How to simply push from gitlab runner

March 30, 2022

Medium

Here’s a simple way to execute a git push from inside a gitlab runner.

Samuel Richard Magny / Push From Gitlab Runner

1. Generate an Access Token (or Personal Access Token)

From Project Access Token

Go to Settings > Access Token , and create a new token.
Check read_repository and write_repository

Settings > Access Token

OR from Personal Access Token

Go to User > Preferences > Access Token , and create a new token.
Check read_repository and write_repository

User > Preferences > Access Token

2. Assign the Access Token to the CI/CD Pipeline

Go to Settings > CI/CD > Variables and add the variable.
You may name itGIT_PUSH_TOKEN .

Settings > CI/CD > Variables
Add Access Token variable

3. Allow the pipeline pushing commits to the repository

Set reusable following step, to be done at global before_script or at each steps that need to make a git

.configure-git-push: &configure-git-push |
  git remote set-url origin https://CI:${GIT_PUSH_TOKEN}@${CI_REPOSITORY_URL#*@}
  git config --global user.name "CI"
  git config --global user.email "ci@my.domain"

For example, this step may change a file according to a new version, then make a commit, tag the new commit and push changes.

commit new version:
  script:
    - *configure-git-push

    - <update version file>

    - git commit -m "[ci skip] New Version ${NEW_VERSION}" <CHANGED FILE>
    - git push origin HEAD:$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH -o ci.skip

    # Tag the commit
    - COMMIT_ID=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
    - TAG_NAME="v-${NEW_VERSION}"
    - git tag $TAG_NAME $COMMIT_ID -f
    - git push origin $TAG_NAME -o ci.skip

It’s that simple!

Fully working example link on top of the article!