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A fully automated coding agent powered by GitHub Copilot CLI and GitLab CI/CD. This system enables autonomous code implementation and intelligent code review through issue assignments, merge request comments, and merge request reviewer assignments.

Youtube Demo videos

Setup:

• Copilot Coding Agent for GitLab - Setup Guide

How to use:

• Copilot Coding Agent for GitLab - How to use 2:30 – Create an issue in the app repo and assign it to Copilot
• Copilot Coding Agent for GitLab - How to use 11:24 – Let Copilot make some updates in the merge request via comments

Example repository

• Public GitLab Demo Repository app-repo-01
• Issue: A Webhook Receiver Application
• MR: A Webhook Receiver Application (#21)
• Update MR with comment: @copilot-agent Change readme to Spanish
• Code Review: Assign Copilot as MR Reviewer

graph TB
    subgraph "App Repository (Target Repo)"
        A[GitLab Issue/MR] -->|Issue assign to Copilot| C[Webhook Trigger]
        A[GitLab Issue/MR] -->|MR comment @copilot-agent| C[Webhook Trigger]
        A[GitLab Issue/MR] -->|MR assign Copilot as Reviewer| C[Webhook Trigger]
    end
    
    subgraph "Webhook Service"
        C -->|HTTP POST| D[Flask Service]
        D -->|Validate & Extract| E[Pipeline Variables]
        E -->|Trigger| F[GitLab API]
    end
    
    subgraph "Copilot Coding Agent Repo"
        F -->|Start Pipeline| G[CI/CD Pipeline]
        G -->|Issue: ack → plan → create_mr| H[Issue Workflow]
        G -->|MR Note: mr_update only| I[MR Note Workflow]
        G -->|MR Reviewer: mr_review| L[MR Review Workflow]
        H -->|implement → finalize| J[Copilot CLI]
        I -->|implement changes| J
        L -->|perform code review| J
        J -->|Generate Code| K[Git Commit & Push]
    end

    K -->|Update| A
    J -->|Post Comments| A
    L -->|Post Review Comments| A
    
    style D fill:#e1f5ff
    style G fill:#fff4e1
    style J fill:#e8f5e9

1. App Repository: Your application code repository where development happens
2. Webhook Service: Flask-based relay service that captures GitLab events
3. Copilot Coding Agent Repository: CI/CD orchestrator that runs the coding automation

Issue Assignment Workflow (Full automation):

Issue assigned to Copilot → Webhook → Trigger Pipeline → 
Acknowledge Issue → Generate TODO Plan → Create MR → 
Implement Code → Push Changes → Update MR & Issue

MR Note Workflow (Quick updates):

Comment @copilot-agent in MR → Webhook → Trigger Pipeline →
Acknowledge → Implement Changes → Push to Source Branch →
Post Summary Comment

MR Reviewer Workflow (Intelligent code review):

Assign Copilot as MR Reviewer → Webhook → Trigger Pipeline →
Acknowledge → Analyze Code Changes → Perform Comprehensive Review →
Post Detailed Review Comment

• GitLab Account with API access
• GitLab Runner (Docker/Kubernetes executor) (for CI/CD execution)
• GitHub Copilot CLI access and subscription
• Docker (optional, for running webhook service in container)

• App Repository: Maintainer role (to receive webhooks and create MRs)
• Copilot Coding Agent Repository: Owner role (to configure CI/CD)
• GitLab Personal Access Token with scopes:
  • api (full API access)
  • read_repository
  • write_repository

Suggested to create a dedicated GitLab user account for the Copilot agent for better permission management and activity auditing. You may use an existing account, but it is not recommended.

1. Create a new GitLab account named "Copilot" or similar

2. Generate a Personal Access Token for this account:

   • Go to User Settings → Personal Access Tokens
   • Token name: copilot-automation
   • Scopes: Select all scopes (or at minimum: api, read_repository, write_repository)
   • Save the token securely

3. Grant appropriate permissions to this user (choose one approach):

   • Option A (Recommended for organization-wide use): Set as GitLab Administrator or Group Owner
     • This allows the Copilot user to access all repositories in the GitLab instance or group
     • More convenient for managing multiple projects
   • Option B (Recommended for limited scope): Add as a member to specific App Repositories
     • Role: Developer or Maintainer
     • More granular control, suitable if you prefer restricted access
   • This user will be assigned to issues and create merge requests

Using Copilot user operations

1. Import this repository to your GitLab via Git URL

   • Use the Copilot user created in Step 1 as the repository owner, then import the repository to GitLab:

     https://github.com/satomic/gitlab-copilot-coding-agent.git

     
   • The newly imported repository's visibility should be set to Internal

2. Configure CI/CD Variables

   Go to Settings → CI/CD → Variables, add the following:

   Variable	Description	Protected	Masked
   GITLAB_TOKEN	Personal access token (from Step 1)	✅	✅
   GITHUB_TOKEN	GitHub Copilot CLI access token, including a valid GitHub Copilot subscription	✅	✅

   To generate the GITHUB_TOKEN which is a fine-grained PAT with the "Copilot Requests" permission enabled.:

   • Visit https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new
   • Under "Permissions," click "add permissions" and select "Copilot Requests"
   • Generate your token

   

   Remember to change the role that can use pipeline variables to Developer

3. Setup GitLab Runner

   If your GitLab instance already has available Runners with Docker/Kubernetes executors, you can skip this step.

   Ensure you have a GitLab Runner configured with:

   • Docker executor (recommended)
   • Access to Docker image: satomic/copilot-cli:latest

   if using tags, ensure the Runner has the corresponding tags, or update .gitlab-ci.yml as needed. New Runner registration can be completed following GitLab's page guidance, and can be registered at the project or group level. Here is an example for project level:

4. Configure Copilot CLI Access

   I have built the Docker image satomic/copilot-cli:latest which includes:

   • GitHub Copilot CLI installed
   • Authentication pre-configured, reading the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable

   Or build your own image with Copilot CLI access.

1. Create .env file

   cat > .env << EOF
   PIPELINE_TRIGGER_TOKEN=your-trigger-token, Generate in Settings → CI/CD → Pipeline trigger tokens of the repository created in Step 2
   PIPELINE_PROJECT_ID=your-project-id, This repository's project ID (found in Settings → General)
   PIPELINE_REF=main
   GITLAB_API_BASE=https://gitlab.com # Change to self-hosted instance if needed
   WEBHOOK_SECRET_TOKEN=
   COPILOT_AGENT_USERNAME=copilot-agent # GitLab ID of the Copilot bot
   COPILOT_AGENT_COMMIT_EMAIL=copilot@github.com # Email for git commits
   LISTEN_HOST=0.0.0.0
   LISTEN_PORT=8080
   ENABLE_INLINE_REVIEW_COMMENTS=true
   COPILOT_LANGUAGE=en
   EOF

   • PIPELINE_TRIGGER_TOKEN: Generated in Settings → CI/CD → Pipeline trigger tokens of the repository created in Step 2
   • PIPELINE_PROJECT_ID: This repository's project ID (found in Settings → General)
   • COPILOT_AGENT_USERNAME: GitLab ID of the Copilot bot user created in Step 1

2. Run with Docker

   docker run -itd \
     --name gitlab-copilot-coding-agent-hook \
     -p 8080:8080 \
     --env-file .env \
     --restart unless-stopped \
     satomic/gitlab-copilot-coding-agent-hook:latest

3. Run from source (optional)

   git clone https://github.com/satomic/gitlab-copilot-coding-agent.git
   cd gitlab-copilot-coding-agent/
   python3 main.py

4. Hook URL Obtain the public URL of the webhook service, e.g.,

   • http://your-server-ip:8080/webhook

Generally, developers who want to use the Copilot coding agent only need to configure the webhook in their own app repository, without accessing the Copilot coding agent repository.

1. Go to your App Repository → Settings → Webhooks

2. Create Webhook

   • URL: http://your-server-ip:8080/webhook
   • Secret Token: (same as WEBHOOK_SECRET_TOKEN)
   • Trigger: ✅ Issues events, ✅ Comments (note events), and ✅ Merge request events
   • Click Add webhook

3. Test the webhook

   • Click Test → Issue events
   • Check webhook service logs for successful reception
   • Verify HTTP 200/202 response

1. Test Issue Assignment

   • Create a test issue in App Repository
   • Assign it to the Copilot user
   • Watch the CI/CD pipeline trigger in Copilot Coding Agent repo
   • Verify MR creation and code implementation

2. Test MR Note

   • Create a test MR in App Repository
   • Comment: @copilot-agent add a hello world function
   • Verify pipeline execution and code changes

3. Test MR Reviewer

   • Create or open a test MR in App Repository, Assign Copilot user as a Reviewer
   • Verify pipeline execution and review comment posting, Check the detailed code review report posted by Copilot

4. Check Logs

   # Webhook service logs
   docker logs -f gitlab-copilot-coding-agent-hook
   
   # Check saved webhook payloads
   ls -la hooks/
   
   # Check pipeline logs
   # Go to Copilot Coding Agent repo → CI/CD → Pipelines

1. Create an Issue in your App Repository

   ## Requirements
   - Implement user authentication
   - Add password hashing
   - Create login endpoint
   - Add JWT token generation

2. Assign to Copilot

   • In the issue page, assign it to the "Copilot" user
   • The system will automatically start working

3. Track Progress

   • Copilot posts an acknowledgment comment with pipeline link
   • A merge request is created with TODO checklist
   • Code is implemented automatically
   • Final comment notifies completion

   Note: If a merge request already exists for the issue, Copilot will detect it and post a notification in the issue, asking you to continue work in the existing MR instead of creating a duplicate.

4. Review & Merge

   • Review the generated code in the MR
   • Request changes if needed (see MR Note usage below)
   • Approve and merge when satisfied

1. In an Existing MR, add a comment:

   @copilot-agent add error handling to the login function
   

2. Supported Instructions

   • Add features: @copilot-agent add unit tests for authentication
   • Fix bugs: @copilot-agent fix the null pointer exception in line 45
   • Refactor: @copilot-agent refactor the user service to use dependency injection
   • Update: @copilot-agent update dependencies to latest versions

3. Copilot will:

   • Acknowledge your request
   • Implement the changes
   • Commit and push to the MR branch
   • Post a summary of changes

1. On the MR page, assign Copilot user as a Reviewer

   • Find the "Reviewers" option on the right side of the MR page
   • Select the Copilot user (e.g., copilot-agent)

2. Copilot will:

   • Automatically trigger the code review workflow
   • Analyze all code changes between source and target branches
   • Perform comprehensive code review including:
     • Code quality and maintainability
     • Best practices and design patterns
     • Security vulnerability checks
     • Performance analysis
     • Test coverage assessment
     • Documentation completeness
   • Post detailed review report in MR, categorized by severity
   • Provide specific improvement suggestions and recommended fixes

3. Review Report Contents:

   • Overall assessment summary
   • Issues categorized by severity (Critical, Major, Minor, Suggestions)
   • Each issue includes file location, detailed description, and fix recommendations
   • Final review recommendation: APPROVE, REQUEST_CHANGES, or NEEDS_DISCUSSION

Writing Effective Issue Descriptions:

• Be specific about requirements
• Include acceptance criteria
• Provide context and examples
• Use checklists for multiple tasks

Using MR Note Commands:

• One clear instruction per comment
• Reference specific files/functions when possible
• Be concise but descriptive
• Wait for completion before next instruction

Code Review:

• Always review generated code
• Test the implementation
• Check for security issues
• Verify coding standards compliance

The following files are generated during execution but excluded from commits:

• patch_raw.txt - Raw Copilot output
• todo.md / todo_completed.md - Task checklists
• plan.json - Execution plan
• commit_msg.txt - Generated commit message
• mr_summary.txt - Change summary

1. Check webhook delivery

   • App Repo → Settings → Webhooks → View Recent Deliveries
   • Look for 2xx status codes

2. Verify webhook service

   curl -X POST https://webhook.yourdomain.com/webhook \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"test": true}'