odyssey4me/gitlab

Create and manage GitLab issues, merge requests, pipelines, and repositories using the glab CLI. Use when asked to open an MR, review a merge request, check CI/CD pipelines, list issues, or manage code review on GitLab.

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Common GitLab Workflows with glab CLI

Name: odyssey4me/gitlab
Rating: 0.94 (1 reviews)
Author: odyssey4me

This document provides practical examples of common GitLab workflows using the glab CLI.

Issue Management
Merge Request Workflow
CI/CD and Pipelines
Repository Management
Team Collaboration
Automation Examples

Issue Management

Daily Issue Triage

Review and label new issues:

#!/bin/bash
# List unlabeled issues
glab issue list --label "" --output json | jq -r '.[] | "\(.iid) \(.title)"'

# For each issue, view and add labels
glab issue list --label "" --per-page 10 | while read issue; do
  issue_num=$(echo $issue | awk '{print $1}' | tr -d '#')
  glab issue view $issue_num
  echo "Add label (bug/enhancement/question/documentation/skip):"
  read label
  if [ "$label" != "skip" ]; then
    glab issue update $issue_num --label $label
  fi
done

Close Stale Issues

Close issues inactive for over 90 days:

# List issues older than 90 days
glab issue list --state opened --output json | \
  jq -r --arg date "$(date -d '90 days ago' --iso-8601)" \
  '.[] | select(.updated_at < $date) | "\(.iid) \(.title)"'

# Close them with a comment
glab issue list --state opened --output json | \
  jq -r --arg date "$(date -d '90 days ago' --iso-8601)" \
  '.[] | select(.updated_at < $date) | .iid' | \
  while read num; do
    glab issue note $num --message "Closing due to inactivity. Please reopen if still relevant."
    glab issue close $num
  done

Create Issue from Template

# Create issue with details
glab issue create \
  --title "Login fails with OAuth" \
  --description "Steps to reproduce: ..." \
  --label bug \
  --assignee @me

Bulk Issue Operations

Add milestone to multiple issues:

# Find issues with label "v2.0"
glab issue list --label "v2.0" --output json | \
  jq -r '.[].iid' | \
  while read num; do
    glab issue update $num --milestone "2.0 Release"
  done

Merge Request Workflow

Create MR from Feature Branch

# Ensure you're on feature branch
git checkout -b feature/new-login

# Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat: implement new login flow"

# Push branch
git push -u origin feature/new-login

# Create MR with auto-filled title/body from commits
glab mr create --fill

# Or with custom details
glab mr create \
  --title "Implement new login flow" \
  --description "This MR implements OAuth 2.0 login.

## Changes
- Add OAuth provider
- Update login UI
- Add tests

Closes #123" \
  --label enhancement \
  --assignee @reviewer1

Review MRs Assigned to You

#!/bin/bash
# Daily MR review workflow

echo "=== MRs waiting for your review ==="
glab mr list --assignee=@me --output json | jq -r '.[] | "\(.iid) \(.title) (@\(.author.username))"'

# Review each MR
glab mr list --assignee=@me --output json | \
  jq -r '.[].iid' | \
  while read mr; do
    echo -e "\n=== Reviewing MR !$mr ==="

    # View MR details
    glab mr view $mr

    # View diff
    glab mr diff $mr

    # Checkout locally to test
    echo "Checkout and test locally? (y/n)"
    read checkout
    if [ "$checkout" = "y" ]; then
      glab mr checkout $mr
      # Run tests
      make test
      # Switch back
      git checkout -
    fi

    # Submit review
    echo "Action: (approve/comment/skip)"
    read action
    case $action in
      approve)
        glab mr approve $mr
        glab mr note $mr --message "LGTM! ✅"
        ;;
      comment)
        echo "Enter comment:"
        read comment
        glab mr note $mr --message "$comment"
        ;;
    esac
  done

Auto-merge When Checks Pass

# Merge MR when pipeline succeeds
glab mr merge 456 --when-pipeline-succeeds --remove-source-branch

Update MR Based on Review Comments

# View MR with comments
glab mr view 456

# Make changes
git add .
git commit -m "fix: address review comments"
git push

# Add comment to MR
glab mr note 456 --message "Updated per review feedback"

CI/CD and Pipelines

Monitor Pipeline Status

#!/bin/bash
# Watch latest CI run for current branch

# Get latest pipeline for current branch
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
PIPELINE_ID=$(glab ci list --branch $BRANCH --per-page 1 --output json | jq -r '.[0].id')

# Watch it in real-time
glab ci trace $PIPELINE_ID

Trigger Deployment

# Trigger pipeline with variables
glab ci run --branch main

# Monitor pipeline
glab ci status
glab ci trace

Retry Failed CI Jobs

# List recent failed pipelines
glab ci list --status failed --per-page 10

# Retry failed jobs
glab ci retry 123456

Download Build Artifacts

# Download artifacts from latest pipeline
glab ci artifact download

Cancel In-Progress Pipelines

# Cancel specific pipeline
glab ci cancel 123456

# Cancel all in-progress pipelines for a branch
glab ci list --branch feature/test --status running --output json | \
  jq -r '.[].id' | \
  while read pipeline; do
    glab ci cancel $pipeline
  done

Repository Management

Create New Repository

# Create new repository
glab repo create my-new-project \
  --description "My awesome project" \
  --public

# Clone it
glab repo clone my-username/my-new-project

Sync Fork with Upstream

# Fork a repository
glab repo fork original-owner/repo

# Add upstream if not already added
git remote add upstream https://gitlab.com/original-owner/repo.git

# Fetch upstream changes
git fetch upstream

# Merge upstream changes
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main
git push origin main

Archive Old Repositories

# Archive a repository
glab repo archive my-username/old-project

Team Collaboration

Assign Code Review to Team

# Create MR and assign reviewer
glab mr create --fill --assignee @teammate1

# Or add reviewers to existing MR
glab mr update 456 --assignee @teammate2

Track Team's MR Status

#!/bin/bash
# Team MR dashboard

echo "=== Team MRs Status ==="

# List MRs by team members
for member in alice bob carol; do
  echo -e "\n$member's MRs:"
  glab mr list --author $member --output json | \
    jq -r '.[] | "  !\(.iid): \(.title) | Pipeline: \(.pipeline.status)"'
done

Create Release

# Create a release
glab release create v2.1.0 \
  --name "Version 2.1.0" \
  --notes "## What's New
- Feature 1
- Feature 2

## Bug Fixes
- Fix 1
- Fix 2" \
  --ref main

# Or create release from tag
git tag -a v2.1.0 -m "Release v2.1.0"
git push origin v2.1.0
glab release create v2.1.0 --ref v2.1.0

Automation Examples

Daily Standup Report

#!/bin/bash
# Generate daily activity report

TODAY=$(date --iso-8601)
YESTERDAY=$(date -d '1 day ago' --iso-8601)

echo "=== Activity Report for $TODAY ==="

echo -e "\nIssues closed:"
glab issue list --state closed --updated-after $YESTERDAY --output json | \
  jq -r '.[] | "  #\(.iid): \(.title)"'

echo -e "\nMRs merged:"
glab mr list --state merged --updated-after $YESTERDAY --output json | \
  jq -r '.[] | "  !\(.iid): \(.title)"'

echo -e "\nNew issues:"
glab issue list --created-after $YESTERDAY --output json | \
  jq -r '.[] | "  #\(.iid): \(.title) (@\(.author.username))"'

echo -e "\nNew MRs:"
glab mr list --created-after $YESTERDAY --output json | \
  jq -r '.[] | "  !\(.iid): \(.title) (@\(.author.username))"'

Auto-label MRs Based on Files Changed

#!/bin/bash
# Auto-label MRs based on changed files

for mr in $(glab mr list --state opened --output json | jq -r '.[].iid'); do
  # Get changed files
  FILES=$(glab mr view $mr --output json | jq -r '.changes[].new_path')

  # Add labels based on file patterns
  if echo "$FILES" | grep -q "^docs/"; then
    glab mr update $mr --label documentation
  fi

  if echo "$FILES" | grep -q "test"; then
    glab mr update $mr --label tests
  fi

  if echo "$FILES" | grep -q "\.py$"; then
    glab mr update $mr --label python
  fi

  if echo "$FILES" | grep -q "\.js$\|\.ts$"; then
    glab mr update $mr --label javascript
  fi
done

Notify on Failed CI

#!/bin/bash
# Check for failed CI and notify

# Get failed pipelines from last hour
glab ci list --status failed --output json | \
  jq -r --arg time "$(date -d '1 hour ago' --iso-8601=seconds)" \
  '.[] | select(.created_at > $time) | "❌ \(.ref): \(.web_url)"' | \
  while read -r line; do
    # Send notification (example using curl to a webhook)
    curl -X POST https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL \
      -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
      -d "{\"text\": \"$line\"}"
  done

Bulk MR Cleanup

Close draft MRs older than 30 days:

# List old draft MRs
glab mr list --state opened --draft --output json | \
  jq -r --arg date "$(date -d '30 days ago' --iso-8601)" \
  '.[] | select(.created_at < $date) | "\(.iid) \(.title)"'

# Close them
glab mr list --state opened --draft --output json | \
  jq -r --arg date "$(date -d '30 days ago' --iso-8601)" \
  '.[] | select(.created_at < $date) | .iid' | \
  while read mr; do
    glab mr note $mr --message "Closing stale draft MR. Please reopen if still working on this."
    glab mr close $mr
  done

Advanced: Using GitLab API

For operations not covered by glab commands, use the API:

# Get project statistics
glab api projects/:id | jq '{
  stars: .star_count,
  forks: .forks_count,
  issues: .open_issues_count
}'

# List project members
glab api projects/:id/members --paginate | \
  jq -r '.[] | "\(.username)\t\(.access_level)"'

# Search code across group
glab api /projects/:id/search \
  -f scope=blobs \
  -f search='function authenticate' | \
  jq -r '.[] | "\(.filename):\(.startline)"'

Tips for Efficient Workflows

Use Aliases

Create shortcuts for common operations:

# Save frequently used commands as aliases
glab alias set mrs 'mr list --assignee=@me'
glab alias set issues 'issue list --assignee=@me'
glab alias set pipelines 'ci list'

# Use them
glab mrs
glab issues
glab pipelines

JSON Output for Scripting

Use --output json flag for programmatic processing:

# Get specific fields only
glab mr list --output json | jq '.[] | {iid, title, author}'

# Process with jq
glab issue list --output json | \
  jq '.[] | select(.labels[] | contains("bug"))'

# Export to CSV
glab mr list --output json | \
  jq -r '.[] | [.iid, .title, .author.username, .created_at] | @csv'

Environment Variables

Control glab behavior with environment variables:

# Enable debug logging
DEBUG=1 glab mr list

# Use specific token
GITLAB_TOKEN=glpat_custom_token glab repo list

# Use different host
GITLAB_HOST=gitlab.company.com glab mr list

Additional Resources

Install with Tessl CLI

npx tessl i odyssey4me/gitlab

references

scripts

odyssey4me/gitlab

common-workflows.mdreferences/

Common GitLab Workflows with glab CLI

Table of Contents

Issue Management

Daily Issue Triage

Close Stale Issues

Create Issue from Template

Bulk Issue Operations

Merge Request Workflow

Create MR from Feature Branch

Review MRs Assigned to You

Auto-merge When Checks Pass

Update MR Based on Review Comments

CI/CD and Pipelines

Monitor Pipeline Status

Trigger Deployment

Retry Failed CI Jobs

Download Build Artifacts

Cancel In-Progress Pipelines

Repository Management

Create New Repository

Sync Fork with Upstream

Archive Old Repositories

Team Collaboration

Assign Code Review to Team

Track Team's MR Status

Create Release

Automation Examples

Daily Standup Report

Auto-label MRs Based on Files Changed

Notify on Failed CI

Bulk MR Cleanup

Advanced: Using GitLab API

Tips for Efficient Workflows

Use Aliases

JSON Output for Scripting

Environment Variables

Additional Resources

odyssey4me/gitlab

common-workflows.md.css-3qkkll{font-size:var(--chakra-font-sizes-sm);font-weight:var(--chakra-font-weights-normal);color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-300);}references/

Common GitLab Workflows with glab CLI

Table of Contents

Issue Management

Daily Issue Triage

Close Stale Issues

Create Issue from Template

Bulk Issue Operations

Merge Request Workflow

Create MR from Feature Branch

Review MRs Assigned to You

Auto-merge When Checks Pass

Update MR Based on Review Comments

CI/CD and Pipelines

Monitor Pipeline Status

Trigger Deployment

Retry Failed CI Jobs

Download Build Artifacts

Cancel In-Progress Pipelines

Repository Management

Create New Repository

Sync Fork with Upstream

Archive Old Repositories

Team Collaboration

Assign Code Review to Team

Track Team's MR Status

Create Release

Automation Examples

Daily Standup Report

Auto-label MRs Based on Files Changed

Notify on Failed CI

Bulk MR Cleanup

Advanced: Using GitLab API

Tips for Efficient Workflows

Use Aliases

JSON Output for Scripting

Environment Variables

Additional Resources

common-workflows.mdreferences/