How do I install MCP Gitlab?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does MCP Gitlab need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does MCP Gitlab use?

MCP Gitlab runs locally over stdio.

When was MCP Gitlab last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-09. Secure MCP server for GitLab projects, merge requests, issues, and pipelines

MCP Gitlab MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own command. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Local command

uvx mcp-gitlab-crunchtools==0.4.1

Claude Code has no install link for a local command. Copy the command below and run it in a terminal.

shClaude Code

1claude mcp add io.github.crunchtools-gitlab -- uvx mcp-gitlab-crunchtools==0.4.1

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.crunchtools-gitlab": {4      "command": "uvx",5      "args": [6        "mcp-gitlab-crunchtools==0.4.1"7      ]8    }9  }10}

claude_desktop_config.json

Local · pypiPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Version: 0.4.1
Last checked

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

MCP GitLab CrunchTools

A secure MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for GitLab projects, merge requests, issues, pipelines, and search. Works with any GitLab instance (gitlab.com, self-hosted, or enterprise).

Overview

This MCP server is designed to be:

Secure by default - documented threat model (see SECURITY.md), Pydantic input validation, and the API token held as a SecretStr to prevent accidental logging
No third-party services - Runs locally via stdio, your API token never leaves your machine
Multi-instance - Works with gitlab.com, self-hosted GitLab, or enterprise instances via configurable URL
Cross-platform - Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows
Automatically updated - GitHub Actions monitor for CVEs and update dependencies
Containerized - Available at quay.io/crunchtools/mcp-gitlab built on Hummingbird Python base image

Naming Convention

Component	Name
GitHub repo	crunchtools/mcp-gitlab
Container	`quay.io/crunchtools/mcp-gitlab`
Python package (PyPI)	`mcp-gitlab-crunchtools`
CLI command	`mcp-gitlab-crunchtools`
Module import	`mcp_gitlab_crunchtools`

Why Hummingbird?

The container image is built on the Hummingbird Python base image from Project Hummingbird, which provides:

Minimal CVE exposure - Built with a minimal package set, dramatically reducing the attack surface
Regular updates - Security patches are applied promptly
Optimized for Python - Pre-configured Python environment with uv package manager
Production-ready - Proper signal handling and non-root user defaults

Features

Project Management (5 tools)

list_projects - List projects with filtering and search
get_project - Get project details by ID or path
list_project_branches - List repository branches
get_project_branch - Get a single branch
list_project_commits - List commits with date/path filtering

Group Management (3 tools)

list_groups - List groups with filtering
get_group - Get group details by ID or path
list_group_projects - List projects in a group (with subgroup support)

Merge Requests (7 tools)

list_merge_requests - List MRs by state, labels, milestone
get_merge_request - Get MR details
create_merge_request - Create a new MR
update_merge_request - Update MR title, description, state, assignees
list_mr_notes - List comments on an MR
create_mr_note - Add a comment to an MR
get_mr_changes - Get the diff for an MR

Issues (6 tools)

list_issues - List issues by state, labels, milestone, assignee
get_issue - Get issue details
create_issue - Create a new issue
update_issue - Update issue title, description, state, labels
list_issue_notes - List comments on an issue
create_issue_note - Add a comment to an issue

Pipelines (4 tools)

list_pipelines - List CI/CD pipelines with status filtering
get_pipeline - Get pipeline details
list_pipeline_jobs - List jobs in a pipeline
get_job_log - Get job log output

Search (2 tools)

search_global - Search across all accessible GitLab resources
search_project - Search within a specific project

Installation

With uvx (Recommended)

uvx mcp-gitlab-crunchtools

With pip

pip install mcp-gitlab-crunchtools

With Container

podman run -e GITLAB_TOKEN=your_token \
    quay.io/crunchtools/mcp-gitlab

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
`GITLAB_TOKEN`	Yes	—	Personal Access Token
`GITLAB_URL`	No	`https://gitlab.com`	GitLab instance URL
`SSL_CERT_FILE`	No	—	Custom CA bundle path, for self-hosted GitLab with an internal CA
`GITLAB_SSL_VERIFY`	No	`true`	Set `false` to disable TLS verification (not recommended)

Creating a GitLab Personal Access Token

Navigate to Access Tokens
- Go to https://gitlab.com/-/user_settings/personal_access_tokens
- Or: Avatar > Preferences > Access Tokens
Create a Custom Token
- Name: mcp-gitlab-crunchtools
- Expiration: Set an appropriate date (90 days recommended)
- Scopes: Select scopes based on your needs
Scope Selection

Scope Access Level Capabilities
read_api Read-only List/view projects, issues, MRs, pipelines
api Full access All features including create/update
Copy and Store Token
- Copy the token immediately (starts with glpat-)
- Store securely in a password manager

Scope	Access Level	Capabilities
`read_api`	Read-only	List/view projects, issues, MRs, pipelines
`api`	Full access	All features including create/update

Add to Claude Code

claude mcp add mcp-gitlab-crunchtools \
    --env GITLAB_TOKEN=your_token_here \
    -- uvx mcp-gitlab-crunchtools

For self-hosted GitLab:

claude mcp add mcp-gitlab-crunchtools \
    --env GITLAB_TOKEN=your_token_here \
    --env GITLAB_URL=https://gitlab.example.com \
    -- uvx mcp-gitlab-crunchtools

For the container version:

claude mcp add mcp-gitlab-crunchtools \
    --env GITLAB_TOKEN=your_token_here \
    -- podman run -i --rm -e GITLAB_TOKEN quay.io/crunchtools/mcp-gitlab

Usage Examples

List Your Projects

User: List my GitLab projects
Assistant: [calls list_projects with membership=true]

View Merge Requests

User: Show open merge requests for my-org/backend
Assistant: [calls list_merge_requests with project_id="my-org/backend"]

Create an Issue

User: Create an issue in my-org/backend titled "Fix login timeout"
Assistant: [calls create_issue with title="Fix login timeout"]

Check Pipeline Status

User: Show failed pipelines for my-org/api
Assistant: [calls list_pipelines with status="failed"]

Search Code

User: Search for "authentication" in my-org/backend
Assistant: [calls search_project with scope="blobs"]

Security

This server was designed with security as a primary concern. See SECURITY.md for:

Threat model and attack vectors
Defense in depth architecture
Token handling best practices
Input validation rules
Audit logging

Key Security Features

Token Protection
- Stored as SecretStr (never accidentally logged)
- Environment variable only (never in files or args)
- Sanitized from all error messages
Input Validation
- Pydantic models for all inputs
- Allowlist character validation for project/group IDs
- Path traversal prevention
API Hardening
- HTTPS enforcement (except localhost)
- TLS certificate validation
- Request timeouts (30s)
- Response size limits (10MB)
Automated CVE Scanning
- GitHub Actions scan dependencies weekly
- Container security scanning with Trivy
- CodeQL analysis for Python

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/crunchtools/mcp-gitlab.git
cd mcp-gitlab
uv sync

Run Tests

uv run pytest

Lint and Type Check

uv run ruff check src tests
uv run mypy src

Build Container

podman build -t mcp-gitlab .

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please read SECURITY.md before submitting security-related changes.

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install MCP Gitlab?

Does MCP Gitlab need an API key?

What transport does MCP Gitlab use?

When was MCP Gitlab last checked?

Documentation

MCP GitLab CrunchTools

Overview

Naming Convention

Why Hummingbird?

Features

Project Management (5 tools)

Group Management (3 tools)

Merge Requests (7 tools)

Issues (6 tools)

Pipelines (4 tools)

Search (2 tools)

Installation

With uvx (Recommended)

With pip

With Container

Configuration

Environment Variables

Creating a GitLab Personal Access Token

Add to Claude Code

Usage Examples

List Your Projects

View Merge Requests

Create an Issue

Check Pipeline Status

Search Code

Security

Key Security Features

Development

Setup

Run Tests

Lint and Type Check

Build Container

License

Contributing

Links