GitLab MCP Server is a GraphQL-powered integration that enables AI assistants to explore, search, and manage GitLab repositories, issues, and merge requests. Key features of GitLab MCP Server: - Global search across projects, issues, merge requests, users, and groups - Repository browsing including file structure navigation and content retrieval - Automatic GraphQL schema discovery for dynamic query capabilities - Support for both GitLab.com and self-hosted GitLab instances - Dual authentication modes with shared read-only access and per-user tokens for write operations - Issue and merge request management tools

GitLab MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for GitLab that leverages GraphQL with automatic schema discovery and supports self-hosted GitLab instances. Perfect for LLM-powered GitLab exploration and analysis.

⚡ Quick Start (Claude Desktop & Claude Code)

The fastest way to get started with GitLab MCP:

1. Get Your GitLab Token

2. Configure Claude Desktop or Claude Code

For Claude Desktop - Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "gitlab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_URL": "https://gitlab.com",
        "GITLAB_SHARED_ACCESS_TOKEN": "glpat-your-token-here",
        "GITLAB_AUTH_MODE": "hybrid"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code CLI - Add to .clauderc:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "gitlab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_URL": "https://gitlab.com",
        "GITLAB_SHARED_ACCESS_TOKEN": "glpat-your-token-here",
        "GITLAB_AUTH_MODE": "hybrid"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Claude

4. Test It

🔍 Test with MCP Inspector

# Test with MCP Inspector (interactive UI)
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx gitlab-mcp-server

Set environment variables when prompted or create mcp-inspector.example.json:

{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "gitlab-mcp-server"],
  "env": {
    "GITLAB_URL": "https://gitlab.com",
    "GITLAB_SHARED_ACCESS_TOKEN": "glpat-your-test-token"
  }
}

🚀 Recent Updates (2026-01-26)

Major modernization for universal MCP support:

These changes make GitLab MCP work seamlessly across all MCP clients while simplifying deployment.

✨ Key Features for LLMs

Features

Installation

📁 File Structure Note

Docker (Recommended for LibreChat)

The Dockerfile automatically clones and builds the GitLab MCP server from this repository, so you don't need to copy any source files - just the Dockerfile itself.

1. Copy Dockerfile to your LibreChat directory:

# Copy the Dockerfile for LibreChat integration
cp Dockerfile /path/to/librechat/Dockerfile.mcp-gitlab

Note: The Dockerfile uses git clone to fetch the source code, so it won't accidentally copy LibreChat files. You can specify which version to build using the GITLAB_MCP_VERSION build arg (defaults to main).

2. Add GitLab environment variables to your LibreChat .env file:

# GitLab MCP Configuration
GITLAB_URL=https://gitlab.com
GITLAB_AUTH_MODE=hybrid
GITLAB_SHARED_ACCESS_TOKEN=your-optional-shared-token
GITLAB_MAX_PAGE_SIZE=50
GITLAB_TIMEOUT=30000
GITLAB_MCP_PORT=8008
MCP_TRANSPORT=http

3. Add service to your LibreChat docker-compose.override.yml: ```yaml services: gitlab-mcp: build: context: . dockerfile: Docke