GitLab CLI (glab) Skill

Provides guidance for using

glab

, the official GitLab CLI, to perform GitLab operations from the terminal.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke when the user needs to:

Create, review, or manage merge requests
Work with GitLab issues
Monitor or trigger CI/CD pipelines
Clone or manage repositories
Perform any GitLab operation from the command line

Prerequisites

Verify glab installation before executing commands:

bash

glab --version

If not installed, inform the user and provide platform-specific installation guidance.

Authentication Quick Start

Most glab operations require authentication:

bash

# Interactive authentication
glab auth login

# Check authentication status
glab auth status

# For self-hosted GitLab
glab auth login --hostname gitlab.example.org

# Using environment variables
export GITLAB_TOKEN=your-token
export GITLAB_HOST=gitlab.example.org  # for self-hosted

Core Workflows

Creating a Merge Request

bash

# 1. Ensure branch is pushed
git push -u origin feature-branch

# 2. Create MR
glab mr create --title "Add feature" --description "Implements X"

# With reviewers and labels
glab mr create --title "Fix bug" --reviewer=alice,bob --label="bug,urgent"

Reviewing Merge Requests

bash

# 1. List MRs awaiting your review
glab mr list --reviewer=@me

# 2. Checkout MR locally to test
glab mr checkout <mr-number>

# 3. After testing, approve
glab mr approve <mr-number>

# 4. Add review comments
glab mr note <mr-number> -m "Please update tests"

Managing Issues

bash

# Create issue with labels
glab issue create --title "Bug in login" --label=bug

# Link MR to issue
glab mr create --title "Fix login" --description "Closes #<issue-number>"

# List your assigned issues
glab issue list --assignee=@me

Monitoring CI/CD

bash

# Watch pipeline in progress
glab pipeline ci view

# Check pipeline status
glab ci status

# View logs if failed
glab ci trace

# Retry failed pipeline
glab ci retry

# Lint CI config before pushing
glab ci lint

Common Patterns

Working Outside Repository Context

When not in a Git repository, specify the repository:

bash

glab mr list -R owner/repo
glab issue list -R owner/repo

Self-Hosted GitLab

Set hostname for all commands:

bash

export GITLAB_HOST=gitlab.example.org
# or per-command
glab repo clone gitlab.example.org/owner/repo

Listing Unresolved MR Comments

bash

glab api "projects/:id/merge_requests/{mr}/discussions?per_page=100" | jq '[.[] | select(.notes[0].resolvable == true and .notes[0].resolved == false) | {id: .notes[0].id, body: .notes[0].body[0:100], path: .notes[0].position.new_path, line: .notes[0].position.new_line}]'

Automation and Scripting

Use JSON output for parsing:

bash

glab mr list --output=json | jq '.[] | .title'

Replying to MR Notes/Threads

glab mr note

creates standalone comments. To reply within a discussion thread, use the API:

bash

# 1. Find the discussion_id containing the note
glab api "projects/:id/merge_requests/{mr}/discussions" | jq '.[] | select(.notes[].id == {note_id}) | .id'

# 2. Post reply to the discussion thread
glab api --method POST "projects/:id/merge_requests/{mr}/discussions/{discussion_id}/notes" --field body="Your reply"

Example:

bash

# Get discussion_id for note 13698970
glab api "projects/:id/merge_requests/1013/discussions" | jq '.[] | select(.notes[].id == 13698970) | {id}'
# Returns: {"id": "5356c3552e72e7b4c49276eb4dacfe3efe5c2c5c"}

# Reply to that thread
glab api --method POST "projects/:id/merge_requests/1013/discussions/5356c3552e72e7b4c49276eb4dacfe3efe5c2c5c/notes" --field body="Thanks for the review!"

Using the API Command

The

glab api

command provides direct GitLab API access:

bash

# Basic API call
glab api projects/:id/merge_requests

# IMPORTANT: Pagination uses query parameters in URL, NOT flags
# ❌ WRONG: glab api --per-page=100 projects/:id/jobs
# ✓ CORRECT: glab api "projects/:id/jobs?per_page=100"

# Auto-fetch all pages
glab api --paginate "projects/:id/pipelines/123/jobs?per_page=100"

# POST with data
glab api --method POST projects/:id/issues --field title="Bug" --field description="Details"

Best Practices

Verify authentication before executing commands:
```
glab auth status
```
Use
--help
to explore command options:
```
glab <command> --help
```
Link MRs to issues using "Closes #123" in MR description
Lint CI config before pushing:
```
glab ci lint
```
Check repository context when commands fail:
```
git remote -v
```

Common Commands Quick Reference

Merge Requests:

```
glab mr list --assignee=@me
```
- Your assigned MRs
```
glab mr list --reviewer=@me
```
- MRs for you to review
```
glab mr create
```
- Create new MR
```
glab mr checkout <number>
```
- Test MR locally
```
glab mr approve <number>
```
- Approve MR
```
glab mr merge <number>
```
- Merge approved MR

Issues:

```
glab issue list
```
- List all issues
```
glab issue create
```
- Create new issue
```
glab issue close <number>
```
- Close issue

CI/CD:

```
glab pipeline ci view
```
- Watch pipeline
```
glab ci status
```
- Check status
```
glab ci lint
```
- Validate .gitlab-ci.yml
```
glab ci retry
```
- Retry failed pipeline

Repository:

```
glab repo clone owner/repo
```
- Clone repository
```
glab repo view
```
- View repo details
```
glab repo fork
```
- Fork repository

Progressive Disclosure

For detailed command documentation, refer to:

references/commands-detailed.md - Comprehensive command reference with all flags and options
references/quick-reference.md - Condensed command cheat sheet
references/troubleshooting.md - Detailed error scenarios and solutions

Load these references when:

User needs specific flag or option details
Troubleshooting authentication or connection issues
Working with advanced features (API, schedules, variables, etc.)

Common Issues Quick Fixes

"command not found: glab" - Install glab or verify PATH

"401 Unauthorized" - Run

glab auth login

"404 Project Not Found" - Verify repository name and access permissions

"not a git repository" - Navigate to repo or use

-R owner/repo

flag

"source branch already has a merge request" - Use

glab mr list

to find existing MR

For detailed troubleshooting, load references/troubleshooting.md.

Notes

glab auto-detects repository context from Git remote
Most commands have
```
--web
```
flag to open in browser
Use
```
--output=json
```
for scripting and automation
Multiple GitLab accounts can be authenticated simultaneously
Commands respect Git configuration and current repository context

glab

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

GitLab CLI (glab) Skill

When to Use This Skill

Prerequisites

Authentication Quick Start

Core Workflows

Creating a Merge Request

Reviewing Merge Requests

Managing Issues

Monitoring CI/CD

Common Patterns

Working Outside Repository Context

Self-Hosted GitLab

Listing Unresolved MR Comments

Automation and Scripting

Replying to MR Notes/Threads

Using the API Command

Best Practices

Common Commands Quick Reference

Progressive Disclosure

Common Issues Quick Fixes

Notes