Git & GitLab Setup

March 24, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

Cyrus uses your local Git and GitLab CLI (glab) authentication to create commits and merge requests. This guide explains how to configure these tools and what permissions Cyrus will have.

Understanding Permissions

Important: Cyrus operates with the same permissions as your authenticated Git and GitLab CLI user.

When Cyrus creates commits and MRs:

  • All commits are attributed to your Git user (git config user.name and user.email)
  • All MRs are created under your GitLab account
  • Your repository access permissions apply to all operations
  • Co-authored-by attribution is disabled by default (configured via .claude/settings.json)

This means Cyrus can access any repository your authenticated user can access. Configure authentication carefully based on what repositories you want Cyrus to work with.

Git Configuration

Configure Git with your identity:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Set up SSH keys for Git operations:

# Generate SSH key (if you don't have one)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"

# Start the SSH agent
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

# Add your key to the agent
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# Copy the public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Add the public key to your GitLab account at Preferences > SSH Keys (e.g., https://gitlab.com/-/user_settings/ssh_keys).

GitLab CLI Setup

Install and authenticate the GitLab CLI for MR creation:

Installation

macOS:

brew install glab

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

# Add the GitLab CLI repository
curl -s "https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/-/raw/main/scripts/install.sh" | sudo bash

Other platforms: See gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli

Authentication

glab auth login

Follow the prompts to authenticate. For self-hosted GitLab instances:

glab auth login --hostname gitlab.example.com

For servers without a browser, use a personal access token:

echo "your-token" | glab auth login --stdin --hostname gitlab.example.com

Verify Setup

# Check Git config
git config --global user.name
git config --global user.email

# Check GitLab CLI
glab auth status

Security Considerations

  • Use a dedicated account for Cyrus if you want to limit its access
  • Repository access is determined by your SSH key and GitLab token permissions
  • Review permissions before adding repositories to Cyrus
  • Audit commits - Cyrus-authored MRs include a <!-- generated-by-cyrus --> marker for traceability