Opencode glab

Expert guidance for using the GitLab CLI (glab) to manage GitLab issues, merge requests, CI/CD pipelines, repositories, and other GitLab operations from the command line. Use this skill when the user needs to interact with GitLab resources or perform GitLab workflows.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/jjmartres/opencode

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/jjmartres/opencode "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/opencode/skills/glab" ~/.claude/skills/jjmartres-opencode-glab && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: opencode/skills/glab/SKILL.md

source content

GitLab CLI (glab) Skill

Provides guidance for using

glab

, the official GitLab CLI, to perform GitLab operations from the terminal.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke when the user needs to:

Create, review, or manage merge requests
Work with GitLab issues
Monitor or trigger CI/CD pipelines
Clone or manage repositories
Perform any GitLab operation from the command line

Prerequisites

Verify glab installation before executing commands:

glab --version

If not installed, inform the user and provide platform-specific installation guidance.

Authentication Quick Start

Most glab operations require authentication:

# Interactive authentication
glab auth login

# Check authentication status
glab auth status

# For self-hosted GitLab
glab auth login --hostname gitlab.example.org

# Using environment variables
export GITLAB_TOKEN=your-token
export GITLAB_HOST=gitlab.example.org  # for self-hosted

Core Workflows

Creating a Merge Request

# 1. Ensure branch is pushed
git push -u origin feature-branch

# 2. Create MR
glab mr create --title "Add feature" --description "Implements X"

# With reviewers and labels
glab mr create --title "Fix bug" --reviewer=alice,bob --label="bug,urgent"

Reviewing Merge Requests

# 1. List MRs awaiting your review
glab mr list --reviewer=@me

# 2. Checkout MR locally to test
glab mr checkout <mr-number>

# 3. After testing, approve
glab mr approve <mr-number>

# 4. Add review comments
glab mr note <mr-number> -m "Please update tests"

Managing Issues

# Create issue with labels
glab issue create --title "Bug in login" --label=bug

# Link MR to issue
glab mr create --title "Fix login" --description "Closes #<issue-number>"

# List your assigned issues
glab issue list --assignee=@me

Monitoring CI/CD

# Watch pipeline in progress
glab pipeline ci view

# Check pipeline status
glab ci status

# View logs if failed
glab ci trace

# Retry failed pipeline
glab ci retry

# Lint CI config before pushing
glab ci lint

Common Patterns

Working Outside Repository Context

When not in a Git repository, specify the repository:

glab mr list -R owner/repo
glab issue list -R owner/repo

Self-Hosted GitLab

Set hostname for all commands:

export GITLAB_HOST=gitlab.example.org
# or per-command
glab repo clone gitlab.example.org/owner/repo

Automation and Scripting

Use JSON output for parsing:

glab mr list --output=json | jq '.[] | .title'

Using the API Command

The

glab api

command provides direct GitLab API access:

# Basic API call
glab api projects/:id/merge_requests

# IMPORTANT: Pagination uses query parameters in URL, NOT flags
# ❌ WRONG: glab api --per-page=100 projects/:id/jobs
# ✓ CORRECT: glab api "projects/:id/jobs?per_page=100"

# Auto-fetch all pages
glab api --paginate "projects/:id/pipelines/123/jobs?per_page=100"

# POST with data
glab api --method POST projects/:id/issues --field title="Bug" --field description="Details"

Best Practices

Verify authentication before executing commands:
```
glab auth status
```
Use
--help
to explore command options:
```
glab <command> --help
```
Link MRs to issues using "Closes #123" in MR description
Lint CI config before pushing:
```
glab ci lint
```
Check repository context when commands fail:
```
git remote -v
```

Common Commands Quick Reference

Merge Requests:

```
glab mr list --assignee=@me
```
- Your assigned MRs
```
glab mr list --reviewer=@me
```
- MRs for you to review
```
glab mr create
```
- Create new MR
```
glab mr checkout <number>
```
- Test MR locally
```
glab mr approve <number>
```
- Approve MR
```
glab mr merge <number>
```
- Merge approved MR

Issues:

```
glab issue list
```
- List all issues
```
glab issue create
```
- Create new issue
```
glab issue close <number>
```
- Close issue

CI/CD:

```
glab pipeline ci view
```
- Watch pipeline
```
glab ci status
```
- Check status
```
glab ci lint
```
- Validate .gitlab-ci.yml
```
glab ci retry
```
- Retry failed pipeline

Repository:

```
glab repo clone owner/repo
```
- Clone repository
```
glab repo view
```
- View repo details
```
glab repo fork
```
- Fork repository

Progressive Disclosure

For detailed command documentation, refer to:

references/commands-detailed.md - Comprehensive command reference with all flags and options
references/quick-reference.md - Condensed command cheat sheet
references/troubleshooting.md - Detailed error scenarios and solutions

Load these references when:

User needs specific flag or option details
Troubleshooting authentication or connection issues
Working with advanced features (API, schedules, variables, etc.)

Common Issues Quick Fixes

"command not found: glab" - Install glab or verify PATH

"401 Unauthorized" - Run

glab auth login

"404 Project Not Found" - Verify repository name and access permissions

"not a git repository" - Navigate to repo or use

-R owner/repo

flag

"source branch already has a merge request" - Use

glab mr list

to find existing MR

For detailed troubleshooting, load references/troubleshooting.md.

Notes

glab auto-detects repository context from Git remote
Most commands have
```
--web
```
flag to open in browser
Use
```
--output=json
```
for scripting and automation
Multiple GitLab accounts can be authenticated simultaneously
Commands respect Git configuration and current repository context