Skills
▥NYC
skills/vm0-ai/vm0-skills/gitlab

gitlab

SKILL.md

GitLab API

Use the GitLab REST API via direct curl calls to manage projects, issues, merge requests, and pipelines.

Official docs: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

  • Manage projects - list, create, get project details
  • Handle issues - create, update, close, list issues
  • Work with merge requests - create, list, merge MRs
  • Check pipelines - list jobs, view pipeline status
  • Manage users - search users, get user info

Prerequisites

  1. Go to GitLab → User Settings → Access Tokens
  2. Create a personal access token with api scope
  3. Copy the generated token
export GITLAB_HOST="gitlab.com" # Or your self-hosted GitLab domain
export GITLAB_TOKEN="glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxx" # Personal access token with api scope

Rate Limits

GitLab.com has rate limits of ~2000 requests per minute for authenticated users. Self-hosted instances may vary.

Important: When using $VAR in a command that pipes to another command, wrap the command containing $VAR in bash -c '...'. Due to a Claude Code bug, environment variables are silently cleared when pipes are used directly.

bash -c 'curl -s "https://api.example.com" -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"' | jq .

How to Use

All examples below assume GITLAB_HOST and GITLAB_TOKEN are set.

Base URL: https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4

Note: Project IDs can be numeric (e.g., 123) or URL-encoded paths (e.g., mygroup%2Fmyproject).

1. Get Current User

Verify your authentication:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/user" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '{id, username, name, email, state}'

2. List Projects

Get projects accessible to you:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects?membership=true&per_page=20" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '.[] | {id, path_with_namespace, visibility, default_branch}'

Filter options:

  • membership=true - Only projects you're a member of
  • owned=true - Only projects you own
  • search=keyword - Search by name
  • visibility=public|internal|private - Filter by visibility

3. Get Project Details

Get details for a specific project. Replace <project-id> with the numeric project ID or URL-encoded path (e.g., mygroup%2Fmyproject):

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '{id, name, path_with_namespace, default_branch, visibility, web_url}

4. List Project Issues

Get issues for a project. Replace <project-id> with the numeric project ID or URL-encoded path:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues?state=opened&per_page=20" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '.[] | {iid, title, state, author: .author.username, labels, web_url}'

Filter options:

  • state=opened|closed|all - Filter by state
  • labels=bug,urgent - Filter by labels
  • assignee_id=123 - Filter by assignee
  • search=keyword - Search in title/description

5. Get Issue Details

Get a specific issue. Replace <project-id> and <issue-iid> with actual values:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues/<issue-iid>" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '{iid, title, description, state, author: .author.username, assignees: [.assignees[].username], labels, created_at, web_url}'

6. Create Issue

Create a new issue in a project. Replace <project-id> with the actual project ID:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "title": "Bug: Login page not loading",
  "description": "The login page shows a blank screen on mobile devices.",
  "labels": "bug,frontend"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{iid, title, web_url}'

7. Create Issue with Assignee and Milestone

Create issue with additional fields. Replace <project-id>, <assignee-id>, and <milestone-id> with actual IDs:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "title": "Implement user profile page",
  "description": "Create a user profile page with avatar and bio.",
  "assignee_ids": [<assignee-id>],
  "milestone_id": <milestone-id>,
  "labels": "feature,frontend"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{iid, title, web_url}'

8. Update Issue

Update an existing issue. Replace <project-id> and <issue-iid> with actual values:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "title": "Updated: Bug fix for login page",
  "labels": "bug,frontend,in-progress"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X PUT "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues/<issue-iid>" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{iid, title, labels, updated_at}'

9. Close Issue

Close an issue. Replace <project-id> and <issue-iid> with actual values:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "state_event": "close"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X PUT "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues/<issue-iid>" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{iid, title, state}'

Use "state_event": "reopen" to reopen a closed issue.

10. Add Comment to Issue

Add a note/comment to an issue. Replace <project-id> and <issue-iid> with actual values:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "body": "Investigating this issue. Will update soon."
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues/<issue-iid>/notes" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{id, body, author: .author.username, created_at}'

11. List Merge Requests

Get merge requests for a project. Replace <project-id> with the actual project ID:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/merge_requests?state=opened&per_page=20" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '.[] | {iid, title, state, source_branch, target_branch, author: .author.username, web_url}'

Filter options:

  • state=opened|closed|merged|all - Filter by state
  • scope=created_by_me|assigned_to_me|all - Filter by involvement
  • labels=review-needed - Filter by labels

12. Get Merge Request Details

Get a specific merge request. Replace <project-id> and <mr-iid> with actual values:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/merge_requests/<mr-iid>" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '{iid, title, state, source_branch, target_branch, author: .author.username, merge_status, has_conflicts, web_url}'

13. Create Merge Request

Create a new merge request. Replace <project-id> with the actual project ID:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "source_branch": "feature/user-profile",
  "target_branch": "main",
  "title": "Add user profile page",
  "description": "This MR adds a new user profile page with avatar support."
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/merge_requests" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{iid, title, web_url}'

14. Merge a Merge Request

Merge an MR (if it's ready). Replace <project-id> and <mr-iid> with actual values:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "merge_when_pipeline_succeeds": true
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X PUT "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/merge_requests/<mr-iid>/merge" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{iid, title, state, merged_by: .merged_by.username}'

Options:

  • merge_when_pipeline_succeeds=true - Auto-merge when pipeline passes
  • squash=true - Squash commits before merging
  • should_remove_source_branch=true - Delete source branch after merge

15. List Pipelines

Get pipelines for a project. Replace <project-id> with the actual project ID:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/pipelines?per_page=10" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '.[] | {id, status, ref, sha: .sha[0:8], created_at, web_url}'

16. Get Pipeline Details

Get details of a specific pipeline. Replace <project-id> and <pipeline-id> with actual values:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/pipelines/<pipeline-id>" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '{id, status, ref, duration, finished_at, web_url}'

17. List Pipeline Jobs

Get jobs in a pipeline. Replace <project-id> and <pipeline-id> with actual values:

bash -c 'curl -s "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/pipelines/<pipeline-id>/jobs" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}"' | jq '.[] | {id, name, stage, status, duration}'

18. Search Users

Search for users:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_search.txt:

john

bash -c 'curl -s -G "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/users" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --data-urlencode "search@/tmp/gitlab_search.txt"' | jq '.[] | {id, username, name, state}'

19. Create Project

Create a new project:

Write to /tmp/gitlab_request.json:

{
  "name": "my-new-project",
  "visibility": "private",
  "initialize_with_readme": true
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/gitlab_request.json' | jq '{id, path_with_namespace, web_url}'

20. Delete Issue

Delete an issue (requires admin or owner permissions). Replace <project-id> and <issue-iid> with actual values:

bash -c 'curl -s -X DELETE "https://${GITLAB_HOST}/api/v4/projects/<project-id>/issues/<issue-iid>" --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: ${GITLAB_TOKEN}" -w "\nHTTP Status: %{http_code}"'

Returns 204 No Content on success.

Project ID Encoding

When using project paths instead of numeric IDs, URL-encode the path:

  • mygroup/myproject → mygroup%2Fmyproject
  • mygroup/subgroup/myproject → mygroup%2Fsubgroup%2Fmyproject
# Using numeric ID
PROJECT_ID="123"

# Using encoded path
PROJECT_ID="mygroup%2Fmyproject"

Guidelines

  1. Use IID for issues/MRs: Within a project, use iid (internal ID like #1, #2) not the global id
  2. URL-encode project paths: If using paths instead of numeric IDs, encode slashes as %2F
  3. Handle pagination: Use per_page and page params for large result sets
  4. Check merge status: Before merging, verify merge_status is can_be_merged
  5. Rate limiting: Implement backoff if you receive 429 responses
  6. Self-hosted GitLab: Set GITLAB_HOST to your instance domain (without https://)
Weekly Installs
17
Repository
vm0-ai/vm0-skills
First Seen
Jan 24, 2026
Security Audits
Gen Agent Trust HubPass
SocketPass
SnykWarn
Installed on
antigravity10
claude-code10
gemini-cli9
opencode9
codex8
windsurf7