GitLab Issue Creator (MCP Server)

An MCP server that creates GitLab issues, compatible with self-hosted instances (default: https://gitlab.com).

Tools

• create_gitlab_issue
  • Required: title (and projectId unless GITLAB_PROJECT_ID is set)
  • Optional: description, labels, assigneeIds, milestoneId, dueDate, confidential
  • Optional overrides: gitlabUrl (token must come from env)

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
GITLAB_TOKEN	Yes	—	GitLab Personal Access Token (PAT) or Project Access Token with permission to create issues.
GITLAB_URL	No	https://gitlab.com	Base URL of your GitLab instance (e.g. https://gitlab.company.com).
GITLAB_PROJECT_ID	No	—	Numeric project ID or path (e.g. group/project). When set, all issues are created in this project and the projectId tool parameter becomes optional. If a caller passes a different projectId, the server will reject the request.

Tip: When GITLAB_PROJECT_ID is set, the tool only requires a title to create an issue — no need to specify the project each time.

See .env.example for a template.

Install (from npm)

Prerequisites:

• Node.js >= 18

Install into an existing project:

npm install gitlab-issue-creator-mcp -D

VS Code MCP setup (npm install)

VS Code MCP servers are typically configured in .vscode/mcp.json. If you installed this package into a project, point VS Code at the installed dist/index.js and use envFile to load secrets from a local .env file:

{
  "servers": {
    "gitlab-issue-creator-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["./node_modules/gitlab-issue-creator-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env"
    }
  }
}

Notes:

• Some clients require an absolute path for args[0]. In that case, replace the relative ./node_modules/... path with an absolute path on your machine.
• GITLAB_TOKEN is required; GITLAB_URL defaults to https://gitlab.com. Set GITLAB_PROJECT_ID to lock all issues to a single project.
• Keep .env out of source control (this repo’s .gitignore already ignores it). Start from the template: cp .env.example .env.

Develop (from source)

Recommended flow for teammates:

1. Clone this repo
2. Install + build: npm install && npm run build
3. Open the repo folder in VS Code
4. Start the MCP server (Chat tool picker or MCP: List Servers)

Develop / Build

• Install: npm install
• Build: npm run build
• Run: GITLAB_TOKEN=... npm start

If you want to run the server from a local clone (instead of installing from npm), build it and point your MCP client at dist/index.js.

Notes

• Prefer a Project Access Token or a PAT scoped as narrowly as possible.
• This server prints no secrets, but your MCP client should keep tokens out of logs.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.