Fetch GitLab issues (cloud or self-hosted), track status labels, implement with your coding agent, and post results back.

Implement GitLab Issues with @devintern/code

@devintern/code can implement work directly from GitLab issues: fetch issue details and comments, run a feasibility check, move status labels, execute your AI agent, commit changes, and post results back on the issue. Both GitLab Cloud and self-hosted instances are supported.

Prerequisites

• Bun and @getdevintern/code installed globally
• GitLab personal access token with the api scope
• Git repository for your project

Setup

1. Set the task tracker

In .devintern-code/.env:

TASK_TRACKER=gitlab

2. Add GitLab credentials

# Cloud default — omit for gitlab.com; set for self-hosted:
GITLAB_BASE_URL=https://gitlab.example.com

GITLAB_TOKEN=glpat_xxxxxxxxxxxx
GITLAB_PROJECT=group/sub/repo

• GITLAB_BASE_URL — instance root URL. Omit for GitLab Cloud (https://gitlab.com is the default). Self-hosted instances keep their protocol, so internal http:// hosts work.
• GITLAB_TOKEN — personal access token from /-/user_settings/personal_access_tokens on the same instance, with the api scope.
• GITLAB_PROJECT — project path (group/repo, subgroups allowed: group/sub/repo) or a numeric project ID.

3. Configure status labels

Like GitHub Issues, GitLab has no built-in workflow states that map cleanly across teams, so @devintern/code maps statuses to labels. Create the labels in your project, then configure them in .devintern-code/settings.json using the project path as the key:

{
  "gitlab": {
    "projects": {
      "acme/team/webapp": {
        "inProgressStatus": "In Progress",
        "todoStatus": "To Do",
        "prStatus": "In Review"
      }
    }
  }
}

To keep statuses mutually exclusive, also list them in .devintern-code/.env:

GITLAB_STATUS_LABELS=To Do,In Progress,In Review

When a status changes, @devintern/code adds the target label and removes the other labels in this list. Transitioning to closed or done closes the issue instead of applying a label; moving back to an open status reopens it.

Running an issue

Pass an issue number, #number, a group/sub/repo#123 reference, or a full issue URL:

# Issue number
devintern 123 --create-pr

# Full issue URL (self-hosted URLs work too)
devintern https://gitlab.com/acme/team/webapp/-/issues/123 --create-pr

This workflow:

1. Fetches the issue body, labels, and comments
2. Runs a feasibility assessment (skippable with --skip-clarity-check)
3. Applies the inProgressStatus label (unless --skip-comments is set)
4. Creates a feature branch, runs your agent, commits, and optionally opens a PR
5. Applies the prStatus label after PR creation
6. Posts implementation or assessment comments on the issue

Batch processing with —query

Select multiple issues with familiar qualifiers — @devintern/code translates them to GitLab’s list issues filters. Queries are always scoped to GITLAB_PROJECT:

devintern --query "is:open label:bug" --create-pr
devintern --query 'is:open "login flow"' --create-pr
devintern --query "assignee:@me" --create-pr

Supported qualifiers: is:open / is:closed, label:name (repeatable), assignee:@me / assignee:username, updated:>=<date>. Anything else is free-text search.

The first 100 matching issues are processed in sequence.

Story points estimation

GitLab issues have no estimation field, so --estimate runs in comment-only mode: the analysis is posted (or updated) as an issue comment with the suggested points, reasoning, risks, and unclear areas.

Token scopes for Cloud vs. self-hosted

Self-hosted tokens only exist on their own instance — a gitlab.com token cannot authenticate against your on-premises GitLab and vice versa.

Limitations

• Attachments: files embedded in issue bodies (/uploads/... links) are downloaded for the agent using your token; other external links stay as references.
• Status labels: labels named in settings.json must already exist in the project. The error message lists available labels when one is missing.
• Comments: use --skip-comments to skip issue comments and label transitions for a run.
• Pull requests: PR creation targets GitHub/Bitbucket remotes today; GitLab merge-request automation is not part of this integration yet.

Troubleshooting

“Missing required GitLab credentials”

Ensure GITLAB_TOKEN and GITLAB_PROJECT are set in .devintern-code/.env.

“GitLab API error (401)”

Token rejected: check that it was created on the same instance as GITLAB_BASE_URL, has not expired, and carries the api scope.

“Label “In Progress” not found in the project”

Create the label in your project (Issues → Labels) or change the status names in settings.json to match existing labels.

Old status labels pile up on issues

Set GITLAB_STATUS_LABELS to the full list of status label names so transitions remove the previous status.