---
title: Automate Releases
description: "Automate GitLab release workflows with MCP Server. Step-by-step guide for changelog generation, tag creation, release publishing with assets, milestone association, and version management."
head:
- - meta
- name: keywords
content: GitLab releases, release automation, changelog, tagging, milestones, release assets, MCP
---
# Automate GitLab Releases with MCP
End-to-end release workflow — from reviewing changes to creating releases with changelogs and assets.
## Overview
This guide walks through a complete release process using GitLab MCP: reviewing merged changes, creating tags, generating changelogs, and publishing releases with assets.
**Tools used:** `browse_commits`, `browse_merge_requests`, `manage_release`, `browse_releases`, `manage_ref`, `browse_milestones`, `manage_milestone`
## Step 1: Review Changes Since Last Release
Start by identifying what's changed since the previous release.
### Find the Last Release
> "Show me the latest releases in `my-org/api`"
```jsonc
// browse_releases
{
"action": "list",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"per_page": 1
}
```
### List Commits Since Last Tag
> "Show me commits on `main` since the last release"
```jsonc
// browse_commits
{
"action": "list",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"ref_name": "main",
"since": "2025-01-15T00:00:00Z",
"per_page": 50
}
```
### Review Merged MRs
> "What MRs were merged since the last release?"
```jsonc
// browse_merge_requests
{
"action": "list",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"state": "merged",
"target_branch": "main",
"updated_after": "2025-01-15T00:00:00Z",
"order_by": "updated_at",
"per_page": 50
}
```
## Step 2: Check Milestone Completion
Verify all milestone work is done before releasing.
> "Show me the issues and MRs in milestone 'v2.0'"
::: code-group
```jsonc [Milestone issues]
{
"action": "issues",
"namespace": "my-org/api",
"milestone_id": "42",
"per_page": 50
}
```
```jsonc [Milestone MRs]
{
"action": "merge_requests",
"namespace": "my-org/api",
"milestone_id": "42",
"per_page": 50
}
```
:::
Check for open items that might block the release. If all work is complete, proceed.
## Step 3: Verify Pipeline Status
Ensure `main` is green before tagging.
> "What's the pipeline status on `main`?"
```jsonc
// browse_pipelines
{
"action": "list",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"ref": "main",
"per_page": 1
}
```
If the latest pipeline failed, fix issues before proceeding.
## Step 4: Create a Tag
> "Create tag v2.0.0 from `main` in `my-org/api`"
```jsonc
// manage_ref
{
"action": "create_tag",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"tag_name": "v2.0.0",
"ref": "main",
"message": "Release v2.0.0 - Platform modernization"
}
```
## Step 5: Generate Changelog
Based on the merged MRs, organize changes by category:
- **Features** — MRs with `feat:` prefix or `feature` label
- **Bug Fixes** — MRs with `fix:` prefix or `bug` label
- **Breaking Changes** — MRs with `breaking` label
- **Performance** — MRs with `perf:` prefix
- **Dependencies** — MRs updating packages
## Step 6: Create the Release
> "Create release v2.0.0 with changelog and milestone association"
```jsonc
// manage_release
{
"action": "create",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"tag_name": "v2.0.0",
"name": "v2.0.0 - Platform Modernization",
"description": "## What's New\n\n### Features\n- New authentication flow with JWT (#42)\n- API rate limiting with configurable thresholds (#45)\n- WebSocket support for real-time updates (#48)\n\n### Bug Fixes\n- Fixed session timeout regression (#38)\n- Corrected error messages for validation failures (#40)\n- Fixed memory leak in connection pool (#41)\n\n### Breaking Changes\n- Removed deprecated `/auth/legacy` endpoint\n- Changed response format for `/api/v2/users` endpoint\n\n### Performance\n- 40% faster query processing with new indexes (#44)\n- Reduced memory usage in background workers (#46)\n\n### Dependencies\n- Updated Express to v5.0\n- Updated TypeScript to v5.4",
"milestones": ["v2.0"]
}
```
## Step 7: Add Release Assets
> "Add download links to the release"
::: code-group
```jsonc [Linux binary]
{
"action": "create_link",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"tag_name": "v2.0.0",
"name": "Linux AMD64",
"url": "https://releases.example.com/api/v2.0.0/api-linux-amd64",
"link_type": "package",
"direct_asset_path": "/binaries/api-linux-amd64"
}
```
```jsonc [Docker image]
{
"action": "create_link",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"tag_name": "v2.0.0",
"name": "Docker Image",
"url": "https://registry.example.com/my-org/api:v2.0.0",
"link_type": "image"
}
```
```jsonc [Runbook]
{
"action": "create_link",
"project_id": "my-org/api",
"tag_name": "v2.0.0",
"name": "Deployment Runbook",
"url": "https://wiki.example.com/deploy/v2.0.0",
"link_type": "runbook"
}
```
:::
## Step 8: Close the Milestone
> "Close milestone 'v2.0' — all work is released"
```jsonc
// manage_milestone
{
"action": "update",
"namespace": "my-org/api",
"milestone_id": "42",
"state_event": "close"
}
```
## Step 9: Prepare Next Iteration
> "Create milestone 'v2.1' for the next sprint"
```jsonc
// manage_milestone
{
"action": "create",
"namespace": "my-org/api",
"title": "v2.1",
"description": "Post-v2.0 improvements and fixes",
"start_date": "2025-02-03",
"due_date": "2025-02-28"
}
```
## Complete Release Checklist
- [ ] All milestone issues/MRs closed
- [ ] Pipeline green on `main`
- [ ] Changelog generated from merged MRs
- [ ] Tag created from `main`
- [ ] Release created with description
- [ ] Assets attached (binaries, Docker, docs)
- [ ] Milestone closed
- [ ] Next milestone created
- [ ] Team notified of release
## Tips for Release Automation
1. **Use Conventional Commits** — Makes changelog generation predictable
2. **Label MRs consistently** — `feature`, `bug`, `breaking` for categorization
3. **Associate MRs with milestones** — Easy to track what's in each release
4. **Tag before releasing** — Ensures the tag exists for the release
5. **Close milestones promptly** — Keeps the roadmap clean
