glab-cli

GLab CLI

Use glab with host-aware defaults instead of hardcoding gitlab.com.

Workflow

Follow this order unless the user explicitly asks for a single command.

1. Let glab use the current context by default

Do not run host detection by default.

In a Git repository, prefer:

glab <command>

Only add GITLAB_HOST, --hostname, or -R when the task targets another repo or another instance, or when glab resolves the wrong context.

2. Detect the platform only when context is unclear or failing

Check git remote -v only when:

• glab resolves to the wrong instance
• auth checks fail against an unexpected host
• the repository has both GitHub and GitLab remotes
• multiple GitLab hosts are present
• the task targets a different instance than the current directory

Rules:

• Prefer a GitLab remote over any GitHub or Bitbucket remote.
• If the remote host is gitlab.com, treat the platform as gitlab.com.
• If the remote host is anything else, treat the platform as self-managed-or-dedicated.
• If multiple GitLab hosts appear in git remote -v, treat the result as ambiguous and confirm before any write operation.
• If GITLAB_HOST is already set, let it override the remote-derived host.

If git remote -v does not show a GitLab remote:

• check whether the user is in the intended repository
• ask for the GitLab host or repository URL only if the task is otherwise blocked
• avoid guessing gitlab.com for a private installation

If multiple GitLab hosts are present in git remote -v, do not silently pick one for write operations. Confirm the target or set GITLAB_HOST explicitly first.

3. Reuse explicit context only when needed

For repository-scoped commands, prefer one of these patterns:

glab <command>
GITLAB_HOST="$host" glab <command>
glab <command> -R "$repo"
GITLAB_HOST="$host" glab <command> -R "$repo"

Decision rules:

• If the current directory is already the target GitLab repository, keep using bare glab commands.
• If the command targets another repository on the same instance, add -R "$repo".
• If the command targets another GitLab instance, set GITLAB_HOST="$host" and add -R "$repo" when the command is repository-scoped.
• For glab api, prefer --hostname "$host" when calling an instance other than the current repository context.