GitLab MCP server

Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate
Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated
Status: Generally available

Introduced as an experiment in GitLab 18.3 with feature flags named mcp_server and oauth_dynamic_client_registration. Disabled by default.
Changed from experiment to beta in GitLab 18.6. Feature flags mcp_server and oauth_dynamic_client_registration removed.
Support for 2025-03-26 and 2025-06-18 MCP protocol specifications added in GitLab 18.7.
Support for the 2025-11-25 MCP protocol specification added in GitLab 18.7.
Changed to a separate setting and moved from GitLab Premium to GitLab Free in GitLab 19.2.
Toolset selection added in GitLab 19.5.
duo_agent_platform toolset included by default in GitLab 19.5.
Changed from beta to generally available in GitLab 19.5.
duo_agent_platform toolset listed only when GitLab Duo Agent Platform is available for the user in GitLab 19.5.
code_security tools listed only when the licensed feature behind each tool is available for the user in GitLab 19.5.
orbit toolset added in GitLab 19.6.

To provide feedback on this feature, leave a comment on issue 630189.

With the GitLab Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, you can securely connect AI tools and applications to your GitLab instance. AI assistants like Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible tools can then access your GitLab data and perform actions on your behalf.

The GitLab MCP server provides a standardized way for AI tools to:

Access GitLab project information.
Retrieve issue and merge request data.
Interact with GitLab APIs securely.
Perform GitLab-specific operations through AI assistants.

The GitLab MCP server supports OAuth 2.0 Dynamic Client Registration, which enables AI tools to register themselves with your GitLab instance. When an AI tool connects to your GitLab MCP server for the first time, it:

Registers itself as an OAuth application.
Requests authorization to access your GitLab data.
Receives an access token for secure API access.

For a click-through demo, see GitLab Duo Agent Platform - GitLab MCP server.

Prerequisites

Allow access to the MCP server:
- On GitLab.com, for the top-level group.
- On GitLab Self-Managed and GitLab Dedicated, for the instance.

Authentication

The GitLab MCP server accepts the following tokens:

An OAuth access token with the mcp scope. MCP clients get this token through the OAuth flow when they connect, either with dynamic client registration or with a pre-registered OAuth application.
A fine-grained personal access token with the MCP tool resource and the Execute permission.

These tokens cannot have the mcp scope, so the GitLab MCP server rejects them, even with scopes such as api:

Legacy personal access tokens
Project access tokens
Group access tokens

If you use one of these tokens, the GitLab MCP server returns 403 Forbidden. Support for these authentication methods is proposed in issue 586184.

Connect a client to the GitLab MCP server

The GitLab MCP server supports two transport types:

HTTP transport (recommended): Direct connection without additional dependencies.
stdio transport with mcp-remote: Connection through a proxy (requires Node.js).

Common AI tools support the JSON configuration format for the mcpServers key and provide different methods to configure the GitLab MCP server settings.

To limit which tools the server returns, see Select tool groups (toolsets).

HTTP transport (recommended)

To configure the GitLab MCP server by using HTTP transport, use this format:

Replace <gitlab.example.com> with: