gitlabJul 20, 2026

Automate work item assignment with GitLab Duo (opens in new tab)

The GitLab Duo Agent Platform’s new **“Work item created”** trigger automates triage as soon as an issue or other work item is created. A custom flow can assess team workloads and assign the item without manual intervention, improving speed and workload balance. The post demonstrates this using two agents and GitLab Orbit. ## The Problem with Manual Assignment - Team members must repeatedly check capacity, workload, meetings, and PTO before routing each work item. - Manual triage becomes slow and inconsistent as issue volume grows. - Previously, GitLab Duo Flows required a human action—such as a mention or assignment—to start. ## How the Trigger Works - The trigger fires immediately when a work item is created in a configured project. - Flows run continuously in the background without requiring someone to initiate them. - This enables instant, scalable routing while developers focus on higher-value decisions. ## Benefits of Automated Triage - Assigns and routes work immediately. - Handles anything from a single issue to hundreds of items. - Applies workload and availability criteria consistently. - Removes repetitive assignment work from team leads and developers. ## Example: The “Work Item Assigner” Flow - The demonstrated flow runs in the `Intra-account-transfers` project. - Its first agent uses GitLab Orbit to determine each resource’s number of open work items across the top-level group. - A second agent identifies the least-loaded person and assigns the new work item to them. - When a new issue is created, the flow activity log shows both agents executing their steps. - In the example, the issue is automatically assigned to William, who has the lightest workload. ## Potential Enhancements - Connect the flow to HR or PTO systems through Model Context Protocol (MCP) to account for upcoming leave. - Integrate team calendars to consider real-time availability when making assignments. The post recommends using the “Work item created” trigger with workload-aware agents to automate routine assignment decisions, achieve faster triage, and distribute work more evenly.

event-driven-automationai-agentmodel-context-protocolworkflow-automation+3

gitlabJul 16, 2026

Turn multi-step software delivery into agentic flows you can trust (opens in new tab)

GitLab Duo Agent Platform’s Custom Flows are now generally available, enabling teams to automate multi-step software delivery rather than relying on chat responses, scripts, or manual runbooks. Flows can start from GitLab events or Agentic Chat, execute tasks across projects, and include human approval checkpoints. The goal is dependable, repeatable automation for work such as implementing issues, repairing pipelines, and reviewing merge requests. ## Why Software Delivery Remains Manual - Real development tasks involve multiple steps: gathering context, changing code, opening a merge request, waiting for CI, and responding to reviews. - Without workflows, people must manually coordinate each handoff and remember undocumented team practices. - Teams previously hesitated to formalize these processes because Custom Flows lacked production readiness and sufficient event coverage. ## What Agentic Flows Provide - Automate trusted sequences triggered by events such as: - Mentions and assignments - Pipeline activity - Merge request lifecycle changes - Work item updates - Run under a composite identity, keeping permissions bounded and actions attributable. - Launch specialist workflows from Agentic Chat, including: - Developer Flow for implementing changes - Code Review Flow for reviewing merge requests - Fix CI/CD Pipeline Flow for diagnosing and repairing failures - Require user approval before handing work from chat to a flow, while displaying progress inline. - Use review exclusions to avoid automatically reviewing bot-authored or branch-pattern merge requests. - Apply custom review instructions so automated reviews match team standards. ## Custom Flow Configuration - Create flows from a project or the AI Catalog. - Set visibility, enable flows for selected projects, and attach GitLab event triggers. - Add human-in-the-loop checkpoints for sensitive operations. - GitLab 19.2 adds: - A “work item status changed” trigger - Bulk enablement of public flows across up to 100 projects - A future Flow Creation Agent is planned to generate runnable flow definitions from plain-language descriptions. ## Costs and Adoption - Event-driven flows consume GitLab credits according to the work they perform. - GitLab recommends testing flows in a small number of projects before broad deployment. - Access is available through a GitLab Duo Agent Platform trial or through included credits for Premium and Ultimate subscribers. Teams should begin by encoding a few well-understood delivery processes as Custom Flows, adding approval gates where necessary, and expanding gradually while monitoring credit usage and automation quality.

event-driven-automationai-agentci-cdgitlab-duo-agent-platform+3

gitlabJun 18, 2026

AI Catalog updates for governance and operations (opens in new tab)

GitLab 19.1 expands the AI Catalog from a manually triggered tool into a governed automation platform. New event-driven Duo Flow triggers, configuration validation, agent restrictions, and model allowlists help enterprises run AI workflows continuously while maintaining security and operational control. The release is designed to make agentic automation safer and more reliable at production scale. ## Event-Driven Duo Flow Automation - Four new triggers let flows respond automatically to GitLab events: - Merge request code conflicts - Draft merge requests becoming ready for review - Merge request approvals - New work item creation - These triggers enable automated conflict summaries, compliance checks, deployment readiness checks, notifications, triage, labeling, and routing. - Pipeline triggers can now filter for specific states: failure, success, or cancellation. - Conflict-detected and draft-to-ready triggers are enabled by default. - A beta pattern-based approval tier lets developers approve repeated tool uses for an entire session instead of approving each invocation individually. ## Governance for Agents and Flows - Instance administrators and top-level group owners gain controls over which AI content users can run. - **Disable custom agents and flows** prevents users from creating or enabling custom-built content. - **Restrict the AI Catalog to your group hierarchy** blocks AI Catalog items from outside the organization’s namespace, including community and third-party contributions. - These controls help prevent unapproved agents and workflows from entering regulated or production environments. ## Pre-Save Flow Configuration Validation - GitLab now validates AI Catalog flow configurations against the Duo Workflow Service before saving them. - Errors such as missing inputs or invalid tool parameters appear directly in the UI. - This moves troubleshooting to configuration time, reducing the risk of broken or overly active flows running in production. ## Approved AI Model Controls - A public beta lets administrators define an allowlist of approved AI models. - Organizations can also set an organization-wide default model. - Teams retain flexibility within approved boundaries while meeting provider, compliance, or data-residency requirements. - The first version applies to GitLab Duo Agentic Chat, with broader coverage planned. Overall, GitLab 19.1 recommends treating AI workflows like production automation: trigger them from real events, validate them before deployment, and govern both the agents and models they use. Enterprises adopting the AI Catalog should configure the new restrictions and model policies before enabling widespread automated flows.

event-driven-automationai-agentgitlabci-cd+3

gitlabJan 14, 2026

Introduction to GitLab Duo Agent Platform (opens in new tab)

GitLab Duo Agent Platform introduces an AI orchestration layer designed to move beyond simple code generation into full software development lifecycle (SDLC) automation. By utilizing specialized agents and asynchronous flows, the platform enables teams to delegate complex tasks like code reviews and pipeline fixes to AI "team members" who possess full context of the project. This transition from linear workflows to multi-agent collaboration allows developers to maintain oversight through detailed session logs while focusing on high-level innovation. ### Core Functionality and SDLC Context * The platform acts as an orchestration layer that enables asynchronous collaboration between human developers and specialized AI agents. * It utilizes deep SDLC context, pulling data from issues, epics, merge requests, CI/CD logs, wikis, and security scans to inform AI actions. * Automation is designed to understand and adhere to specific organizational standards, practices, and compliance requirements. ### Agent Interaction and Interface Methods * **GitLab Duo Agentic Chat:** Provides a real-time, synchronous interface via a persistent panel in both the GitLab Web UI and supported IDEs. * **Triggered Foundational Flows:** Users can invoke pre-built GitLab workflows, such as "Fix CI/CD Pipeline" or "Convert Jenkins to GitLab CI/CD," directly within the platform. * **Custom and External Flows:** Automated workflows can be triggered asynchronously by @mentioning agents or assigning reviewers in issue and merge request comments. * **External Agent Support:** The platform supports third-party models like Claude Code and OpenAI Codex, executing them on GitLab platform compute via runner execution. ### Distinguishing Agents from Flows * **Agents:** These are specialized assistants defined by unique system prompts and toolsets; they are best suited for interactive tasks and instant feedback within the chat interface. * **Flows:** These are autonomous, multi-step workflows designed for complex background tasks, such as multi-file refactoring or event-driven automation. * **Execution Environment:** While agents are interactive, flows run asynchronously on platform compute, triggered by specific GitLab events or user assignments. ### Platform Management and Transparency * **AI Catalog:** A centralized library for discovering, creating, and sharing custom agents and flows across an entire organization. * **Automate Hub:** A management center used to configure triggers, monitor active flows, and manage agent permissions. * *Sessions:** Every interaction creates a session log that provides a transparent "decision trail," including agent reasoning, tool calls, and pipeline execution status. * **Model Selection:** Starting with GitLab 18.4, users can select specific foundational models for their conversations within the Web UI to better suit the task at hand. Teams looking to implement the GitLab Duo Agent Platform should begin by utilizing foundational flows for common tasks like pipeline debugging before moving toward custom agent creation. Reviewing the transparency logs in the "Sessions" view is highly recommended to refine agent prompts and ensure that automated actions align with internal development standards.

event-driven-automationgitlab-duo-agent-platformdeveloper-toolsgitlab-ci-cd+4

gitlabJan 14, 2026

Monitor, manage, and automate AI workflows (opens in new tab)

The GitLab Duo Agent Platform’s Automate capabilities provide a centralized framework for managing, executing, and monitoring AI-driven development workflows within the software development lifecycle. By integrating event-driven triggers and detailed session logging, the platform allows developers to transition from manual AI interactions to fully autonomous, production-ready processes. This orchestration layer ensures that AI agents are not only performant but also transparent and easy to audit across projects. ## Resource Management for Agents and Flows The Automate hub serves as the control center for organizing AI resources, distinguishing between agents (entities that perform tasks) and flows (structured sequences of actions). * Resources are categorized into "Enabled" (those available for project use) and "Managed" (those created and owned specifically by the project). * Custom agents and flows must be enabled at the top-level group before they can be activated for specific projects. * Users can expand their automation library by browsing and enabling pre-configured resources from the GitLab AI Catalog. ## Event-Driven Automation with Triggers Triggers allow AI agents to respond automatically to specific actions within the GitLab interface, eliminating the need for manual invocation. * Automation can be initiated through three primary event types: user mentions (e.g., `@agent-name`), issue/MR assignments, or reviewer assignments. * When a trigger is activated, the system identifies the associated flow, executes the agent, and posts the final results directly back to the relevant issue or merge request. * Common use cases include using the `/assign` quick action to trigger a CI/CD optimizer or a code explanation agent. ## Workflow Monitoring and Session Transparency The Sessions interface provides a detailed audit trail for every execution, offering visibility into the "black box" of AI decision-making. * The Activity tab tracks step-by-step reasoning, showing exactly which tools the agent used and the results of individual actions. * Execution statuses are monitored in real-time, with labels such as Running, Finished, Failed, or Input Required. * The Details tab provides deep technical context by linking directly to Runner job logs, including system messages and full tool invocation outputs. ## Practical Conclusion To maximize the utility of the GitLab Duo Agent Platform, teams should move beyond experimental chat prompts and begin configuring triggers for repetitive tasks like code review assignments or issue triaging. Utilizing the Sessions tool is recommended during the initial rollout phase to verify agent reasoning and ensure that custom flows are interacting correctly with project data before full-scale deployment.

event-driven-automationgitlabdevsecopsai-ml+4