GitLab Merge Request Review MCP

Name: GitLab Merge Request Review MCP
Author: Alosies

LABSCO SUMMARY

It carries the review all the way through — inline comment, reply, resolve, approve — instead of stopping at 'add a comment'.

Pipelines and job traces sit in the same server, so a red CI run can be read and re-run without leaving the conversation. Two practical notes: project listings return minimal fields by default and need simple=false when you want everything, and the token variable is NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN, which npm also consumes — keep it scoped to this server's env block.

What it is

A typed MCP server over the GitLab API, authenticated with a personal access token, covering the review workflow rather than only listing and commenting.

What you get

Projects: list with minimal fields by default to keep responses small (simple=false for the full record), get one, list the project's labels, and upload a file that comes back as markdown you can paste into a comment
Issues: list, get one, create
Merge requests: list with filters, get by IID or by source branch, create, update, mark draft or ready, change labels on their own, and read the project's MR description templates
The whole review loop: top-level notes, threaded discussions including inline comments on the diff, replies, resolve and unresolve, editing and deleting notes, and attachments embedded in any of them
Approvals: who has approved, how many are still needed and which rules apply, plus approving and withdrawing your own
Diffs from several angles: a merge request's changes, the same paginated, a single commit's diff, and the diff between two branches or commits
Repository basics: branches, commits with filters, and one commit in detail
Pipelines end to end: list, get, create, retry, cancel, delete, read variables, list jobs, and pull a job's log — with a trace tool offering partial logs, tail mode and line limits

Requirements

A GitLab personal access token carrying the api, read_user and read_repository scopes. The server reads it from NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN — a name npm also reads, so set it inside the server's own env block rather than exporting it in your shell. GITLAB_BASE_URL points at a self-hosted instance. Run it over stdio with npx -y @alosies/gitlab-mcp-server. An optional config file — gitlab-mcp.json in the working directory, ~/.gitlab-mcp.json, or a path given via --config or GITLAB_MCP_CONFIG — sets a default project, page size and timeout, and environment variables always override it.

Setup effort

One command plus a key — npx -y @alosies/gitlab-mcp-server, then supply credentials

See installation options

USE CASES

01

Reviewing a merge request properly

Read the diff, leave an inline discussion on the lines that matter, then resolve it once it is addressed.

get_merge_request_diffscreate_mr_discussionresolve_mr_discussion

02

Finding out why the pipeline went red

Find the pipeline, list its jobs, then tail the failing job's log rather than downloading all of it.

list_pipelineslist_pipeline_jobsget_job_trace

03

Opening a merge request from the branch you are on

Create it against the target branch, and mark it draft until it is worth reviewing.

create_merge_requestmark_mr_as_draft

04

Getting a stalled merge request over the line

Check who still needs to approve, add your approval, then mark it ready.

get_mr_approvalsapprove_mrmark_mr_as_ready

05

Comparing two branches before you merge them

Read the diff between the refs directly, without opening a merge request first.

get_branch_diffs

06

Filing an issue with labels that actually exist

List the project's labels first, then create the issue using them.

list_project_labelscreate_issue

50 tools

Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.

`approve_mr`

Approve a merge request. The authenticated user must have permission to approve.

BEFORE YOU INSTALL

What to know first

Tools you get

50 tools when we connected. The tool reference omits nine tools, including approve_mr, update_mr_labels and upload_project_file. Writes need a token with the api scope.

Requires

npx on PATH
NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN set to a GitLab personal access token (api, read_user, read_repository scopes)

CONTEXT COST

Moderate Standing cost

Rated by the size of the 50 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are

INSTALLATION

Connect your client

Server setup

TERMINAL

npx -y @alosies/gitlab-mcp-server

MCP Clients

Claude Desktop — npx

CLAUDE DESKTOP — NPX · JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@alosies/gitlab-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN": "<YOUR_NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop — global install

CLAUDE DESKTOP — GLOBAL INSTALL · TERMINAL

npm install -g @alosies/gitlab-mcp-server

Then use this in Claude Desktop:

CLAUDE DESKTOP — GLOBAL INSTALL · JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "gitlab-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN": "<YOUR_NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop — local build

CLAUDE DESKTOP — LOCAL BUILD · TERMINAL

git clone https://github.com/Alosies/gitlab-mcp-server.git
cd gitlab-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

Then use this in Claude Desktop:

CLAUDE DESKTOP — LOCAL BUILD · JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "<YOUR_PATH_TO_GITLAB_MCP_SERVER>/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN": "<YOUR_NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

<YOUR_PATH_TO_GITLAB_MCP_SERVER> is the full path of your clone.

Claude Desktop — self-hosted GitLab

CLAUDE DESKTOP — SELF-HOSTED GITLAB · JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@alosies/gitlab-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN": "<YOUR_NPM_CONFIG_TOKEN>",
        "GITLAB_BASE_URL": "<YOUR_GITLAB_URL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

<YOUR_GITLAB_URL> is the address of your self-hosted GitLab, starting with https://.

It carries the review all the way through — inline comment, reply, resolve, approve — instead of stopping at 'add a comment'.

What it is

What you get

Requirements

Setup effort

Reviewing a merge request properly

Finding out why the pipeline went red

Opening a merge request from the branch you are on

Getting a stalled merge request over the line

Comparing two branches before you merge them

Filing an issue with labels that actually exist

50 tools

approve_mr

cancel_pipeline

create_issue

create_merge_request

create_mr_discussion

create_mr_discussion_note

create_mr_note

create_pipeline

delete_mr_discussion_note

delete_mr_note

delete_pipeline

get_branch_diffs

get_commit

get_commit_diff

get_issue

get_job_logs

get_job_trace

get_merge_request

get_merge_request_diffs

get_mr_approvals

get_mr_template

get_pipeline

get_pipeline_variables

get_project

get_project_commits

get_user

list_issues

list_merge_request_diffs

list_merge_requests

list_mr_discussions

list_mr_notes

list_mr_templates

list_pipeline_jobs

list_pipelines

list_project_branches

list_project_labels

list_project_uploads

list_projects

mark_mr_as_draft

mark_mr_as_ready

reply_to_mr_discussion

resolve_mr_discussion

retry_pipeline

unapprove_mr

unresolve_mr_discussion

update_merge_request

update_mr_discussion_note

update_mr_labels

update_mr_note

upload_project_file

What to know first

Tools you get

Requires

Moderate Standing cost

Connect your client

Server setup

MCP Clients

Claude Desktop — npx

Claude Desktop — global install

Claude Desktop — local build

Claude Desktop — self-hosted GitLab

Same category

GitLab MR MCP

GitLab MR & Confluence Linker

Gerrit Code Review

GitLab Group Milestones MCP Server

`approve_mr`

`cancel_pipeline`

`create_issue`

`create_merge_request`

`create_mr_discussion`

`create_mr_discussion_note`

`create_mr_note`

`create_pipeline`

`delete_mr_discussion_note`

`delete_mr_note`

`delete_pipeline`

`get_branch_diffs`

`get_commit`

`get_commit_diff`

`get_issue`

`get_job_logs`

`get_job_trace`

`get_merge_request`

`get_merge_request_diffs`

`get_mr_approvals`

`get_mr_template`

`get_pipeline`

`get_pipeline_variables`

`get_project`

`get_project_commits`

`get_user`

`list_issues`

`list_merge_request_diffs`

`list_merge_requests`

`list_mr_discussions`

`list_mr_notes`

`list_mr_templates`

`list_pipeline_jobs`

`list_pipelines`

`list_project_branches`

`list_project_labels`

`list_project_uploads`

`list_projects`

`mark_mr_as_draft`

`mark_mr_as_ready`

`reply_to_mr_discussion`

`resolve_mr_discussion`

`retry_pipeline`

`unapprove_mr`

`unresolve_mr_discussion`

`update_merge_request`

`update_mr_discussion_note`

`update_mr_labels`

`update_mr_note`

`upload_project_file`