| name | gitlab-ci-docs |
| description | Use when working with GitLab CI/CD docs: .gitlab-ci.yml syntax, jobs, stages, rules, workflow, include, inputs, components, variables, secrets, runners, executors, pipelines, artifacts, cache, environments, deployments, Docker, services, test reports, and pipeline troubleshooting. |
GitLab CI/CD Docs
Official GitLab CI/CD documentation synced from gitlab-org/gitlab/doc/ci.
Use this skill for GitLab CI/CD pipeline configuration and behavior. For project/group user workflows use gitlab-user-docs; for REST/GraphQL API endpoints use gitlab-api-docs; for self-managed instance administration use gitlab-admin-docs; for glab CLI commands use glab-docs / glab-cli.
Scope
References are Markdown files under references/:
references/_index.md — GitLab CI/CD overview and getting started.references/yaml/ — .gitlab-ci.yml keyword reference, rules, workflow, include, needs, parallel, matrix, inputs, expressions.references/pipelines/, references/jobs/ — pipeline types, DAGs, scheduled/triggered pipelines, job control, job logs, job artifacts.references/runners/ — GitLab Runner usage from GitLab docs, runner creation/registration, hosted runners, runner scopes.references/variables/, references/secrets/ — CI/CD variables, masked/protected variables, external secrets, ID tokens.references/components/, references/inputs/, references/templates/ — reusable CI/CD components, pipeline inputs, templates.references/docker/, references/services/, references/cloud_deployment/, references/environments/ — containerized jobs, service containers, deployments and environments.references/testing/, references/caching/, references/pipeline_security/, references/debugging.md — test reports, cache, security and troubleshooting.
Hard Rules
- MUST search
references/ before answering specific GitLab CI/CD behavior or YAML syntax questions.
- MUST check exact keyword docs before giving
.gitlab-ci.yml syntax, defaults, merge behavior, or version constraints.
- MUST distinguish project/group/instance variables, protected/masked/hidden variables, and file variables when docs require it.
- MUST distinguish GitLab Runner configuration from GitLab CI YAML. If the answer depends on runner internals not covered here, say so.
- NEVER invent predefined variables, YAML keywords,
rules behavior, or pipeline source names without checking references.
Fast Lookup
rg -n "^#|rules:|workflow:|include:|needs:|parallel:|matrix|inputs|extends|default:|spec:" skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references/yaml skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references/inputs
rg -n "predefined variable|CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE|CI_COMMIT|masked|protected|hidden|file variable|dotenv" skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references/variables skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references
rg -n "runner|executor|register|tag|hosted runner|instance runner|group runner|project runner" skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references/runners skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references
rg -n "artifact|cache|dependency|needs|DAG|child pipeline|multi-project|schedule|trigger" skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references
rg -n "Docker|service|image:|services:|Kubernetes|environment|deployment|review app" skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references/docker skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references/services skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references/environments
rg -n "Tier:|Offering:|Status:|Introduced|Deprecated|Removed" skills/gitlab-ci-docs/references
Workflow
- Identify whether the question is YAML syntax, pipeline behavior, runner usage, variables/secrets, artifacts/cache, deployments, testing, or troubleshooting.
- Search the narrow subtree first, then broader CI docs for history/tier/offering constraints.
- Quote exact keyword names, variable names, and examples from the docs.
- If the question requires REST/GraphQL operations or self-managed admin settings, switch to
gitlab-api-docs or gitlab-admin-docs.
