search_repositoriesLABSCO SUMMARY
A fixed GitLab server with the whole change flow in it.
It carries the ordinary GitLab operations — read, commit, branch, issue, merge request — and repairs the schema validation bug that made repository search fail in the standard implementation.
What it is
A GitLab client covering search, file reads and the write path through to merge requests. It is a corrected implementation: the schema validation that broke search_repositories in the standard GitLab server is fixed here.
What you get
- GitLab projects searched by name
- File or directory contents read out of a repository
- A single file created or updated, or several files pushed in one commit
- New projects created and existing ones forked
- Branches created
- Issues and merge requests opened
Requirements
Node.js v14 or higher and a GitLab personal access token scoped to what you need — api for full access, or read_api, read_repository and write_repository for narrower ones. The token and the GitLab API base URL both go in your client config, so self-hosted instances work.
Setup effort
Build from source — git clone https://github.com/chris-miaskowski/custom-gitlab-mcp-server
USE CASES
01
Making a change and opening it for review
Branch, push the files in one commit, then raise the merge request — three tools, one exchange.
02
Reading code you do not have checked out
Fetch a file or a directory listing straight from the project rather than cloning it first.
03
Filing what you just found
Open the issue while the detail is still in the conversation, instead of after a context switch.
04
Starting from someone else's project
Fork it, branch, and commit into your own copy.
05
Setting up a new repository
Create the project and put the first files into it in the same pass.
9 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
get_file_contentscreate_or_update_filepush_filescreate_repositorycreate_issuecreate_merge_requestfork_repositorycreate_branchBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
9 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- Node.js v14 or higher
- A GitLab personal access token
- GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN in your environment
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
You clone this one yourself.
Server setup
TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/chris-miaskowski/custom-gitlab-mcp-server
cd custom-gitlab-mcp-server
npm installMCP Clients
Claude Desktop
CLAUDE DESKTOP · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/src/gitlab": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_CUSTOM_GITLAB_MCP_SERVER>/index.js"
],
"env": {
"GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN>",
"GITLAB_API_URL": "https://<YOUR_GITLAB_INSTANCE>/api/v4"
}
}
}
}<YOUR_PATH_TO_CUSTOM_GITLAB_MCP_SERVER> is the full path of the folder the clone created (index.js sits at its top level), and <YOUR_GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN> is a GitLab personal access token (api, or read_api plus read_repository and write_repository), and <YOUR_GITLAB_INSTANCE> is your GitLab host, e.g. gitlab.com.
