clone_repository

Instructions

Args:
    project_id: GitLab project ID
    local_path: Local directory path (optional, defaults to project name)
    use_ssh: Use SSH URL instead of HTTPS (default: False)
    token: GitLab Personal Access Token (optional)
    ctx: MCP context (automatically injected)

Implementation Reference

• gitlab_clone_mcp_server/server.py:976-1030 (handler)

  The 'clone_repository' tool handler: fetches project info from GitLab API, constructs clone URL (SSH or HTTPS with token embedding), runs 'git clone' via subprocess, and returns the result.

  @mcp.tool()
  async def clone_repository(project_id: int, local_path: str = None, use_ssh: bool = False, token: str = None, ctx=None) -> str:
      """Clone a GitLab repository to local path.
      
      Args:
          project_id: GitLab project ID
          local_path: Local directory path (optional, defaults to project name)
          use_ssh: Use SSH URL instead of HTTPS (default: False)
          token: GitLab Personal Access Token (optional)
          ctx: MCP context (automatically injected)
      """
      import subprocess
      import os as os_module
      
      # Get project info
      project_data = await make_gitlab_request(f"/projects/{project_id}", ctx=ctx, token=token)
      
      if isinstance(project_data, dict) and "error" in project_data:
          return f"Error getting project info: {project_data['error']}"
      
      # Get clone URL
      clone_url = project_data['ssh_url_to_repo'] if use_ssh else project_data['http_url_to_repo']
      
      # If HTTPS and token available, add token to URL
      if not use_ssh:
          # Use the provided token or fall back to environment variable
          clone_token = token or os_module.getenv("GITLAB_TOKEN")
          if clone_token:
              # Replace https:// with https://gitlab-ci-token:TOKEN@
              clone_url = clone_url.replace("https://", f"https://gitlab-ci-token:{clone_token}@")
      
      # Set local path
      if not local_path:
          local_path = f"./{project_data['name']}"
      
      try:
          # Execute git clone
          result = subprocess.run(
              ["git", "clone", clone_url, local_path],
              capture_output=True,
              text=True,
              timeout=300  # 5 minute timeout
          )
          
          if result.returncode == 0:
              return f"Repository cloned successfully to: {local_path}\nProject: {project_data['name']} ({project_data['path_with_namespace']})"
          else:
              return f"Error cloning repository: {result.stderr}"
              
      except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
          return "Error: Clone operation timed out (5 minutes)"
      except FileNotFoundError:
          return "Error: Git command not found. Please install Git."
      except Exception as e:
          return f"Error cloning repository: {str(e)}"

• gitlab_clone_mcp_server/server.py:975-977 (registration)

  The '@mcp.tool()' decorator registers 'clone_repository' as an MCP tool on the FastMCP instance.

  # Clone Operations
  @mcp.tool()
  async def clone_repository(project_id: int, local_path: str = None, use_ssh: bool = False, token: str = None, ctx=None) -> str:

• gitlab_clone_mcp_server/server.py:977-986 (schema)

  The docstring and function signature define the input schema: project_id (int), local_path (optional str), use_ssh (bool default False), token (optional str), and ctx (auto-injected context).

  async def clone_repository(project_id: int, local_path: str = None, use_ssh: bool = False, token: str = None, ctx=None) -> str:
      """Clone a GitLab repository to local path.
      
      Args:
          project_id: GitLab project ID
          local_path: Local directory path (optional, defaults to project name)
          use_ssh: Use SSH URL instead of HTTPS (default: False)
          token: GitLab Personal Access Token (optional)
          ctx: MCP context (automatically injected)
      """

• gitlab_clone_mcp_server/server.py:11-52 (helper)

  The 'make_gitlab_request' helper function is used by 'clone_repository' to fetch project info from the GitLab API.

  async def make_gitlab_request(endpoint: str, method: str = "GET", data: dict = None, ctx=None, token: str = None) -> dict[str, Any] | None:
      """Make a request to GitLab API with proper error handling."""
      # Priority: 1. Explicit token parameter, 2. Context headers, 3. Environment variable
      
      # If no explicit token provided, try to get from context
      if not token and ctx and hasattr(ctx, 'request_context') and ctx.request_context:
          # Try to get from request headers
          if hasattr(ctx.request_context, 'headers'):
              token = ctx.request_context.headers.get('GITLAB_TOKEN')
      
      # Fallback to environment variable
      if not token:
          token = os.getenv("GITLAB_TOKEN")
      
      if not token:
          return {"error": "GitLab token not provided. Please provide a token parameter, GITLAB_TOKEN in the request headers, or set the environment variable."}
      
      # Get GitLab URL (from context or environment)
      gitlab_url = os.getenv("GITLAB_URL", "https://gitlab.com")
      
      headers = {
          "PRIVATE-TOKEN": token,
          "Content-Type": "application/json"
      }
      
      url = f"{gitlab_url}/api/v4{endpoint}"
      
      async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
          try:
              if method == "GET":
                  response = await client.get(url, headers=headers, timeout=30.0)
              elif method == "POST":
                  response = await client.post(url, headers=headers, json=data, timeout=30.0)
              elif method == "PUT":
                  response = await client.put(url, headers=headers, json=data, timeout=30.0)
              elif method == "DELETE":
                  response = await client.delete(url, headers=headers, timeout=30.0)
              
              response.raise_for_status()
              return response.json() if response.content else {"success": True}
          except Exception as e:
              return {"error": str(e)}