GitLab CI/CD Integration

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Quick Setup

Add Lingo.dev to your GitLab pipeline by including this in your .gitlab-ci.yml file:

lingodotdev:
  image: lingodotdev/ci-action:latest
  script:
    - echo "Done"

Required Environment Variables

Configure these in your repository under Settings → CI/CD → Variables:

1. LINGODOTDEV_API_KEY - Your Lingo.dev API key
2. GL_TOKEN - A GitLab access token with these scopes:
   • api
   • read_repository
   • write_repository

Important: The default CI job token is not sufficient. You must create a custom access token in Settings → Access tokens → Add new token.

Note: For protected branches, make sure your variables are also marked as protected. Unprotected variables won't be accessible in protected branch pipelines.

Pull Request Mode

Enable pull request creation instead of direct commits:

lingodotdev:
  image: lingodotdev/ci-action:latest
  variables:
    LINGODOTDEV_PULL_REQUEST: "true"
  script:
    - echo "Done"

Complete Pipeline Example

This example automatically translates content when pushing to feature branches:

lingodotdev:
  image: lingodotdev/ci-action:latest
  script:
    - echo "Done"
  rules:
    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "push" && $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH = /^feat/

How the Integration Works

The GitLab integration follows this process:

1. Runs the translation engine to detect and translate new content
2. Stages all translation changes
3. Either commits directly to your branch or creates a merge request
4. Handles conflicts automatically through rebasing

Configuration Options

Variable	Description	Default
LINGODOTDEV_API_KEY	Your Lingo.dev API key	Repository variable
LINGODOTDEV_PULL_REQUEST	Create merge request instead of direct push	false
LINGODOTDEV_PULL_REQUEST_TITLE	Custom merge request title	feat: update translations via @lingodotdev
LINGODOTDEV_COMMIT_MESSAGE	Custom commit message	feat: update translations via @lingodotdev
LINGODOTDEV_WORKING_DIRECTORY	Custom working directory	.
LINGODOTDEV_PROCESS_OWN_COMMITS	Process this action's commits	false
GL_TOKEN	GitLab access token	Repository variable

Example with Custom Options

lingodotdev:
  image: lingodotdev/ci-action:latest
  variables:
    GL_TOKEN: $MY_GL_TOKEN
    LINGODOTDEV_API_KEY: $MY_LINGODOTDEV_API_KEY
    LINGODOTDEV_PULL_REQUEST: "true"
    LINGODOTDEV_PULL_REQUEST_TITLE: "feat: update translations"
    LINGODOTDEV_COMMIT_MESSAGE: "feat: update translations"
    LINGODOTDEV_WORKING_DIRECTORY: "apps/web"
    LINGODOTDEV_PROCESS_OWN_COMMITS: "true"
  script:
    - echo "Done"
  rules:
    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "push" && $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH = /^feat/

Troubleshooting Common Errors

Error	Solution
remote: HTTP Basic: Access denied	Add the GL_TOKEN variable in your CI/CD settings
GitbeakerRequestError: Forbidden	Your GitLab token is missing the api scope