Templates and CI lint

The templates GitLab ships: CI/CD YAML, Dockerfiles, .gitignore files and licenses, each listed and read by name, and the project templates of a project or group. template.lint validates CI/CD configuration given as text, and template.lint_project validates a project’s committed .gitlab-ci.yml, both without running a pipeline. Every action only reads.

Sample questions

• “List the CI/CD templates”
• “Show the Go .gitignore template”
• “Validate this .gitlab-ci.yml against project 42”

How to call it

• Dynamic, the default surface: call gitlab_execute_action with action set to the action’s ID, such as template.ci_yml_get, and its parameters in params. gitlab_find_action finds an ID from a description of the task.
• Meta (GITLAB_MCP_TOOL_SURFACE=meta): call gitlab_template with action set to the action’s name, such as ci_yml_get, and its parameters in params.
• Individual (GITLAB_MCP_TOOL_SURFACE=individual): call the action’s own tool, such as gitlab_get_ci_yml_template, with its parameters as the arguments.

Availability

Every tier serves the whole group, on self-managed instances and on GitLab.com alike.

Read-only actions: 12 of 12, the ones a deployment in read-only mode keeps. A token with read_api and not api is served 11 of the 12.

Actions

The description of each action, and of each of its parameters, is the text the server serves for it on the default surface, quoted as served. The token lines say what GitLab 19.4.1 requires of a token for the requests each action sends; on an instance with Admin Mode turned on, an action only an administrator may run also needs admin_mode.

Action	Individual
template.ci_yml_get	gitlab_get_ci_yml_template
template.ci_yml_list	gitlab_list_ci_yml_templates
template.dockerfile_get	gitlab_get_dockerfile_template
template.dockerfile_list	gitlab_list_dockerfile_templates
template.gitignore_get	gitlab_get_gitignore_template
template.gitignore_list	gitlab_list_gitignore_templates
template.license_get	gitlab_get_license_template
template.license_list	gitlab_list_license_templates
template.lint	gitlab_ci_lint
template.lint_project	gitlab_ci_lint_project
template.project_template_get	gitlab_get_project_template
template.project_template_list	gitlab_list_project_templates

template.ci_yml_get

Get a single GitLab CI/CD pipeline YAML template by key. Returns: the template name and full YAML content to copy into a .gitlab-ci.yml file. See also: template.ci_yml_list, template.lint, repository.file_create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action ci_yml_get
• Individual tool: gitlab_get_ci_yml_template
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
key	string	yes	Template key (e.g. Go, Python)

template.ci_yml_list

List the GitLab-provided CI/CD pipeline YAML templates. Returns: available templates with key and name, plus pagination metadata. See also: template.ci_yml_get, template.lint, repository.file_create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action ci_yml_list
• Individual tool: gitlab_list_ci_yml_templates
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
order_by	string	no	Column to order results by for keyset pagination (e.g. id, name, created_at, updated_at)
page	integer	no	Page number to fetch, 1-based. Defaults to 1. Use the next_page field from the previous response to paginate forward.
page_token	string	no	Next page of a keyset listing: the next_page_token of the previous response of this action, passed back unchanged. It carries the position and every filter of the listing as GitLab read them, and those are what the next page is asked with, whatever filters are sent beside it. Leave it empty for the first page.
pagination	string	no	Pagination method: ‘keyset’ for keyset-based pagination on large ordered result sets, or ‘offset’ (the default). Keyset avoids deep-offset cost, and a keyset page names the next one in next_page_token rather than next_page.
per_page	integer	no	Items per page. Defaults to 20, minimum 1, maximum 100. Use 100 to minimize round trips when the result set is large.
sort	string (asc, desc)	no	Sort direction (asc, desc)

template.dockerfile_get

Get a single Dockerfile template by key. Returns: the template name and full Dockerfile content ready to commit as a project’s Dockerfile. See also: template.dockerfile_list, template.gitignore_get.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action dockerfile_get
• Individual tool: gitlab_get_dockerfile_template
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
key	string	yes	Template key

template.dockerfile_list

List available Dockerfile templates with pagination and sorting. Returns: matching templates with key and name plus pagination metadata. See also: template.dockerfile_get, template.gitignore_list.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action dockerfile_list
• Individual tool: gitlab_list_dockerfile_templates
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
order_by	string	no	Order results by a field supported by the templates endpoint (e.g. key, name)
page	integer	no	Page number to fetch, 1-based. Defaults to 1. Use the next_page field from the previous response to paginate forward.
page_token	string	no	Next page of a keyset listing: the next_page_token of the previous response of this action, passed back unchanged. It carries the position and every filter of the listing as GitLab read them, and those are what the next page is asked with, whatever filters are sent beside it. Leave it empty for the first page.
pagination	string	no	Pagination method: ‘keyset’ for keyset-based pagination on large ordered result sets, or ‘offset’ (the default). Keyset avoids deep-offset cost, and a keyset page names the next one in next_page_token rather than next_page.
per_page	integer	no	Items per page. Defaults to 20, minimum 1, maximum 100. Use 100 to minimize round trips when the result set is large.
sort	string (asc, desc)	no	Sort direction (asc, desc)

template.gitignore_get

Get one .gitignore template by key (e.g. Go, Python, Node). Returns: the template’s name and full file content ready to copy into .gitignore. See also: template.gitignore_list, repository.file_create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action gitignore_get
• Individual tool: gitlab_get_gitignore_template
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
key	string	yes	Template key (e.g. Go, Python, Node)

template.gitignore_list

List available .gitignore templates with order_by, sort, and offset or keyset pagination. Returns: each template’s key and name, plus pagination metadata. See also: template.gitignore_get, repository.file_create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action gitignore_list
• Individual tool: gitlab_list_gitignore_templates
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
order_by	string	no	Column to order results by for keyset pagination (e.g. id, name, created_at, updated_at)
page	integer	no	Page number to fetch, 1-based. Defaults to 1. Use the next_page field from the previous response to paginate forward.
page_token	string	no	Next page of a keyset listing: the next_page_token of the previous response of this action, passed back unchanged. It carries the position and every filter of the listing as GitLab read them, and those are what the next page is asked with, whatever filters are sent beside it. Leave it empty for the first page.
pagination	string	no	Pagination method: ‘keyset’ for keyset-based pagination on large ordered result sets, or ‘offset’ (the default). Keyset avoids deep-offset cost, and a keyset page names the next one in next_page_token rather than next_page.
per_page	integer	no	Items per page. Defaults to 20, minimum 1, maximum 100. Use 100 to minimize round trips when the result set is large.
sort	string (asc, desc)	no	Sort direction (asc, desc)

template.license_get

Get a single license template by key, optionally substituting project and fullname placeholders. Returns: the license’s key, name, nickname, featured flag, source/HTML URLs, description, conditions, permissions, limitations, and rendered content. See also: template.license_list, repository.file_create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action license_get
• Individual tool: gitlab_get_license_template
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
key	string	yes	License template key (e.g. mit, apache-2.0)
fullname	string	no	Full name to replace in license
project	string	no	Project name to replace in license

template.license_list

List available license templates with an optional popular filter, order_by/sort, and offset or keyset pagination. Returns: each template’s key, name, nickname, featured flag, source/HTML URLs, description, conditions, permissions, limitations, and content, with pagination metadata. See also: template.license_get, repository.file_create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action license_list
• Individual tool: gitlab_list_license_templates
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: a request GitLab does not judge by the grant (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
order_by	string	no	Column by which to order keyset-paginated results
page	integer	no	Page number to fetch, 1-based. Defaults to 1. Use the next_page field from the previous response to paginate forward.
page_token	string	no	Next page of a keyset listing: the next_page_token of the previous response of this action, passed back unchanged. It carries the position and every filter of the listing as GitLab read them, and those are what the next page is asked with, whatever filters are sent beside it. Leave it empty for the first page.
pagination	string	no	Pagination method: ‘keyset’ for keyset-based pagination on large ordered result sets, or ‘offset’ (the default). Keyset avoids deep-offset cost, and a keyset page names the next one in next_page_token rather than next_page.
per_page	integer	no	Items per page. Defaults to 20, minimum 1, maximum 100. Use 100 to minimize round trips when the result set is large.
popular	boolean	no	Filter by popular licenses
sort	string (asc, desc)	no	Sort direction for keyset-paginated results (asc, desc)

template.lint

Validate inline .gitlab-ci.yml content within a project namespace. Returns: validity flag, errors, warnings, the merged YAML, and resolved includes. See also: template.lint_project, pipeline.create, ci_catalog.list.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action lint
• Individual tool: gitlab_ci_lint
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: api
• Fine-grained token: CI Config: Validate at project (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
content	string	yes	CI/CD YAML content to validate
project_id	string/integer	yes	Project ID or URL-encoded path (namespace context)
dry_run	boolean	no	Run pipeline creation simulation
include_jobs	boolean	no	Include expanded job list in the response
ref	string	no	Branch or tag to use for CI includes resolution

template.lint_project

Validate a project’s committed .gitlab-ci.yml at a branch or tag. Returns: validity flag, errors, warnings, the merged YAML, and resolved includes. See also: template.lint, pipeline.create, repository.file_get.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action lint_project
• Individual tool: gitlab_ci_lint_project
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: CI Config: Read at project (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
project_id	string/integer	yes	Project ID or URL-encoded path
content_ref	string	no	Branch or tag to use for the CI configuration content
dry_run	boolean	no	Run pipeline creation simulation
dry_run_ref	string	no	Branch or tag to use as context for the dry run
include_jobs	boolean	no	Include expanded job list in the response
ref	string	no	Branch or tag to use for CI includes resolution

template.project_template_get

Returns: one project template’s full content by template_type and key. See also: template.project_template_list, project.create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action project_template_get
• Individual tool: gitlab_get_project_template
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: Template: Read at project (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
key	string	yes	Template key/name
project_id	string/integer	yes	Project ID or URL-encoded path
template_type	string (dockerfiles, gitignores, gitlab_ci_ymls, licenses, issues, merge_requests)	yes	Template family in the request path: dockerfiles, gitignores, gitlab_ci_ymls, licenses, issues, merge_requests

template.project_template_list

List project templates of a given template_type with optional id/type filters, order_by/sort, and offset or keyset pagination. Returns: each template’s key, name, nickname, popularity, and source/HTML URLs. See also: template.project_template_get, project.create.

• Meta-tool: gitlab_template, action project_template_list
• Individual tool: gitlab_list_project_templates
• Tier: Free
• Classic or OAuth token: read_api (or api)
• Fine-grained token: Template: Read at project (permissions page)
• Behavior: read-only, idempotent

Parameter	Type	Mandatory	Description
project_id	string/integer	yes	Project ID or URL-encoded path
template_type	string (dockerfiles, gitignores, gitlab_ci_ymls, licenses, issues, merge_requests)	yes	Template family in the request path: dockerfiles, gitignores, gitlab_ci_ymls, licenses, issues, merge_requests
id	integer	no	Filter to a single template by numeric id (maps to gl.ListProjectTemplatesOptions.ID)
order_by	string	no	Column by which to order keyset-paginated results
page	integer	no	Page number to fetch, 1-based. Defaults to 1. Use the next_page field from the previous response to paginate forward.
page_token	string	no	Next page of a keyset listing: the next_page_token of the previous response of this action, passed back unchanged. It carries the position and every filter of the listing as GitLab read them, and those are what the next page is asked with, whatever filters are sent beside it. Leave it empty for the first page.
pagination	string	no	Pagination method: ‘keyset’ for keyset-based pagination on large ordered result sets, or ‘offset’ (the default). Keyset avoids deep-offset cost, and a keyset page names the next one in next_page_token rather than next_page.
per_page	integer	no	Items per page. Defaults to 20, minimum 1, maximum 100. Use 100 to minimize round trips when the result set is large.
sort	string (asc, desc)	no	Sort direction for keyset-paginated results (asc, desc)
type	string	no	Optional secondary template type filter passed as the ‘type’ query parameter (maps to gl.ListProjectTemplatesOptions.Type)