Manual setup required. The maintainer's config contains paths only you know - edit the placeholders below before adding it to Claude Code.
1
Prepare the server locally
Run this once before adding it to Claude Code.
npm install2
Register it in Claude Code
claude mcp add -e "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}" -e "GITLAB_API_URL=${GITLAB_API_URL}" custom-gitlab -- node /path/to/custom-gitlab-server/index.jsReplace any placeholder paths in the command with the real path on your machine.
Required:
GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKENGITLAB_API_URL3
Make your agent remember this setup
custom-gitlab's config, env vars, and the gotchas you hit — recalled in every future Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex session.
npx conare@latestFree · one command · indexes the sessions already on disk. Set up in the browser instead →
What it does
- Search GitLab repositories
- Fetch and manage file contents
- Create and update files with multi-file commit support
- Manage GitLab issues and merge requests
- Repository lifecycle management including forking and branching
Tools 9
search_repositoriesSearch for GitLab projectsget_file_contentsGet contents of a file or directorycreate_or_update_fileCreate or update a single filepush_filesPush multiple files in a single commitcreate_repositoryCreate a new GitLab projectcreate_issueCreate a new issuecreate_merge_requestCreate a new merge requestfork_repositoryFork a projectcreate_branchCreate a new branchEnvironment Variables
GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKENrequiredPersonal Access Token with API scopesGITLAB_API_URLrequiredThe base URL for your GitLab instance APITry it
→Search for all repositories in my GitLab account related to the project 'frontend-refactor'.
→Create a new issue in the 'my-app' repository titled 'Fix login bug' with a description of the issue.
→Read the contents of the README.md file in the main branch of the 'docs-repo' project.
→Create a new branch named 'feature/new-ui' in the 'web-app' repository.
→Push the updated index.html and styles.css files to the repository in a single commit.
Original README from Din-djarin2/custom-gitlab
Custom GitLab MCP Server
A custom implementation of the GitLab MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for integration with Claude and other MCP-compliant AI assistants.
Overview
This MCP server provides seamless integration with GitLab repositories, allowing AI assistants to:
- Search GitLab repositories
- Fetch file contents
- Create or update files
- Push multiple files in a single commit
- Create issues and merge requests
- Fork repositories
- Create branches
Fixed Implementation
This custom implementation fixes issues with schema validation that were present in the standard GitLab MCP server implementation, specifically for the search_repositories tool.
Installation
- Clone this repository
- Install dependencies:
npm install - Configure in your Claude settings file or Claude Desktop config file:
{ "mcpServers": { "github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/src/gitlab": { "command": "node", "args": [ "/path/to/custom-gitlab-server/index.js" ], "env": { "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-gitlab-token", "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://your-gitlab-instance/api/v4" } } } }
Prerequisites
- Node.js (v14 or higher)
- GitLab Personal Access Token with appropriate scopes:
apifor full API accessread_apifor read-only accessread_repositoryandwrite_repositoryfor repository operations
Available Tools
| Tool Name | Description |
|---|---|
search_repositories |
Search for GitLab projects |
get_file_contents |
Get contents of a file or directory |
create_or_update_file |
Create or update a single file |
push_files |
Push multiple files in a single commit |
create_repository |
Create a new GitLab project |
create_issue |
Create a new issue |
create_merge_request |
Create a new merge request |
fork_repository |
Fork a project |
create_branch |
Create a new branch |
License
MIT