Claude Desktop

Configure GitLab MCP for Claude Desktop.

Recommended: MCPB Extension

The easiest way to install — download and open the .mcpb bundle:

See MCPB installation guide for details.

Auto-Setup

npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp install --claude-desktop

Detection

Method	Details
Type	macOS app bundle
Bundle ID	com.anthropic.claudefordesktop
Auto-detected	Yes (when app is installed)

Config File Location

OS	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux	~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@structured-world/gitlab-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Docker (stdio)

To run via Docker instead of npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "-i", "--rm",
        "-e", "GITLAB_TOKEN",
        "-e", "GITLAB_API_URL",
        "ghcr.io/structured-world/gitlab-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote Server

Connect to a running GitLab MCP HTTP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3333/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Verification

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Check the MCP indicator (hammer icon) in the bottom-left
3. Click it to see connected servers
4. "gitlab" should appear with available tools listed

Troubleshooting

• Server not appearing: Restart Claude Desktop after config changes
• "Command not found": Ensure Node.js >= 24 is installed and npx is in PATH
• Connection errors: Check token scopes (api, read_user)
• Config file not found: Create the file and parent directories if they don't exist

See Also

• Quick Start
• Configuration reference
• Troubleshooting