GitLab CI Visualizer
Preview and analyze GitLab CI pipelines directly in VSCode. Open a .gitlab-ci.yml, simulate any branch or pipeline condition, and see which jobs actually run - rendered as an interactive graph.
Usage
Open any .yml or .yaml file, then click the preview button in the editor title bar or run Preview GitLab CI from the command palette.
The panel opens beside your file with:
- your current git branch pre-filled
- the open file already loaded
- analysis running automatically
Click any job node to see the full rule trace: every rules:, only:, or except: entry, whether it matched, and why the job runs or is skipped.
GitLab integration
Run GitLab CI: Configure Authentication from the command palette to store a Personal Access Token (needs api scope, Developer role on the project).
With a token configured, use Analyze with GitLab to:
- Resolve all
include: files server-side via the GitLab CI lint API - you see the full merged pipeline, not just what's in the file you have open
- Automatically resolve triggered downstream pipelines (see below)
Triggered downstream pipelines
Jobs with a trigger: keyword show a trigger → badge. After analysis, their downstream pipeline is resolved automatically:
| Trigger type |
How it resolves |
trigger: {include: child.yml} |
Reads the file from your workspace - no token needed |
trigger: {project: group/project} |
Fetches and lints the downstream project via the GitLab API |
Click the trigger job in the graph, then click View downstream pipeline → in the details panel to navigate into it. A breadcrumb in the toolbar lets you go back to the main pipeline.
Features
- Pipeline graph - stage lanes with dependency edges, including
needs: edges
- Artifact flow view - separate tab showing how artifacts pass between jobs (amber edges)
- Rule evaluation -
rules:if, only:, except: evaluated against your chosen branch, pipeline source, and variables
- Rule trace - click a job to see every rule and its outcome
extends: resolution - single and multi-parent inheritance, child wins on conflictsparallel:matrix expansion - cartesian product expanded into instance cards with variable chips- Job badges -
allow_failure, when, interruptible, retry, release, coverage, pages, trigger, and more
- Variable suggestions - branches and CI variables read from your config and offered as suggestions
- GitLab-resolved analysis -
include: resolved server-side; downstream pipelines fetched and shown inline
What the analyzer handles
| Feature |
Notes |
rules:if |
==, !=, =~, !~, &&, \|\|, null checks |
only: / except: |
refs, branches, tags, merge requests, schedules, regex |
extends: |
single and multi-parent, deep merge |
parallel:matrix |
cartesian expansion, instance cards in details panel |
needs: |
explicit dependencies as direct edges |
needs[].artifacts |
tracked to exclude from artifact flow |
dependencies: |
explicit artifact source override |
when: |
on_success, on_failure, always, manual, never |
.pre / .post |
dropped when no middle-stage job runs |
trigger: |
badge shown; downstream pipeline resolved automatically |
changes: and exists: are both assumed true (no filesystem context).
License
MIT
| |
