gitlab-cli-skills

# GitLab CLI Skills Comprehensive GitLab CLI (glab) command reference and workflows. ## Quick start ```bash # First time setup glab auth login # Common operations glab mr create --fill # Create MR from current branch glab issue create # Create issue glab ci view # View pipeline status glab repo view --web # Open repo in browser ``` ## Multi-agent identity note When you want different agents to appear as different GitLab users, give each agent its own GitLab bot/service account. Multiple personal access tokens on the same GitLab user still act as that same visible identity. Use the **Actor identity** for actor-authored GitLab comments, replies, approvals, and other writes. Use an **agent identity** only when the GitLab action is explicitly that agent's own work product. Choose the intended visible actor **before the first GitLab write**. Treat shell identity as sticky and unsafe by default. If another env file was sourced earlier in the same shell/session, `glab` may still write as that previously loaded identity unless you deliberately switch and verify first. A practical pattern is one env file per actor, for example `~/.config/openclaw/env/gitlab-actor.env`, `~/.config/openclaw/env/gitlab-reviewer.env`, and `~/.config/openclaw/env/gitlab-release.env`. Keep these env files outside version control, restrict their permissions (for example `chmod 600`), be mindful of backup exposure, and use least-privilege bot/service-account tokens. In a reused shell, clear stale GitLab auth vars first or start a fresh shell. If those files use plain `KEY=value` lines, load them with exported vars before running `glab`: ```bash unset GITLAB_TOKEN GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN OAUTH_TOKEN GITLAB_HOST set -a source ~/.config/openclaw/env/gitlab-<actor>.env set +a ``` Plain `source` updates the current shell but may not export variables to child processes such as `glab`. If the token/host vars are not exported, `glab` may silently fall back to shared stored auth from the active global glab config file, which can make the wrong account appear to perform the action. ### Required pre-flight before any GitLab write Run this immediately before any GitLab write, including `glab mr note`, review replies/approvals, and any `glab api` `POST`/`PATCH`/`PUT`/`DELETE` call: ```bash glab auth status --hostname "$GITLAB_HOST" glab api --hostname "$GITLAB_HOST" user ``` This assumes the target actor env file set `GITLAB_HOST` for the exact GitLab instance you intend to modify. Do not write until both commands clearly show the intended visible actor on that host. ### Wrong-identity remediation If a comment or reply was posted under the wrong identity: 1. Stop posting. 2. Delete the mistaken comment or reply if cleanup is needed. 3. `unset GITLAB_TOKEN GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN OAUTH_TOKEN GITLAB_HOST` or start a fresh shell. 4. Source the correct env file with `set -a; source ...; set +a`. 5. Rerun `glab auth status --hostname "$GITLAB_HOST"` and `glab api --hostname "$GITLAB_HOST" user`. 6. Repost under the correct actor. 7. Verify the thread no longer shows the wrong visible author for the replacement message. If the wrong-identity write changed state beyond a comment or reply, do not treat the comment cleanup steps as sufficient. Re-auth as above, then use the matching GitLab reversal for that write under the correct actor and host, such as unapproving an MR or sending the compensating `glab api --hostname "$GITLAB_HOST"` mutation for the exact resource that was changed. ## Skill organization This skill routes to specialized sub-skills by GitLab domain. Each is a standalone skill in a sibling directory; open its `SKILL.md` for full details. **Core Workflows:** - [`glab-mr`](../glab-mr/SKILL.md) - Merge requests: create, review, approve, merge - [`glab-issue`](../glab-issue/SKILL.md) - Issues: create, list, update, close, comment - [`glab-ci`](../glab-ci/SKILL.md) - CI/CD: pipelines, jobs, logs, artifacts - [`glab-repo`](../glab-repo/SKILL.md) - Repositories: clone, create, fork, manage **Project Management:** - [`glab-milestone`](../glab-milestone/SKILL.md) - Release planning and milestone tracking - [`glab-iteration`](../glab-iteration/SKILL.md) - Sprint/iteration management - [`glab-label`](../glab-label/SKILL.md) - Label management and organization - [`glab-release`](../glab-release/SKILL.md) - Software releases and versioning - [`glab-packages`](../glab-packages/SKILL.md) - Project package registry listing, filtering, and generic package uploads **Authentication & Config:** - [`glab-auth`](../glab-auth/SKILL.md) - Login, logout, Docker registry auth - [`glab-config`](../glab-config/SKILL.md) - CLI configuration and defaults - [`glab-ssh-key`](../glab-ssh-key/SKILL.md) - SSH key management - [`glab-gpg-key`](../glab-gpg-key/SKILL.md) - GPG keys for commit signing - [`glab-token`](../glab-token/SKILL.md) - Personal and project access tokens - [`glab-todo`](../glab-todo/SKILL.md) - Personal GitLab to-do triage and completion **CI/CD Management:** - [`glab-job`](../glab-job/SKILL.md) - Individual job operations - [`glab-schedule`](../glab-schedule/SKILL.md) - Scheduled pipelines and cron jobs - [`glab-variable`](../glab-variable/SKILL.md) - CI/CD variables and secrets - [`glab-securefile`](../glab-securefile/SKILL.md) - Secure files for pipelines - [`glab-runner`](../glab-runner/SKILL.md) - Runner management: list, assign/unassign, inspect jobs/managers, pause/unpause, delete - [`glab-runner-controller`](../glab-runner-controller/SKILL.md) - Runner controller, scope, and token management (EXPERIMENTAL, admin-only) **Collaboration:** - [`glab-user`](../glab-user/SKILL.md) - User profiles and information - [`glab-snippet`](../glab-snippet/SKILL.md) - Create project or personal code snippets - [`glab-incident`](../glab-incident/SKILL.md) - Incident management - [`glab-workitems`](../glab-workitems/SKILL.md) - Work items: tasks, OKRs, key results, next-gen epics **Advanced:** - [`glab-api`](../glab-api/SKILL.md) - Direct REST API calls - [`glab-artifact-registry`](../glab-artifact-registry/SKILL.md) - Experimental short-lived Artifact Registry token exchange and access checks - [`glab-cluster`](../glab-cluster/SKILL.md) - Kubernetes cluster integration - [`glab-container-registry`](../glab-container-registry/SKILL.md) - Container registry repositories and tags - [`glab-dependency-firewall`](../glab-dependency-firewall/SKILL.md) - Experimental Dependency Firewall package checks, package-manager wrappers, and local activity summaries - [`glab-deploy-key`](../glab-deploy-key/SKILL.md) - Deploy keys for automation - [`glab-govern`](../glab-govern/SKILL.md) - Experimental AI agent governance hooks, diagnosis, and transcript-audit sync - [`glab-orbit`](../glab-orbit/SKILL.md) - Managed Orbit CLI workflows for remote graph status/query/discovery and local code-graph indexing/search; use `glab-skills` to install the remote Orbit wrapper skill (EXPERIMENTAL) - [`glab-quick-actions`](../glab-quick-actions/SKILL.md) - GitLab slash command quick actions for batching state changes - [`glab-security`](../glab-security/SKILL.md) - Project security scan profile enable/disable/status management (EXPERIMENTAL) - [`glab-stack`](../glab-stack/SKILL.md) - Create, reorder, sync, and delete local stacked/dependent merge-request metadata - [`glab-opentofu`](../glab-opentofu/SKILL.md) - Terraform/OpenTofu state management **Utilities:** - [`glab-alias`](../glab-alias/SKILL.md) - Custom command aliases - [`glab-completion`](../glab-completion/SKILL.md) - Shell autocompletion - [`glab-help`](../glab-help/SKILL.md) - Command help and documentation - [`glab-version`](../glab-version/SKILL.md) - Version information - [`glab-check-update`](../glab-check-update/SKILL.md) - Update checker - [`glab-whatsnew`](../glab-whatsnew/SKILL.md) - Release notes since the last viewed or post-upgrade baseline - [`glab-changelog`](../glab-changelog/SKILL.md) - Changelog generation - [`glab-attestation`](../glab-attestation/SKILL.md) - Software supply chain security - [`glab-duo`](../glab-duo/SKILL.md) - GitLab Duo AI assistant - [`glab-mcp`](../glab-mcp/SKILL.md) - Deprecated glab MCP compatibility; use the [GitLab MCP Server](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/model_context_protocol/mcp_server/) for new integrations - [`glab-skills`](../glab-skills/SKILL.md) - Inspect bundled skills; install, list, and update bundled or curated remote skills, including the Orbit wrapper skill (EXPERIMENTAL) ## When to use glab vs web UI **Use glab when:** - Automating GitLab operations in scripts - Working in terminal-centric workflows - Batch operations (multiple MRs/issues) - Integration with other CLI tools - CI/CD pipeline workflows - Faster navigation without browser context switching **Use web UI when:** - Complex diff review with inline comments - Visual merge conflict resolution - Configuring repo settings and permissions - Advanced search/filtering across projects - Reviewing security scanning results - Managing group/instance-level settings ## Common workflows ### Daily development ```bash # Start work on issue glab issue view 123 git checkout -b 123-feature-name # Create MR when ready glab mr create --fill --draft # Mark ready for review glab mr update --ready # Merge after approval glab mr merge --when-pipeline-succeeds --remove-source-branch ``` ### Code review ```bash # List your review queue glab mr list --reviewer=@me --state=opened # Review an MR glab mr checkout 456 glab mr diff npm test # Approve glab mr approve 456 glab mr note 456 -m "LGTM! Nice work on the error handling." ``` ### CI/CD debugging ```bash # Check pipeline status glab ci status # View failed jobs glab ci view # Get job logs glab ci trace <job-id> # Retry failed job glab ci retry <job-id> ``` ## Decision Trees ### "Should I create an MR or work on an issue first?" ``` Need to track work? ├─ Yes → Create issue first (glab issue create) │ Then: glab mr for <issue-id> └─ No → Direct MR (glab mr create --fill) ``` **Use `glab issue create` + `glab mr for` when:** - Work needs discussion/approval before coding - Tracking feature requests or bugs - Sprint planning and assignment - Want issue to auto-close when MR merges **Use `glab mr create` directly when:** - Quick fixes or typos - Working from existing issue - Hotfixes or urgent changes ### "Which CI command should I use?" ``` What do you need? ├─ Overall pipeline status → glab ci status ├─ Visual pipeline view → glab ci view ├─ Specific job logs → glab ci trace <job-id> ├─ Download build artifacts → glab ci artifact <ref> <job-name> ├─ Validate config file → glab ci lint ├─ Trigger new run → glab ci run └─ List all pipelines → glab ci list ``` **Quick reference:** - Pipeline-level: `glab ci status`, `glab ci view`, `glab ci run` - Job-level: `glab ci trace`, `glab job retry`, `glab job view` - Artifacts: `glab ci artifact` (by pipeline) or job artifacts via `glab job` ### "Clone or fork?" ``` What's your relationship to the repo? ├─ You have write access → glab repo clone group/project ├─ Contributing to someone else's project: │ ├─ One-time contribution → glab repo fork + work + MR │ └─ Ongoing contributions → glab repo fork, then sync regularly └─ Just reading/exploring → glab repo clone (or view --web) ``` **Fork when:** - You don't have write access to the original repo - Contributing to open source projects - Experimenting without affecting the original - Need your own copy for long-term work **Clone when:** - You're a project member with write access - Working on organization/team repositories - No need for a personal copy ### "Project vs group labels?" ``` Where should the label live? ├─ Used across multiple projects → glab label create --group <group> └─ Specific to one project → glab label create (in project directory) ``` **Group-level labels:** - Consistent labeling across organization - Examples: priority::high, type::bug, status::blocked - Managed centrally, inherited by projects **Project-level labels:** - Project-specific workflows - Examples: needs-ux-review, deploy-to-staging - Managed by project maintainers ## Related Skills **MR and Issue workflows:** - Start with `glab-issue` to create/track work - Use `glab-mr` to create MR that closes issue - Script: `scripts/create-mr-from-issue.sh` automates this **CI/CD debugging:** - Use `glab-ci` for pipeline-level operations - Use `glab-job` for individual job operations - Script: `scripts/ci-debug.sh` for quick failure diagnosis **Repository operations:** - Use `glab-repo` for repository management - Use `glab-auth` for authentication setup - Script: `scripts/sync-fork.sh` for fork synchronization **Configuration:** - Use `glab-auth` for initial authentication - Use `glab-config` to set defaults and preferences - Use `glab-alias` for custom shortcuts