Monitor GitLab merge requests from the VS Code activity bar and create merge requests for the current branch using the templates in .gitlab/merge_request_templates.
Features
Monitor: shows your open merge requests for the current project (detected from the git remote) as compact cards – pipeline status + stage, merge-conflict warning, and an approvals (approved / required) pill. Click a card title to open the MR in the browser.
Pipeline details: click the pipeline badge to expand all stages and jobs; failing jobs can be retried individually, manual jobs show a Play button, failed pipelines offer Retry failed and Run new pipeline (start a fresh MR pipeline).
Copy: per-MR copy link button, plus a Copy all MRs button on top.
Edit after creation: each card has an Edit description action that opens a prefilled form (title + markdown description) and updates the MR in place.
Inline review comments: when your current branch has an open MR, its GitLab code-review comments are shown anchored to the exact lines in the editor (VS Code Comments API — gutter + Comments panel). System/bot notes are skipped. Toggle with the gitlabMr.showCommentsInEditor setting.
Create MR: creates a merge request from the current branch. It reads the repository's .gitlab/merge_request_templates folder and shows a form to fill in the description, changes, testing and checklist sections, quick actions from the template, and any placeholders in the template (e.g. PUT ID HERE) as dedicated input fields. If the project root contains a conventionalCommits.json (with requireScopes and a scopes list), the title is built as a conventional commit (type(scope): description) with the type and scope picked from drop-downs.
Notifications: desktop toast (and OS popup for critical events) when a new comment arrives, a pipeline status changes, or a merge conflict appears.
From the Marketplace: install gitlab-mr-monitor from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace (once published).
Usage
Reload the window. On first activation you'll be asked for your GitLab server URL (once) and your personal access token (stored in VS Code's secure secret storage).
Open a Git repository whose origin remote points at a GitLab project.
Open the GitLab MR activity bar view — your open merge requests appear as cards.
Use the toolbar buttons to refresh or create a new merge request.
Creating a merge request
The extension reads .gitlab/merge_request_templates from the repository root; pick a template and fill in the form.
Template placeholders like PUT ID HERE or <PUT_ID_HERE> become dedicated input fields and are substituted into the description.
If conventionalCommits.json exists at the project root:
the title is composed from drop-downs: fix(actionbuilder): action was not populating.
Commands
Command
Description
GitLab MR: Refresh
Refresh the MR list
GitLab MR: Create Merge Request from current branch
Start the MR creation wizard
GitLab MR: Set GitLab Token
Store your GitLab personal access token (kept in VS Code secrets)
Configuration
gitlabMr.baseUrl – GitLab instance base URL (default: https://gitlab.com).
gitlabMr.refreshIntervalMinutes – auto-refresh interval in minutes (default 5).
gitlabMr.notifyDesktop – also fire OS desktop popups for critical events (default true).
gitlabMr.showCommentsInEditor – show the open MR's review comments inline in the editor (default true).
Token
The extension stores the GitLab personal access token in VS Code's secure secret storage. On first activation it asks for the token; you can also set it anytime with the GitLab MR: Set GitLab Token command. Tokens are never written to disk by the extension.
Development
npm run compile # type-check and build to out/
npm run watch # incremental build
npm test # compile + run the unit tests
