Claude Desktop Extension

GitLab MCP Server ships as a one-click desktop extension (.mcpb) for Claude Desktop on macOS and Windows. The bundle contains a macOS universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel) and a Windows executable — no Docker, Node.js, or Python required.

Install

1. Download gitlab-mcp-server.mcpb from the latest release.

2. Open the file with Claude Desktop — double-click it, or drag it onto the Claude Desktop Settings window. Claude shows an install dialog with the extension details.

3. Fill in the settings and start chatting.

Settings

Setting	Required	Default	Environment variable
GitLab URL	Yes	https://gitlab.com	GITLAB_URL
GitLab Personal Access Token	Yes	—	GITLAB_TOKEN
Tool surface	No	dynamic	GITLAB_MCP_TOOL_SURFACE
GitLab tier	No	auto-detect	GITLAB_MCP_TIER
Read-only mode	No	off	GITLAB_MCP_READ_ONLY
Safe mode	No	off	GITLAB_MCP_SAFE_MODE
Skip TLS verification	No	off	GITLAB_MCP_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY
Log level	No	info	GITLAB_MCP_LOG_LEVEL

Token storage

Claude Desktop stores the Personal Access Token in the operating system keychain, not in a plain-text config file. Create the token with the api scope under GitLab → User Settings → Access Tokens.

The default dynamic tool surface registers just two find/execute tools, so the server never crowds Claude’s context window. Switch to meta (34 meta-tools) or individual (one tool per action) in the extension settings — see Tool surfaces.

Updates

Updates arrive as new extension versions published with each release. The server does not update itself and never replaces its own binary, so the version you installed is the version that runs until Claude Desktop installs a newer extension.

Verify

Ask Claude something like “What GitLab user am I authenticated as?” — it should call gitlab_find_action and then gitlab_execute_action with the user.current action and return your username.

Self-managed instances

Set your instance URL in the GitLab URL setting. If it uses a self-signed certificate, enable Skip TLS verification.

Privacy

The server runs entirely on your machine and sends no telemetry: the optional OpenTelemetry export is off by default and the extension exposes no setting that turns it on, so data flows only between Claude Desktop and the GitLab instance you configure. See the Privacy Policy.