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GitLab CLI

Quick Setup (First Time Only)​

Install GitLab CLI​

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install glab

# macOS
brew install glab

# Windows
choco install glab
# Or download: https://github.com/profclems/glab/releases

Authenticate​

glab auth login                             # Interactive login (HTTPS or SSH)
glab auth status                            # Check current authentication
glab auth logout                            # Sign out

GitLab CLI Commands Cheatsheet​

Repository Basics​

glab repo list                              # List your repositories
glab repo view                              # View current repo info
glab repo clone <namespace/project>         # Clone a repo
glab repo create <name> --public            # Create new repo
glab repo delete <namespace/project>        # Delete repository

Browse & Open​

glab browse                                 # Open current repo in browser
glab browse src/app/main.py -b develop     # Open file on specific branch
glab repo view <namespace/project> --web    # Open specific repo

Issues Management​

glab issue list                             # List open issues
glab issue list --assignee @me              # Issues assigned to you
glab issue create --title "Bug" --body "..."# Create new issue
glab issue view <number>                    # View issue details
glab issue view <number> --web              # Open issue in browser
glab issue comment <number> -m "Fixed!"     # Comment on issue
glab issue close <number>                   # Close an issue
glab issue reopen <number>                  # Reopen issue
glab issue edit <number> --title "New"      # Edit issue
glab issue weight <number> 5                # Set issue weight

Merge Requests (Engineering Flow)​

glab mr list                                # List open MRs
glab mr list --assignee @me                 # MRs assigned to you
glab mr create --fill                       # Create MR from current branch
glab mr create --title "..." --description ""# Create MR with details
glab mr view <number>                       # View MR details
glab mr view <number> --web                 # Open MR in browser
glab mr checkout <number>                   # Checkout MR branch locally
glab mr diff <number>                       # View MR changes
glab mr approve <number>                    # Approve MR
glab mr merge <number>                      # Merge MR
glab mr merge <number> --squash              # Squash & merge
glab mr merge <number> --delete-source-branch # Merge & delete branch
glab mr status                              # Check MR status for your MRs

CI/CD Pipelines​

glab pipeline list                          # List recent pipeline runs
glab pipeline view <pipeline-id>            # View pipeline details
glab pipeline status                        # Check pipeline status
glab pipeline play <pipeline-id>            # Manually trigger pipeline
glab pipeline cancel <pipeline-id>          # Cancel running pipeline
glab pipeline retry <pipeline-id>           # Retry failed pipeline
glab pipeline trace <pipeline-id> <job>     # View job logs

Variables & Secrets​

glab variable list                          # List repository variables
glab variable set <NAME> <value>            # Set environment variable
glab variable delete <NAME>                 # Delete variable

Labels & Milestones​

glab label list                             # List project labels
glab label create <name> --color "FF0000"   # Create label
glab label delete <name>                    # Delete label
glab milestone list                         # List milestones
glab milestone create <title> --due-date "" # Create milestone

Releases & Tags​

glab release list                           # List releases
glab release create v1.0.0 --notes "..."    # Create release
glab tag list                               # List tags
glab tag create <name> --ref main           # Create tag

Aliases & Configuration​

glab alias list                             # List custom aliases
glab alias set <name> "<command>"           # Create alias
glab alias delete <name>                    # Remove alias
glab config set --scope local editor code   # Set editor for project

Search & Discovery​

glab issue search "keyword"                 # Search issues
glab mr search "keyword"                    # Search merge requests
glab project search <name>                  # Search projects

Production GitLab Workflows​

🔀 Engineering Flow: Create MR from Feature Branch​

Scenario: You've pushed feature branch. Create MR with template and auto-link to issue.

glab mr create --fill                       # Auto-fill from branch name + template
# Opens editor for title/description if template exists
# Automatically sets reviewers from CODEOWNERS
# Links to issue if branch name contains issue number (e.g., feature/123-auth)

Why: --fill uses .gitlab/merge_request_templates/ if available. One command, full context.

✅ Engineering Flow: Review & Merge MR​

Scenario: Review MR, approve, merge with squash, and clean up branch.

glab mr view 45 --web                       # Check MR in browser
glab mr approve 45                          # Approve MR
glab mr merge 45 --squash --delete-source-branch  # Squash merge & cleanup

Bonus: GitLab auto-closes linked issues when MR is merged.

🔄 DevOps: Monitor & Retry Pipelines​

Scenario: Check CI/CD pipeline status, view logs, retry if failed.

glab pipeline list --limit 5                # Get last 5 pipelines
glab pipeline view <pipeline-id>            # See pipeline status & jobs
glab pipeline trace <pipeline-id> deploy    # View deploy job logs in real-time
glab pipeline retry <pipeline-id>           # Retry failed pipeline

Use case: Monitor deployments from terminal without opening browser.

🔐 Security: Manage Repository Variables (Secrets)​

Scenario: Set API keys and environment variables for CI/CD jobs.

glab variable set STRIPE_API_KEY "sk_live_xxx"
glab variable set DATABASE_URL "postgres://..."
glab variable set SLACK_WEBHOOK "https://..."
glab variable list                          # Verify (values hidden)

Why: Centralized secret management. Variables auto-injected into pipeline jobs.

🚀 Automation: Auto-Comment on MR (CI/CD Integration)​

Scenario: Deployment pipeline auto-comments with deployment URL and status.

glab mr comment $MR_IID -m "✅ Deployed to staging
- URL: https://staging.example.com
- Build: $CI_PIPELINE_ID
- By: $CI_COMMIT_AUTHOR"

Use case: In CI/CD pipeline (.gitlab-ci.yml) for deployment feedback.

GitLab CI/CD Integration​

Run Pipeline Locally (Optional)​

# Install gitlab-runner (optional, for local testing)
gitlab-runner exec docker build_job

Trigger Pipeline from CLI​

glab pipeline play <pipeline-id>            # Manually trigger/retry

GitLab Best Practices​

🎯 Automation-Friendly​

  • Use JSON output (--with-pagination) for scripting
  • Batch operations with loops for bulk issue/MR updates
  • Integrate into CI/CD workflows (.gitlab-ci.yml)

⚡ Performance​

  • Use --limit 1 when you only need recent items
  • Cache credentials with glab auth login for offline access
  • Leverage built-in CI/CD instead of external tools

🔐 Security​

  • Never hardcode tokens — use glab auth login for interactive auth
  • Use CI/CD masked variables for secrets (variables → protected)
  • Review glab auth status regularly

🏗️ Workflows​

  • Create aliases for frequently used commands
  • Use branch naming conventions for auto-linking (e.g., feature/123-name)
  • Leverage auto-close (MR merges → auto-closes linked issues)
  • Use protected branches to enforce MR review requirements

Key Differences: GitLab vs GitHub CLI​

FeatureGitHub (gh)GitLab (glab)
MR/PR Commandgh prglab mr
Variablesgh secret setglab variable set
Pipelinesgh runglab pipeline
CI/CD NativeGitHub ActionsGitLab CI/CD (built-in)
Issue LinkingManualAuto-link via branch name
Merge BehaviorRebase, squash, mergeSame + auto-close issues

Resources​