gitlab-mcp install

Detect and install GitLab MCP configuration to MCP clients. Can run interactively (wizard) or non-interactively with flags.

Usage

gitlab-mcp install [options]

Options

Flag	Description
--claude-desktop	Install to Claude Desktop
--claude-code	Install to Claude Code
--cursor	Install to Cursor
--vscode	Install to VS Code (GitHub Copilot)
--cline	Install to Cline
--roo-code	Install to Roo Code
--windsurf	Install to Windsurf
--all	Install to all detected clients
--show	Preview configuration without writing
--force	Overwrite existing configurations

Interactive Mode

Without any client flags, the command runs an interactive wizard:

1. Detects all installed MCP clients
2. Shows detection results (installed, configured, etc.)
3. Presents multi-select for target clients
4. Confirms overwrite if already configured
5. Installs and shows results

npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp install

Non-Interactive Mode

Specify clients directly with flags:

# Install to specific clients
npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp install --claude-desktop --cursor

# Install to all detected clients
npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp install --all

# Force overwrite existing config
npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp install --claude-desktop --force

Preview Configuration

View the generated configuration without writing any files:

# Preview Claude Desktop config
npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp install --show --claude-desktop

# Preview Cursor config
npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp install --show --cursor

Environment Variables

The install command reads from the current environment to build the server configuration:

Variable	Purpose	Default
GITLAB_TOKEN	Token to embed in config	—
GITLAB_URL	GitLab instance URL	https://gitlab.com
GITLAB_MCP_PRESET	Preset to apply	—

Backup Behavior

When overwriting an existing configuration, the installer creates a backup:

~/.cursor/mcp.json → ~/.cursor/mcp.json.backup-2025-01-24T12-00-00

Supported Clients

Client	Detection	Config Location (macOS)
Claude Desktop	App bundle	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Claude Code	CLI command	~/.claude.json
Cursor	Config dir	~/.cursor/mcp.json
VS Code	Config dir	.vscode/mcp.json
Windsurf	Config dir	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Cline	Extension storage	~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
Roo Code	Config dir	~/.roo/mcp.json

See Clients for paths on all platforms.

See Also

• gitlab-mcp setup — full setup wizard (includes install)
• Client configuration guides