Premium/Ultimate)
```
user_ids
```
: Filter by specific user IDs

Pitfalls:

Many user filters (admins, auditors, extern_uid, two_factor) are admin-only
```
GITLAB_LIST_ALL_PROJECT_MEMBERS
```
includes direct, inherited, and invited members
User search is case-insensitive but may not match partial email domains
Premium/Ultimate features (state filter, seat info) are not available on free plans

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

GitLab uses two identifier formats for projects:

Numeric ID: Integer project ID (e.g.,
```
123
```
)
URL-encoded path: Namespace/project format (e.g.,
```
"my-group%2Fmy-project"
```
or
```
"my-group/my-project"
```
)
Issue IID vs ID:
```
issue_iid
```
is the project-internal number (#42); the global
```
id
```
is different
User ID: Numeric; resolve via
```
GITLAB_GET_USERS
```
with
```
search
```
or
```
username
```

Pagination

GitLab uses offset-based pagination:

Set
```
page
```
(starting at 1) and
```
per_page
```
(1-100, default 20)
Continue incrementing
```
page
```
until response returns fewer items than
```
per_page
```
or is empty
Total count may be available in response headers (
```
X-Total
```
,
```
X-Total-Pages
```
)
Always paginate to completion for accurate results

URL-Encoded Paths

When using project paths as identifiers:

Forward slashes must be URL-encoded:
```
my-group/my-project
```
becomes
```
my-group%2Fmy-project
```
Some tools accept unencoded paths; check schema for each tool
Prefer numeric IDs when available for reliability

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

Project
```
id
```
field accepts both integer and string (URL-encoded path)
Issue
```
issue_iid
```
is project-scoped; do not confuse with global issue ID
Pipeline IDs are project-scoped integers
User IDs are global integers across the GitLab instance

Rate Limits

GitLab has per-user rate limits (typically 300-2000 requests/minute depending on plan)
Large pipeline/issue histories should use date and status filters to reduce result sets
Paginate responsibly with moderate
```
per_page
```
values

Parameter Quirks

```
labels
```
field replaces ALL labels; use
```
add_labels
```
/
```
remove_labels
```
for incremental changes
```
assignee_ids: [0]
```
unassigns all; empty array does nothing
```
scope
```
defaults vary:
```
"created_by_me"
```
for MRs,
```
"all"
```
for issues
```
author_id
```
and
```
author_username
```
are mutually exclusive in MR filters
Date parameters use ISO 8601 format:
```
"2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
```

Plan Restrictions

Some features require Premium/Ultimate:
```
epic_id
```
,
```
weight
```
,
```
iteration_id
```
,
```
approved_by_ids
```
, member
```
state
```
filter
Admin-only features: user management filters,
```
updated_at
```
override, custom attributes
The
```
mr_approved_filter
```
feature flag is disabled by default

Quick Reference

Task	Tool Slug	Key Params
List projects	`GITLAB_GET_PROJECTS`	`search` , `membership` , `visibility`
Get project details	`GITLAB_GET_PROJECT`	`id`
User's projects	`GITLAB_LIST_USER_PROJECTS`	`id` , `search` , `owned`
Create project	`GITLAB_CREATE_PROJECT`	`name` , `path` , `visibility`
List issues	`GITLAB_LIST_PROJECT_ISSUES`	`id` , `state` , `labels` , `search`
Create issue	`GITLAB_CREATE_PROJECT_ISSUE`	`id` , `title` , `description` , `labels`
Update issue	`GITLAB_UPDATE_PROJECT_ISSUE`	`id` , `issue_iid` , `state_event`
List merge requests	`GITLAB_GET_PROJECT_MERGE_REQUESTS`	`id` , `state` , `scope` , `labels`
List branches	`GITLAB_GET_REPOSITORY_BRANCHES`	`project_id` , `search`
Get branch	`GITLAB_GET_REPOSITORY_BRANCH`	`project_id` , `branch_name`
Create branch	`GITLAB_CREATE_REPOSITORY_BRANCH`	`project_id` , `branch_name` , `ref`
List commits	`GITLAB_LIST_REPOSITORY_COMMITS`	project ID, branch ref
Project languages	`GITLAB_GET_PROJECT_LANGUAGES`	project ID
List pipelines	`GITLAB_LIST_PROJECT_PIPELINES`	`id` , `status` , `ref`
Get pipeline	`GITLAB_GET_SINGLE_PIPELINE`	`project_id` , `pipeline_id`
List pipeline jobs	`GITLAB_LIST_PIPELINE_JOBS`	`id` , `pipeline_id` , `scope`
Search users	`GITLAB_GET_USERS`	`search` , `username` , `active`
Get user	`GITLAB_GET_USER`	user ID
User status	`GITLAB_GET_USERS_ID_STATUS`	user ID
List project members	`GITLAB_LIST_ALL_PROJECT_MEMBERS`	`id` , `query` , `state`
List project users	`GITLAB_LIST_PROJECT_USERS`	`id` , `search`

gitlab-automation

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

GitLab Automation via Rube MCP

Prerequisites

Setup

Core Workflows

1. Manage Issues

2. Manage Merge Requests

3. Manage Projects and Repositories

4. Monitor CI/CD Pipelines

5. Manage Users and Members

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Pagination

URL-Encoded Paths

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

Rate Limits

Parameter Quirks

Plan Restrictions

Quick Reference