GitLab MCP connector
Connect GitLab to Elaichi and Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client can read your projects, branches and merge requests, draft commits and reviews, and leave comments, with each person signed in as themselves and every call logged.
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How it connects. Connects over OAuth. The credential goes into a vault nobody reads back.
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One address. https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp, the same for every user.
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Their own access. An agent never gets more than the person it acts for.
47 tools
How to connect
How to connect GitLab to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor
Two steps, about a minute.
In Elaichi
Connect GitLab once
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Open Connections, choose Add connection, and pick GitLab.
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Optionally set Share with to give a team access, then press Connect.
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Approve it in GitLab. GitLab's own window opens. Whoever approves it decides what this connection can reach.
The credential is vaulted. Nobody reads it back, not even the AI.
Add connection
Choose a connector.
In your AI client
Point it at one endpoint
Everyone in the organization uses the same address, and each person only ever reaches what their own account allows.
GitLab MCP connector for Claude
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1
Open Customize, then Connectors.
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2
Press Add.
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3
Name it, paste the MCP server URL, then Continue.
https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp -
4
Sign in and approve.
On Team and Enterprise, an Owner adds it once. Everyone else turns it on for themselves.
GitLab MCP connector for ChatGPT
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1
Open Plugins, then press the + button.
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2
Name it and paste the endpoint into Server URL.
https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp -
3
Leave Authentication on OAuth, then tick the risk acknowledgement.
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4
Press Create, then sign in and approve.
Works on the web today. The plugin directory lives at chatgpt.com/plugins.
GitLab MCP connector for Cursor
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1
Open
~/.cursor/mcp.json. -
2
Add the endpoint under
mcpServers.https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp -
3
Reload Cursor, then sign in and approve.
~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"elaichi": {
"url": "https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp"
}
}
}
Set up per machine, so repeat it on each computer you work from.
Connect GitLab to any MCP client
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1
Add the endpoint as a remote MCP server.
https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp -
2
Sign in and approve.
{
"mcpServers": {
"elaichi": {
"url": "https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp"
}
}
}
The Elaichi Agent already has these tools, with nothing to set up.
Use cases
What teams do with GitLab through Elaichi
Every one of these runs inside the access the person already has, and lands in the same audit log.
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Engineering
Get the gist of a merge request first
Ask for a summary of a GitLab merge request, the commits behind it and the discussion so far, before you open the diff yourself.
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Engineering
Start a fix without leaving the chat
Have the agent open a branch in the right GitLab project, commit the change you describe, and draft the merge request for you to check.
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Engineering management
Catch up on what is waiting for review
List the open merge requests across your GitLab projects, see who they are assigned to and how long they have been sitting.
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Release
Draft release notes from the commit history
Pull the commits that landed since the last GitLab release and turn them into notes a customer could read.
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Support
Find out whether a fix has merged
Ask whether the merge request for a customer's bug has been accepted in GitLab and which release it went out in.
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Security
Check who has access to a project
List the members of a GitLab project and their roles when an auditor asks, or when a contractor engagement ends.
Try asking
- “Summarize the open merge requests on the billing project.”
- “Which commits landed on main since the last release?”
- “Open a branch for the login fix and draft a merge request.”
Compare
Elaichi vs Zapier MCP vs Composio for GitLab
All three can connect GitLab to an AI assistant, and all three have admin controls. They differ in where access lives and how you pay.
| What to check | Elaichi | Zapier MCP | Composio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the AI connects |
One address for the whole organization.
https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp
|
A server per member, created at sign-in. | An MCP endpoint per team, or an SDK. |
| Control over GitLab tools | Allow or restrict single GitLab tools, per role or user. | App and action restrictions on the account. | Role permissions, down to the action. |
| Record of calls | One audit entry per GitLab call. | A History tab of tool calls. | A log of every tool call. |
| Single sign-on | SAML or OIDC, plus SCIM, on Gold. | SAML on Enterprise. | SAML and OIDC on Enterprise. |
| Price | $15 per user per month. | 2 tasks per successful call. | Billed per tool call. |
Sources: Zapier MCP docs, security, usage; Composio docs, gateway, enterprise, pricing. Checked September 2026.
Longer take: Zapier MCP alternative and when you don't need an MCP gateway.
AI tools
GitLab tools for your AI agents
47 tools are ready to call through Elaichi's MCP endpoint the moment you connect GitLab, governed by the same roles, restrictions, and audit log as everything else in Elaichi. GitLab builds and runs these tools.
No tools match your search.
See it in Elaichi
What connecting GitLab gets you
6 screens from the product, each doing one job for your GitLab account.
The agent
Ask about merge requests in plain language.
Get answers from live GitLab projects, branches and commits without opening a tab.
- projects
- merge requests
- commits
- branches
Ask Elaichi to work across your apps.
Summarize the open merge requests on the billing project.
Which commits landed on main since the last release?
Open a branch for the login fix and draft a merge request.
Also runs in Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor
MCP clients
One governed endpoint for every MCP client.
Use GitLab from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor through one org endpoint, no shared API key.
ElaichiMCP clientsClaude
ChatGPT
Cursor
Copy the endpoint
Tool catalog
47 GitLab tools, no custom code required.
Projects, branches, commits, merge requests, reviews and releases, cataloged and ready to call.
- Get mcp server version
- Get project
- Add commit
- Save merge request
ElaichiToolsToolboxes
Each team gets its own GitLab toolbox.
Scope release, review and platform work to the teams that actually do it.
- Engineering
- Code review
- Release
- Platform
ElaichiToolboxesShared connections
Teammates work through one GitLab connection.
Share a connection with a team and nobody else ever sees a token.
- Platform
- Backend
- Frontend
- Mobile
ElaichiConnectionsAudit log
Every GitLab call is logged, nothing is lost.
See who merged, committed or commented, when, and on which project.
- When
- Who
- What happened
- Type
ElaichiAudit logLaunching soon
From answering questions to doing the work
A person no longer has to ask. A trigger starts the work, inside the same permissions and the same audit log as everything else. Automations and live dashboards are launching soon, on the Black plan.
Automations
A schedule starts the work, a person approves.
Open merge requests are fetched, grouped, drafted into a digest, approved, then posted back to GitLab.
GitLab digest
Run 418 · started 2 minutes ago · on behalf of Emily Carter
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✓
Schedule
Every weekday at 8:00 AM
0.2s -
✓
Fetch projects
GitLab
1.4s -
✓
Group by owner
Transform
0.1s -
✓
Draft the digest
Agent step
Ran with 4 tools, returned a structured summary
6.2s -
Approve the digest
Needs approval
Assigned to Michael Brennan
Approve Deny -
Post the digest
GitLab
Queued
Collections and dashboards
GitLab health, computed on a schedule, no model.
Merge requests merged, commits over 14 days and a breakdown by team, refreshed automatically.
GitLab health
Refreshed 4 minutes ago · every 15 minutes · from the projects collection
Projects
1,284 ↓ 12%
Merge requests
96 ↓ 8%
Needs attention
3 ↑ 2
Updated this week
412 ↑ 9%
Projects created
Last 14 days
By team
Share of activity
Platform 34%
Backend 27%
Frontend 21%
Mobile 18%
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect GitLab to Claude?
Connect GitLab in Elaichi first, which opens GitLab's own sign-in page so you authorize it with your usual account. There is no OAuth application to register and no client ID or secret to generate. Then in Claude go to Customize, then Connectors, then Add, and paste https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp as the endpoint. GitLab is then available in Claude the next time you start a conversation.
Does GitLab work with ChatGPT and Cursor as well as Claude?
Yes. Once GitLab is connected in Elaichi, the same endpoint, https://api.elaichi.ai/mcp, works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, any other MCP client and the Elaichi Agent. You connect GitLab once and every client you use picks it up.
What can an AI agent actually do with my GitLab data?
An agent connected to GitLab through Elaichi can look up projects, branches, commits, releases and repository files, list and summarize merge requests, and tell you who is a member of a project. It can also open a branch, add a commit, create or update a merge request, leave a review or a comment, accept a merge request, fork a repository, and start a session with GitLab Duo. Short, concrete asks such as "list open merge requests on the billing project" work better than long paragraphs.
Does connecting GitLab give the AI access to every project?
No. The AI acts as the person who signed in to GitLab, so it can only see the projects, groups and repositories that person can already see. Elaichi can narrow that access further by restricting which actions a team may use, but it can never widen it beyond what GitLab itself allows that person.
Can I stop an agent from merging or changing things in GitLab?
Yes. Restrictions in Elaichi apply per action, so you can allow reading merge requests and commits in GitLab while blocking accepting a merge request, adding a commit or forking a repository. A restricted action is never advertised to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor at all, so no prompt, however it is worded, can reach it.
What happens to a GitLab connection when someone leaves?
Offboarding a person in Elaichi ends their access to GitLab through every AI client at once. If they had shared a GitLab connection with a team, that connection keeps working for everyone else. Disconnecting GitLab once in Elaichi removes it from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and every other client at the same time.
Does the GitLab MCP connector work with Gemini, Codex, Claude Code or other MCP clients?
Yes. GitLab is reached over the same MCP endpoint every client uses, so anything that speaks MCP can call it — Gemini, Codex, Claude Code, Windsurf, Cline, Zed and OpenCode among them — alongside Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and the Elaichi Agent. The tools on offer and the access behind them are identical whichever client asks. Only the setup screen differs.
Is Elaichi an alternative to Zapier MCP for GitLab?
Yes. Both let Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor use GitLab. Zapier MCP fits a team that already automates in Zapier, since each person signs in and acts as themselves in that account. Elaichi fits when IT wants one address for the whole company, per-tool rules by role, and a record of every GitLab call.
How is Elaichi different from Composio for GitLab?
Composio gives AI agents tools and sign-in handling across 1,000+ apps, for developers building agents or people using an assistant, billed per tool call. Elaichi gives a company's own people governed access to GitLab: one address, restrictions per role or user, and $15 per user per month. Both have role permissions and a log of every call.
Put GitLab in front of your team
14 days on Gold, no credit card. Connect it once and pick what each team can call.
- Works with
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and any other MCP client, or the Elaichi Agent.
- When the trial ends
- Nothing is deleted. Connections, roles and the audit log stay where they are, so subscribing picks up exactly where you left off.