gitlab-mr-inline-comments

name	gitlab-mr-inline-comments
description	Use when GitLab MR comments have position null, appear as DiscussionNote instead of DiffNote, or inline code review comments show as general MR comments. Also use when glab api nested object parameters are ignored.

GitLab MR Inline Comments

Overview

GitLab's API requires nested JSON objects for positioned comments. The glab api CLI tool's -f "position[key]=value" syntax sends flat keys instead of nested objects, causing GitLab to silently create DiscussionNote (general comment) instead of DiffNote (inline comment).

Quick Reference

Symptom	Cause
type: DiscussionNote instead of DiffNote	Position data sent as flat keys
position: null in response	GitLab rejected position silently
Comment appears in MR thread, not on code line	Same as above
201 Created but wrong note type	API accepts request, ignores invalid position

The Fix

Use --input with JSON file and --header "Content-Type: application/json":

# Create JSON with properly nested position object
cat > /tmp/comment.json << 'EOF'
{
  "body": "Your comment text",
  "position": {
    "base_sha": "abc123...",
    "start_sha": "abc123...",
    "head_sha": "def456...",
    "position_type": "text",
    "old_path": "path/to/file",
    "new_path": "path/to/file",
    "new_line": 42
  }
}
EOF

# Post with proper content type
glab api "/projects/:id/merge_requests/:iid/discussions" \
  --method POST \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --input /tmp/comment.json

Position Field Rules

Line Type	Required Fields
Added line (+)	new_line only
Removed line (-)	old_line only
Context line (``)	Both old_line AND new_line

Getting SHA Values

# Get diff_refs from MR
glab api "/projects/:id/merge_requests/:iid" | jq '.diff_refs'
# Returns: base_sha, head_sha, start_sha

Why glab -f Fails

# This sends FLAT keys (WRONG):
glab api "..." -f "position[base_sha]=abc"
# Results in: {"position[base_sha]": "abc"}

# API expects NESTED object:
# {"position": {"base_sha": "abc"}}

Verification

Success response has:

• type: "DiffNote" (not DiscussionNote or null)
• position object with your SHA values (not null)