| 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:
- 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.
- Present the exact action to the user — project, MR
!iid/title, and the operation
(approve / auto-merge / immediate merge) — and get explicit confirmation.
- 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.
