MCP Gitlab vs Gitlab MCP
A side-by-side look at the MCP Gitlab and Gitlab MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MCP Gitlab for version control work as a local process; choose Gitlab MCP for version control. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Gitlab when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Version Control domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
GITLAB_TOKEN, GITLAB_URL, SSL_CERT_FILE, GITLAB_SSL_VERIFY.
Choose Gitlab MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Version Control domain.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN, GITLAB_API_URL.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Version Control | Version Control |
| Quality signal | 40/100 · Fair | 36/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | GITLAB_TOKENGITLAB_URLSSL_CERT_FILEGITLAB_SSL_VERIFY | GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKENGITLAB_API_URL |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 2,061 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View MCP Gitlab | View Gitlab MCP |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Gitlab tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Gitlab MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Gitlab
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-gitlab": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-gitlab-crunchtools"
],
"env": {
"GITLAB_TOKEN": "YOUR_GITLAB_TOKEN_HERE",
"GITLAB_URL": "YOUR_GITLAB_URL_HERE",
"SSL_CERT_FILE": "YOUR_SSL_CERT_FILE_HERE",
"GITLAB_SSL_VERIFY": "YOUR_GITLAB_SSL_VERIFY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Gitlab MCP
No confirmed install command for Gitlab MCP yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.