Integration · GitLab

Connect your GitLab repos to Zipchat

What this does: Zipchat indexes a snapshot of your GitLab project at connection time. It supports both GitLab SaaS (gitlab.com) and self-hosted GitLab instances. Connect via OAuth for SaaS or a Personal Access Token for self-hosted. Your AI gets read access to source code, merge request descriptions, issue text, and inline documentation, wherever your codebase lives.

Self-hosted GitLab supported

Zipchat connects to any GitLab instance with "gitlab" in the subdomain. This includes gitlab.mycompany.com, gitlab.internal.corp, and similar self-hosted setups. GitLab SaaS (gitlab.com) is also fully supported. The connection uses the standard GitLab API v4, available since GitLab 8.x.

Self-hosted instances that do not contain "gitlab" in the subdomain are not automatically detected. If your hostname uses a different pattern, contact us before connecting.

Permissions and security

Here are the accurate answers before anything else.

  • Read-only access. No write permissions are requested or used. Zipchat cannot push, commit, or modify any project content.
  • Granular project selection. You choose which projects to connect at authorization time. Projects you do not select stay invisible to Zipchat.
  • Revocable at any time. For GitLab SaaS, revoke OAuth access from your gitlab.com application settings. For self-hosted instances, delete or revoke the Personal Access Token from your GitLab user settings. Access is cut immediately.
  • Code isolation. Indexed code is stored in an isolated sandbox environment (E2B). It is not shared across customers and is not used to train models.
  • GDPR-compliant data handling.

Zipchat does not hold SOC 2 certification at this time.

What gets indexed

Included in the snapshot

  • Source code files (all text-based languages)
  • README and documentation files
  • Merge request titles and descriptions
  • Issue titles and body text
  • Code comments and inline documentation

Not indexed

  • Binary files, images, and compiled artifacts
  • Secrets or environment variable files
  • Files excluded from the repo (for example, via .gitignore)
  • Non-default branches (snapshot is taken from the default branch only)

How to connect a GitLab project

Two paths depending on whether you are using GitLab SaaS or a self-hosted instance.

GitLab SaaS (gitlab.com)

  1. Step 1. Go to Integrations and select GitLab. Open the Integrations section in your Zipchat dashboard and select GitLab from the available connectors.
  2. Step 2. Authorize via OAuth and select projects. Zipchat requests read-only access through your gitlab.com account. You select the specific projects to connect. Any project you do not select is never accessed.
  3. Step 3. Wait for indexing to complete. Zipchat downloads a snapshot of each selected project and indexes the contents. Once indexing completes, the AI can answer questions using your code.

Self-hosted GitLab

  1. Step 1. Go to Integrations and select GitLab (Self-Hosted). Open the Integrations section in your Zipchat dashboard and select the self-hosted GitLab option.
  2. Step 2. Enter your GitLab instance URL. Provide the full URL of your self-hosted instance (for example, gitlab.mycompany.com).
  3. Step 3. Generate a Personal Access Token and enter it in Zipchat. In your GitLab instance, go to User Settings, then Access Tokens, and generate a token with read_repository scope. Enter that token in the Zipchat dashboard.
  4. Step 4. Select projects and wait for indexing. Choose the specific projects to connect. Zipchat indexes a snapshot of each. Once complete, the AI can answer questions using your code.

To reflect new code changes, disconnect the project and reconnect from the Integrations dashboard. Zipchat will index a fresh snapshot of the current default branch.

What teams use this for

Customer-facing technical support

An enterprise customer's integration fails and they ask your support team why. The AI surfaces the relevant error-handling code from your GitLab project, points to the file and function that controls the behavior, and gives a specific answer without requiring a senior engineer to dig through the codebase manually. Complex technical tickets resolve faster and at lower cost.

See ticket deflection use cases

Internal developer onboarding

Engineering teams at larger organizations spend weeks onboarding new hires to complex multi-project GitLab structures. With your codebase indexed, new engineers ask the AI about project architecture, CI/CD pipeline configurations, and module relationships instead of scheduling time with senior engineers. Onboarding ramp time compresses and institutional knowledge becomes searchable.

See internal knowledge base use cases

Pre-sales technical conversations

Enterprise buyers evaluating your platform want proof of integration depth. When a prospect asks about your API surface, authentication model, or SDK behavior, the AI answers from your actual GitLab project rather than from documentation that may be out of date. Sales engineers close more deals with less manual documentation work.

See technical pre-sales use cases

Keeping the AI's knowledge current

Zipchat indexes a snapshot of your project at connection time. There is no automatic re-sync when you push new commits or merge new requests. To update the AI's knowledge, reconnect the project from the Integrations dashboard.

For teams with active CI/CD pipelines and frequent merges, the recommended pattern is to reconnect after significant releases or major architectural changes.

The GitLab integration is available on all Zipchat Code plans. See pricing.

GitLab integration FAQ

Which GitLab instances does Zipchat support?

Zipchat supports GitLab SaaS (gitlab.com) and self-hosted GitLab instances where the hostname contains 'gitlab' in the subdomain (for example, gitlab.mycompany.com or gitlab.internal.corp). Custom hostnames that do not include 'gitlab' in the subdomain are not automatically detected.

What GitLab versions are supported for self-hosted instances?

Zipchat uses the standard GitLab API v4, which has been available since GitLab 8.x. We recommend running a supported GitLab version.

Does Zipchat support GitLab groups and subgroups?

You can connect individual GitLab projects within a group. Group-level connection (connecting all projects in a group at once) is not currently supported. Select each project individually from the Integrations dashboard.

What is the difference between connecting GitLab SaaS and self-hosted GitLab?

GitLab SaaS uses an OAuth flow. You authorize through your gitlab.com account and select the projects to connect. Self-hosted GitLab uses a Personal Access Token that you generate in your GitLab instance settings with read_repository scope. Both result in the same read-only snapshot indexing behavior.

Does Zipchat work with GitLab Community Edition (CE)?

Yes. The CE vs EE distinction does not affect the API endpoints Zipchat uses. Zipchat only requires the repository archive API, which is available in both editions.

How does the GitLab integration differ from the GitHub integration in what the AI can do?

The AI's capabilities are identical. Both integrations produce a read-only indexed snapshot of your codebase. Zipchat can answer the same range of technical questions regardless of which provider the code lives on. The difference is only in the setup path and the terminology used (merge requests vs pull requests, projects vs repos).

How do I update the AI's knowledge when my codebase changes?

Reconnect the project from the Integrations dashboard to pull a fresh snapshot of the current default branch. There is no automatic re-sync on code push.

How do I revoke access for a self-hosted GitLab connection?

Delete or revoke the Personal Access Token in your GitLab instance user settings under Access Tokens. This immediately terminates Zipchat's access to all connected projects.

Security summary: No model training on customer code. Code indexed in an isolated sandbox environment. GDPR-compliant data handling. Access revocable at any time by revoking the OAuth authorization or deleting the Personal Access Token.

Connect your GitLab projects to Zipchat

Works with GitLab SaaS and self-hosted instances. Your AI gets read access to source code, merge requests, and issues, and starts giving specific answers drawn from your actual codebase.