gitlab-group-exploration

name	gitlab-group-exploration
description	Explore GitLab groups, subgroups, and projects using glab CLI API commands. Use when: (1) Need to list all projects in a GitLab group/namespace, (2) WebFetch fails for private/internal GitLab instances like code.aws.dev, (3) Want to get project details (descriptions, URLs, activity) programmatically, (4) Need to check for subgroups within a group, (5) Working with enterprise GitLab instances that require authentication. Covers glab api usage with URL-encoded paths and custom hostnames.
author	Claude Code
version	1.0.0
date	2026-01-26T00:00:00.000Z

GitLab Group Exploration via glab CLI

Problem

When working with private/internal GitLab instances (like code.aws.dev), web fetching often fails due to authentication requirements. You need a way to programmatically explore groups, list projects, and get details.

Context / Trigger Conditions

• User asks to explore a GitLab group URL like https://code.aws.dev/group/subgroup/path
• WebFetch is blocked or returns authentication errors
• Need to list all projects in a GitLab namespace
• Want project metadata (descriptions, activity dates, URLs)
• Working with non-gitlab.com instances

Solution

1. List Projects in a Group

# URL-encode the group path (replace / with %2F)
glab api groups/GROUP%2FPATH%2FHERE/projects --hostname code.aws.dev

2. Get Detailed Project Info

glab api groups/proserve%2Fproduct-and-solutions%2Ftools/projects --hostname code.aws.dev | \
  jq -r '.[] | "## \(.name)\n- Path: \(.path_with_namespace)\n- URL: \(.web_url)\n- Description: \(.description // "None")\n- Last Activity: \(.last_activity_at)"'

3. Check for Subgroups

glab api groups/GROUP%2FPATH/subgroups --hostname code.aws.dev | jq '.'

4. Get Group Details

glab api groups/GROUP%2FPATH --hostname code.aws.dev | jq '{name, description, full_path, web_url, visibility}'

5. Get Group ID (for API operations)

glab api groups/GROUP%2FPATH --hostname code.aws.dev | jq -r '.id'

Key Points

• URL Encoding: Replace / with %2F in group paths
• Custom Hostname: Use --hostname for non-gitlab.com instances
• Authentication: glab uses tokens configured via glab auth login --hostname <host>
• jq Filtering: Pipe to jq for readable output

Common Fields Available

• name, path, path_with_namespace
• description, web_url
• visibility (public, internal, private)
• created_at, last_activity_at
• star_count, forks_count
• default_branch

Verification

Run glab api groups/YOUR%2FGROUP/projects --hostname your.gitlab.host and verify JSON output with project details.

Example

Exploring https://code.aws.dev/proserve/product-and-solutions/tools:

# List all projects
glab api groups/proserve%2Fproduct-and-solutions%2Ftools/projects \
  --hostname code.aws.dev | jq '.[].name'

# Output:
# "kiro-agents"
# "dev-insights"
# "doc-updater cli"
# "gitlab-ci-common"

Notes

• If glab isn't authenticated, run: glab auth login --hostname code.aws.dev
• For large groups, the API may paginate results (check for x-next-page header)
• Group IDs are needed for some operations like updating group settings

References

• glab CLI Documentation
• GitLab Groups API
• GitLab Projects API