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Reference · Credentials

GitLab API credentials

Used by 2 BusyBot nodes.

Type gitlabApi 2 fields

The GitLab credential holds a personal access token with the `api` scope, plus the server URL — which matters because GitLab is so often self-hosted. The token acts as your user across the projects it can reach.

Fields

FieldTypeRequiredNotes
GitLab Server
server		 string Yes The URL of the GitLab server.
Access Token
accessToken		 password Yes A GitLab Personal Access Token with the "api" scope.

Getting your credentials

  1. Sign in to GitLab and open User Settings → Access Tokens.
  2. Create a personal access token with the api scope. Narrower scopes such as read_api do not permit write operations.
  3. Set an expiry you can live with, and copy the token immediately — it is shown only once.
  4. Set Server to your GitLab URL: https://gitlab.com for the hosted service, or your own instance’s URL if self-hosted.
  5. Paste the token into Access Token.

Permissions and scopes

The api scope grants broad access as your user. For automation that only reads, read_api is safer — but confirm the operations you use are supported by it before switching.

Project-level permissions still apply: the token cannot do anything the account behind it could not do in the interface.

Troubleshooting

  • 401 Unauthorized — the token is wrong, expired or revoked. GitLab tokens frequently have expiry dates.
  • 403 Forbidden — the token’s scope is too narrow, or the account lacks the project role for that action.
  • Connection failures on self-hosted — the Server field is wrong, or the instance is not reachable from the workflow environment.

Frequently asked questions

Which scope does the token need?

`api` for full access. Read-only scopes such as `read_api` block write operations, which is a common cause of unexpected 403s.

Does it work with self-hosted GitLab?

Yes — set Server to your instance's URL. That is why the field exists rather than being fixed to gitlab.com.

Why did it stop working after a few months?

GitLab personal access tokens usually carry an expiry date. Create a new one and update the credential.

Nodes that use GitLab API

One credential works across every node below — create it once and reuse it.

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