gitlab-ci-helper

Open-source GitLab CI helper that adds automation jobs to your project through an interactive setup wizard.

gitlab-ci-helper is designed for teams that want reusable CI automation without manually editing complex pipeline YAML. It configures your repository once, then keeps the setup stable and repeatable.

What it does

• Adds reusable helper jobs to your GitLab pipeline.
• Configures everything through an interactive setup wizard.
• Updates .gitlab-ci.yml idempotently (safe to run setup multiple times).
• Syncs required helper templates and scripts into .gitlab-ci-helper/.
• Supports these CI helper jobs:

Job	What it does
gitlab_ci_helper_auto_open_mr	Automatically creates or updates a merge request from your branch to the default branch based on your configured trigger mode. Useful for keeping branch-to-MR flow consistent with minimal manual steps.
gitlab_ci_helper_codex_review	Runs an AI-assisted code review for merge request changes and publishes structured feedback to GitLab discussions. Useful for fast first-pass review coverage before human review.

Install + quick start

Run this from the root of your GitLab repository (where .gitlab-ci.yml exists):

bash <(curl -fsSL https://github.com/miare-ir/GitlabCIHelper/releases/latest/download/gitlab-ci-helper-setup.sh)

The wizard will:

• inspect your local .gitlab-ci.yml include chain,
• ask for trigger/stage behavior per job,
• show a diff preview before applying,
• update .gitlab-ci.yml and .gitlab-ci-helper/config.yml,
• sync helper assets under .gitlab-ci-helper/templates/.

Commit .gitlab-ci-helper/ to your repository so CI has access to the synced scripts/templates.

Required CI/CD variables

Set these in GitLab: Settings > CI/CD > Variables.

Variable	Description
GITLAB_CI_HELPER_TOKEN	GitLab API token with project access
GITLAB_CI_HELPER_CODEX_AUTH	File variable used by the Codex review job
GITLAB_CI_HELPER_CODEX_IMAGE	Optional runner image override (default: same tag as the released helper binary, fallback :v0 for local/dev builds)

For reproducible pipelines, pin image tags to concrete versions (for example ghcr.io/miare-ir/gitlab-ci-helper-runner:v0.1.0).

Screenshots

Add your screenshots under docs/screenshots/ using the names below (or update the paths).

Project links

• Releases: https://github.com/miare-ir/GitlabCIHelper/releases
• Contribution guide: CONTRIBUTING.md