MCP Client GA (18.8)

PMM What's Shipping Summary

  • Feature title: MCP Client GA

  • Feature overview: GitLab Duo can now connect to external systems like Jira, Slack, and other MCP-compatible tools to pull context and execute actions across your entire DevSecOps toolchain. This enables AI-powered workflows that span GitLab and the other tools your team uses daily, making GitLab Duo more powerful by understanding your full development context.

  • Proposed launch date: With DAP GA

  • User pain point: Development workflows span multiple tools (GitLab + Jira for planning, GitLab + Slack for communication, GitLab + security tools for vulnerability management), but AI assistants are siloed within individual tools. Users must manually switch between systems and copy context, making AI assistance fragmented and inefficient. GitLab Duo needs access to external context to provide truly helpful, comprehensive assistance.

  • Common use case(s):

    • Cross-platform issue tracking: "Create a Jira ticket for this failed pipeline and link it to the GitLab MR" - Duo accesses both systems to coordinate work
    • Comprehensive code review context: "Summarize the discussion in Slack about this MR and check for related Jira tickets" - Duo pulls context from multiple sources for better analysis
    • Security workflow automation: "Check if there are open Jira tickets for these security vulnerabilities" - Duo connects vulnerability scans in GitLab with tracking in external systems
    • Release coordination: "Update the Jira epic status and post release notes to Slack when this MR merges" - Duo orchestrates actions across multiple tools

  • Primary persona(s):

    • Software Developer (primary)
    • DevOps Engineer (secondary)
    • Engineering Manager (secondary - benefits from cross-tool visibility)

  • In scope:

    • Connection to external MCP servers (Jira, Slack, Confluence, and other MCP-compatible tools)
    • Configuration via JSON files (workspace and user-level)
    • Group-level enablement controls
    • Tool approval workflow (users approve each tool usage)
    • Works with GitLab Duo Chat and IDE extensions

  • Out of scope:

    • Administrator-controlled MCP server allowlists (future iteration)
    • Audit logging of external MCP calls (future iteration)
    • Compliance reporting for governance (future iteration)
    • Rate limiting controls (future iteration)
    • Remote execution of agents with MCP access (future iteration)
    • Pre-configured MCP integrations (users must configure their own servers)

  • Will there be future iterations this is building to? If so, please describe: Yes, this release is foundational. Planned future enhancements include:

  • Docs: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/gitlab_duo/model_context_protocol/mcp_clients/

  • Availability: <experimental, beta, GA> GA

Images (screenshots, prototype or video)

Current status

  • Last update date:
  • Status: <overwrite previous status, or create a running log>
  • Milestone: [apply delivery milestone to issue]
  • Labels: [apply applicable platform labels (platform: GitLab.com, platform: dedicated, platform: dedicated for gov, platform: self-managed)]
  • Assignee: [<]assigne to AI PM DRI]

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Edited by 🤖 GitLab Bot 🤖