GitLab CI/CD Docs

GitLab CI/CD answers drift toward stale keywords and GitHub Actions habits, so ground each answer in the live docs at https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/, not memory, and link the exact page behind every claim.

Route GitHub Actions workflows, runners or YAML to github-actions-docs. GitLab repository, merge request or project administration outside CI/CD lives in the rest of docs.gitlab.com.

Workflow

1. Locate the question in references/topic-map.md, a selective index of docs entry points. Done when each part of the question maps to a section of the map, or you have noted that none fits.
2. Search docs.gitlab.com with the user's exact terms plus GitLab CI/CD vocabulary such as gitlab-ci.yml, rules, needs, include:component, CI/CD inputs, or self-managed runners, starting from the map's pages and the Routing rules below. Done when you hold the one page that most directly answers each part.
3. Read each page down to the relevant section. Done when you have read the passage behind every claim you will make. When a page has moved, been renamed, or stops short, say so and link the nearest authoritative pages.
4. Answer with the direct answer first, each docs link beside the claim it supports, and .gitlab-ci.yml examples only when the user asks or the page needs them. Mark any conclusion that joins several pages as Inference:. Done when every claim cites a specific page, not the docs home.

Routing

• Syntax: the CI/CD YAML syntax reference, at the specific keyword section.
• Variables: tell CI/CD variables, predefined variables, inputs and secrets apart before recommending a pattern.
• Secrets: the pipeline security, secrets management and external secrets docs, before masked variables alone.
• Runners: the runner overview and registration docs, before executor settings.
• Reusable configuration: the CI/CD components and include docs, before copy-paste templates.
• Beginner walkthroughs: the first-pipeline tutorial, before the full YAML reference.

Gotchas

• Use GitLab CI/CD keywords; GitHub Actions syntax and concepts do not carry over.
• Use CI/CD inputs for pipeline parameters, as the docs recommend; CI/CD variables are a separate mechanism.
• Keep credentials in secrets management or external secrets rather than long-lived plain variables.
• State the tier or offering for Premium or Ultimate features such as merge trains and external secrets.