[Feature Flag] Rollout of project_secrets_cel_pipeline_auth

Summary

This issue is to roll out the feature on production, that is currently behind the project_secrets_cel_pipeline_auth feature flag.

Related MR: !223327 (merged)

Owners

  • Most appropriate Slack channel to reach out to: #g_pipeline-security
  • Best individual to reach out to: @iamricecake

Expectations

What are we expecting to happen?

This feature migrates project secrets pipeline JWT authentication from legacy bound_claims to CEL-based authentication, matching the group secrets implementation. When enabled:

  • Pipeline authentication will use the CEL-based JWT role with /cel/ in the login path
  • CEL program validates project_id, subject, scope, audience, and user_id claims
  • Token policies are dynamically generated (global, environment, branch, combined)
  • Authentication behavior should remain functionally identical to legacy auth

What can go wrong and how would we detect it?

Potential issues:

  • Pipeline jobs fail to authenticate with secrets manager
  • Secrets are not accessible during pipeline execution
  • CEL validation logic rejects valid tokens
  • Performance degradation in authentication

Detection:

  • Monitor pipeline failure rates in Kibana/Grafana
  • Check for authentication errors in OpenBao logs
  • Monitor #g_pipeline-security Slack channel for user reports
  • Review error rates in secrets manager client metrics
Edited Feb 18, 2026 by 🤖 GitLab Bot 🤖
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