GitLab MCP Server

Search Projects

search_projects

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search GitLab projects by name or description to locate repositories for browsing, management, or automation tasks.

Instructions

Search for GitLab projects by name or description

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`after`	No	Pagination cursor. To fetch the next page, pass the previous response pageInfo.endCursor here and repeat until pageInfo.hasNextPage is false. Paginating this way is the reliable path to complete results and accurate totals.
`first`	No	Number of projects to retrieve
`fetchAll`	No	Fetch multiple pages in one call, up to "first" items total (max 100) — NOT exhaustive. For complete results or accurate counts, leave this false and paginate via after (pageInfo.endCursor).
`searchTerm`	Yes	Search term to find projects by name or description
`userCredentials`	No	Your GitLab credentials (optional — falls back to the configured env token if not provided)

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`nodes`	Yes
`hasMore`	No
`pageInfo`	Yes
`totalFetched`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed3 schema fields changedv4.0.0Nov 2, 2026

removedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -false
```

changedInput schema / properties / userCredentials / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "additionalProperties": false,
-    "properties": {
-      "accessToken": {
-        "minLength": 1,
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      "gitlabUrl": {
-        "format": "uri",
-        "type": "string"
-      }
-    },
-    "type": "object"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "properties": {
+      "accessToken": {
+        "minLength": 1,
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "gitlabUrl": {
+        "format": "uri",
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "properties": {
+    "hasMore": {
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "nodes": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": {},
+        "properties": {
+          "fullPath": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "id": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "webUrl": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "id",
+          "name",
+          "fullPath",
+          "webUrl"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "pageInfo": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "properties": {
+        "endCursor": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "hasNextPage": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "hasPreviousPage": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "startCursor": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "hasNextPage",
+        "endCursor"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "totalFetched": {
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "integer"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "nodes",
+    "pageInfo"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed2 schema fields changedv2.2.4Jul 24, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / after / description

Previous value: -"Cursor for pagination"New value: +"Pagination cursor. To fetch the next page, pass the previous response pageInfo.endCursor here and repeat until pageInfo.hasNextPage is false. Paginating this way is the reliable path to complete results and accurate totals."

changedInput schema / properties / fetchAll / description

Previous value: -"Fetch all pages up to 100 results"New value: +"Fetch multiple pages in one call, up to \"first\" items total (max 100) — NOT exhaustive. For complete results or accurate counts, leave this false and paginate via after (pageInfo.endCursor)."

Changed2 schema fields changedv1.15.0May 10, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / fetchAll

Added value: +{
+  "default": false,
+  "description": "Fetch all pages up to 100 results",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / userCredentials / description

Previous value: -"Your GitLab credentials (optional - uses shared token if not provided)"New value: +"Your GitLab credentials (optional — falls back to the configured env token if not provided)"

First observedv1.7.3Mar 7, 2026

TDQS

C2.9/5.0

Behavior2/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint and destructiveHint=false, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds nothing beyond that: no mention of result scope (own vs. all visible projects), no mention of the pagination/fetchAll trade-off, and no note on the credential fallback behavior.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

A single eight-word sentence with no padding and the core purpose front-loaded. It is efficient, though its brevity comes at the cost of the usage and scope guidance noted elsewhere.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists and the input schema is fully annotated, so return values and parameters need not be re-explained. Still, for a search tool in a large sibling set, the description omits scope and alternatives, leaving gaps an agent must resolve by inspecting other tools.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema itself documents searchTerm, first, after, fetchAll and userCredentials in detail, including the important warning that fetchAll is not exhaustive. The description only echoes the searchTerm semantics, which is the correct baseline-3 outcome when the schema does the heavy lifting.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states a specific verb (search) and resource (GitLab projects) plus the fields matched (name or description), so an agent knows exactly what it retrieves. It does not, however, contrast itself with siblings like get_projects or get_group_projects, so sibling disambiguation is left to inference.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines2/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

There is no statement of when to use this tool versus listing tools (get_projects, get_group_projects) or the other search_* tools, and no prerequisites or exclusions are given. The only usage-relevant details live in the schema's pagination parameters, not the description.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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