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Push options

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When you push changes to a branch, you can use client-side Git push options. In Git 2.10 and later, use Git push options to:

In Git 2.18 and later, you can use either the long format (--push-option) or the shorter -o:

git push -o <push_option>

In Git 2.10 to 2.17, you must use the long format:

git push --push-option=<push_option>

For server-side controls and enforcement of best practices, see push rules and server hooks.

Push options for GitLab CI/CD

You can use push options to skip a CI/CD pipeline, or pass CI/CD variables.

NOTE: Push options are not available for merge request pipelines. For more information, see issue 373212.

Push option Description Example
ci.skip Do not create a CI/CD pipeline for the latest push. Skips only branch pipelines and not merge request pipelines. This does not skip pipelines for CI/CD integrations, such as Jenkins. git push -o ci.skip
ci.variable="<name>=<value>" Provide CI/CD variables to the CI/CD pipeline, if one is created due to the push. Passes variables only to branch pipelines and not merge request pipelines. git push -o ci.variable="MAX_RETRIES=10" -o ci.variable="MAX_TIME=600"
integrations.skip_ci Skip push events for CI/CD integrations, such as Atlassian Bamboo, Buildkite, Drone, Jenkins, and JetBrains TeamCity. Introduced in GitLab 16.2. git push -o integrations.skip_ci

Push options for merge requests

Git push options can perform actions for merge requests while pushing changes:

Push option Description
merge_request.create Create a new merge request for the pushed branch.
merge_request.target=<branch_name> Set the target of the merge request to a particular branch, such as: git push -o merge_request.target=branch_name.
merge_request.target_project=<project> Set the target of the merge request to a particular upstream project, such as: git push -o merge_request.target_project=path/to/project. Introduced in GitLab 16.6.
merge_request.merge_when_pipeline_succeeds Set the merge request to merge when its pipeline succeeds.
merge_request.remove_source_branch Set the merge request to remove the source branch when it's merged.
merge_request.title="<title>" Set the title of the merge request. For example: git push -o merge_request.title="The title I want".
merge_request.description="<description>" Set the description of the merge request. For example: git push -o merge_request.description="The description I want".
merge_request.draft Mark the merge request as a draft. For example: git push -o merge_request.draft. Introduced in GitLab 15.0.
merge_request.milestone="<milestone>" Set the milestone of the merge request. For example: git push -o merge_request.milestone="3.0". Introduced in GitLab 14.1.
merge_request.label="<label>" Add labels to the merge request. If the label does not exist, it is created. For example, for two labels: git push -o merge_request.label="label1" -o merge_request.label="label2".
merge_request.unlabel="<label>" Remove labels from the merge request. For example, for two labels: git push -o merge_request.unlabel="label1" -o merge_request.unlabel="label2".
merge_request.assign="<user>" Assign users to the merge request. Accepts username or user ID. For example, for two users: git push -o merge_request.assign="user1" -o merge_request.assign="user2". Support for usernames added in GitLab 15.5.
merge_request.unassign="<user>" Remove assigned users from the merge request. Accepts username or user ID. For example, for two users: git push -o merge_request.unassign="user1" -o merge_request.unassign="user2". Support for usernames added in GitLab 15.5.

Formats for push options

If your push option requires text containing spaces, enclose the text in double quotes ("). You can omit the quotes if there are no spaces. Some examples:

git push -o merge_request.label="Label with spaces"
git push -o merge_request.label=Label-with-no-spaces

To combine push options to accomplish multiple tasks at once, use multiple -o (or --push-option) flags. This command creates a new merge request, targets a branch (my-target-branch), and sets auto-merge:

git push -o merge_request.create -o merge_request.target=my-target-branch -o merge_request.merge_when_pipeline_succeeds

Create Git aliases for common commands

Adding push options to Git commands can create very long commands. If you use the same push options frequently, create Git aliases for them. Git aliases are command-line shortcuts for longer Git commands.

To create and use a Git alias for the merge when pipeline succeeds Git push option:

  1. In your terminal window, run this command:

    git config --global alias.mwps "push -o merge_request.create -o merge_request.target=main -o merge_request.merge_when_pipeline_succeeds"

  2. To use the alias to push a local branch that targets the default branch (main) and auto-merges, run this command:

    git mwps origin <local-branch-name>

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