gitlab-merge-request-review

name	gitlab-merge-request-review
skill_type	skill
description	Review and merge GitLab merge requests via the gitlab-api MCP server — by default the MRs assigned to you or where you are a reviewer, optionally scoped to a project, group, or the whole instance. Read an MR, gate it on a green pipeline (pipeline → jobs → job log), then approve, accept/merge, or set merge-when-pipeline-succeeds (auto-merge) — writes are confirmed with the user and CI-gated. Use when the agent must review open MRs, verify CI, approve, merge, or set auto-merge. Do NOT use to open an MR (gitlab-merge-request-create), review issues (gitlab-issues), or review pipelines broadly (gitlab-pipelines).
license	MIT
tags	["gitlab","merge-requests","code-review","approve","merge","auto-merge","ci","mcp"]
metadata	{"author":"Genius","version":"0.1.0"}

GitLab Merge Request Review

Domain-typed review-to-merge for GitLab Merge Requests via the gitlab-api MCP server. Default focus: the MRs that are yours to act on (assigned to you or awaiting your review); widen to a project, group, or the whole instance on request.

When to use

• Review the MRs assigned to you or where you are a reviewer (the default).
• Scope MR review to a project, a group, or the instance.
• Read an MR and gate a merge on a green pipeline — pipeline → jobs → job log.
• Approve, accept (merge), or set merge-when-pipeline-succeeds (auto-merge); cancel a queued auto-merge.

When NOT to use

• Opening a new MR → gitlab-merge-request-create.
• Issue triage → gitlab-issues.
• Broad pipeline/CI review across a group/instance → gitlab-pipelines.

Prerequisites & environment

Connect via the mcp-client skill against the gitlab-api MCP server.

Variable	Required	Notes
GITLAB_URL	✅	GitLab instance base URL
GITLAB_TOKEN	✅	Access token with api scope (approve/merge need write)
GITLAB_SSL_VERIFY	optional	TLS verification toggle

Full env/tag matrix: the mcp-client reference agent-tools/mcp-client/references/gitlab-api.md. MCP_TOOL_MODE (condensed|verbose|both) selects the condensed surface (below).

Tools & actions

Prefer the condensed tools; each takes action + a params_json JSON string.

Condensed tool	Actions
gitlab_merge_requests	get, get_project, accept, cancel_auto_merge
gitlab_merge_rules	get_mr_approvals, get_mr_approval_state, approve_mr, unapprove_mr
gitlab_groups	get_merge_requests (group-scoped MRs)
gitlab_pipelines	get
gitlab_jobs	get_pipeline_jobs, get_log

Key parameters

• Default scope — instance-wide gitlab_merge_requests get with either scope=assigned_to_me or reviewer_username=<me> (run both and union). Project scope → get_project with project_id; group scope → gitlab_groups get_merge_requests with group_id.
• Single MR → gitlab_merge_requests get with project_id + merge_request_iid.
• CI gate — the MR object carries pipeline/head_pipeline; feed its id to gitlab_pipelines get (pipeline_id), then gitlab_jobs get_pipeline_jobs (pipeline_id), then get_log (job_id).
• Approve/merge — gitlab_merge_rules approve_mr (project_id + merge_request_iid); gitlab_merge_requests accept merges now, or pass merge_when_pipeline_succeeds=true to set auto-merge; cancel_auto_merge cancels a queued auto-merge.

Recipes (params_json)

Default — MRs assigned to you, newest first:

{"scope":"assigned_to_me","state":"opened","order_by":"updated_at","sort":"desc","per_page":25}

MRs where you are the reviewer:

{"reviewer_username":"me","state":"opened"}

Open MRs for a group:

{"group_id":"platform","state":"opened"}

One MR by iid:

{"project_id":"platform/agent-utilities","merge_request_iid":42}

Gate on CI — jobs of the MR's pipeline, then a failing job's log:

{"project_id":"platform/agent-utilities","pipeline_id":998877}

{"project_id":"platform/agent-utilities","job_id":554433}

Approve the MR:

{"project_id":"platform/agent-utilities","merge_request_iid":42}

Set auto-merge (merge when the pipeline succeeds):

{"project_id":"platform/agent-utilities","merge_request_iid":42,"merge_when_pipeline_succeeds":true,"squash":true}

Merge now:

{"project_id":"platform/agent-utilities","merge_request_iid":42,"should_remove_source_branch":true}

Guarded write actions

approve_mr, accept, and cancel_auto_merge mutate the MR. Before calling any of them:

1. Confirm CI is green — the MR's pipeline status=success and no required job log shows a failure. Recommend accept (immediate merge) only when the pipeline has passed; otherwise prefer merge_when_pipeline_succeeds=true.
2. Present the exact action to the user — project, MR !iid/title, and the operation (approve / auto-merge / immediate merge) — and get explicit confirmation.
3. Only then call the tool.

Gotchas

• params_json is a string of JSON, not an object — serialize it.
• Use merge_request_iid (the project !iid), not the global MR id.
• project_id accepts the URL-encoded group/project path or the numeric id.
• A pipeline status=success doesn't mean every job ran — check for manual/skipped stages before merging on a release branch.
• accept fails if the MR isn't mergeable (conflicts, unmet approvals, or a running pipeline when the project requires green CI) — read merge_status/approval state first.

Related

• Open an MR: gitlab-merge-request-create.
• KG mapping: MRs map to :MergeRequest nodes via gitlab_api.kg_ingest.