search_projectsLABSCO SUMMARY
Four of the tools need a token; the rest do not.
That split is the useful thing to know up front: browsing, reading files and inspecting a project's build all work anonymously, and the README says that is enough for most code discovery. Code search, LHCb stack search, issue search and wikis are the ones that will fail without CERNGITLAB_TOKEN — and CERN GitLab is the side enforcing that, not the server.
What it is
A reader for gitlab.cern.ch aimed at high-energy-physics code discovery: it searches projects, reads files and READMEs, inspects build systems and dependencies for Python and C++, and knows about LHCb software stacks.
What you get
- Discovery without a token:
search_projects,get_project_info,list_branches,list_project_files,get_file_content,get_project_readme inspect_projectanalyses structure, build system, dependencies and CI configuration in one call- Releases and tags:
list_releases,get_release,list_tags test_connectivityconfirms the instance is reachable before you debug anything else- With a token:
search_codeacross a project or globally,search_lhcb_stackwhich resolves the right Git ref for a named stack,search_issues, andget_wiki_pages - Binary detection for .root files, so a search does not hand you an unreadable blob
Requirements
Python 3.10+ and the PyPI package cerngitlab-mcp, version 0.3.0, run with uvx and no install step. Public repositories work with no credentials. A personal access token with the read_api scope, set as CERNGITLAB_TOKEN, unlocks code search, issue search and wikis. For a shared deployment there is an HTTP mode using CERN SSO plus a GitLab OAuth application, where GitLab's own permissions decide what each user sees; sessions expire after 2 hours.
Setup effort
One command — uvx cerngitlab-mcp
USE CASES
01
Finding an example of an analysis technique
Search public projects for the technique, then read the file that implements it without cloning anything.
02
Understanding an unfamiliar physics codebase
Get the README and the file tree, then have the build system, dependencies and CI pipeline summarised.
03
Working inside a specific software stack
Search an LHCb stack by name and let the Git ref be resolved for you rather than guessing the branch.
04
Checking whether someone hit your bug already
Search the project's issues for the error before opening a new one.
15 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
get_project_infolist_brancheslist_project_filesget_file_contentget_project_readmesearch_codesearch_lhcb_stacksearch_issuesget_wiki_pagesinspect_projectlist_releasesget_releaselist_tagstest_connectivityBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
15 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
uvx on PATH
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
uvx cerngitlab-mcpMCP Clients
VS Code
VS CODE · JSON
{
"servers": {
"cerngitlab": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"cerngitlab-mcp"
]
}
}
}
