GitLab Query Language (GLQL)

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  • Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated

Version history

GitLab Query Language (GLQL) is a single query language for all of GitLab. Use it to filter and embed content from anywhere in the platform, using familiar syntax.

Embed queries in Markdown code blocks. An embedded view is the rendered output of a GLQL source code block.

Share your feedback in the embedded views, powered by GLQL, feedback issue.

Query syntax

The query syntax consists primarily of logical expressions. These expressions follow the syntax of <field> <operator> <value> and ....

Data sources

GLQL can query different data sources such as work items, merge requests, pipelines, jobs, and projects.

For a full list of supported data sources, see GLQL data sources.

Fields

Use fields to filter, display, and sort results.

The fields you can use depend on the data source you are querying. For a full list of supported fields, operators, and values for each data source, see GLQL fields.

Operators

Comparison operators:

GLQL operator Description Equivalent in search
= Equals / Includes all in list is (equal to)
!= Doesn't equal / Isn't contained in list is not (equal to)
in Contained in list or / is one of
> Greater than no
< Less than no
>= Greater than or equal to no
<= Less than or equal to no

Logical operators: Only and is supported. or is indirectly supported for some fields by using the in comparison operator.

Values

Values can include:

  • Strings
  • Numbers
  • Relative dates (like -1d, 2w, -6m, or 1y)
  • Absolute dates (in YYYY-MM-DD format, like 2025-01-01)
  • Functions (like currentUser() for user fields or today() for dates)
  • Enum values (like upcoming or started for milestones)
  • Booleans (true or false)
  • Nullable values (like null, none, or any)
  • GitLab references (like ~label for a label, %Backlog for a milestone, or @username for a user)
  • Lists containing any of the previous values (surrounded by parenthesis: () and delimited by commas: ,)

Embedded views

An embedded view is the output of a GLQL source code block in Markdown. The source includes YAML attributes that describe how to display the GLQL query results, along with the query.

Supported areas

Version history

  • Embedded views in repository Markdown files introduced in GitLab 18.3.

Embedded views can be displayed in the following areas:

  • Group and project wikis
  • Descriptions and comments of:
    • Epics
    • Issues
    • Merge requests
    • Work items (tasks, OKRs, or epics)
  • Repository Markdown files

Syntax

The syntax of an embedded view's source is a superset of YAML that consists of:

  • The query parameter: Expressions joined together with a logical operator, such as and.
  • Parameters related to the presentation layer, like display, limit, or fields, title, and description represented as YAML.

A view is defined in Markdown as a code block, similar to other code blocks like Mermaid.

For example:

  • Display a table of first 5 open issues assigned to the authenticated user in gitlab-org/gitlab.
  • Display columns title, state, health, description, epic, milestone, weight, and updated.
```glql
display: table
title: GLQL table 🎉
description: This view lists my open issues
fields: title, state, health, epic, milestone, weight, updated
limit: 5
query: type = Issue AND group = "gitlab-org" AND assignee = currentUser() AND state = opened
```

This source should render a table like the one below:

A table listing issues assigned to the current user

Presentation syntax

Version history
  • Changed in GitLab 17.7: Configuring the presentation layer using YAML front matter is deprecated.
  • title and description parameters introduced in GitLab 17.10.
  • Sorting and pagination introduced in GitLab 18.2.
  • collapsed parameter introduced in GitLab 18.3.

Aside from the query parameter, you can configure presentation details for your view using some more optional parameters.

Supported parameters:

Parameter Default Description
collapsed false Whether to collapse or expand the view.
description None An optional description to display below the title.
display list How to display query results. For the available types, see Display types.
displayConfig None Display-type-specific options, such as stacked for column charts. See Display types.
fields title A comma-separated list of fields to include in the view.
limit 100 How many items to display on the first page. The maximum value is 100.
sort updated desc The field to sort the data by followed by a sort order (asc or desc).
title Embedded table view or Embedded list view A title displayed at the top of the embedded view.

Pagination

Version history

Embedded views display the first page of results by default. The limit parameter controls the number of items shown.

To load the next page, in the last row, select Load more.

Field functions

To create dynamically generated columns, use functions in the fields parameters in views. For a full list, see Functions in embedded views.

Custom field aliases

Version history

To rename a table view's column to a custom value, use the AS syntax keyword to alias fields.

```glql
display: list
fields: title, labels("workflow::*") AS "Workflow", labels("priority::*") AS "Priority"
limit: 5
query: type = Issue AND project = "gitlab-org/gitlab" AND assignee = currentUser() AND state = opened
```

This source displays a view with columns Title, Workflow and Priority.

Display types

The display parameter controls how an embedded view renders query results, for example as a list, table, or column chart. By default, results display as a list.

For the full list of display types and their configuration, see GLQL display types.

View actions

Version history

When a view appears on a page, use the View actions ({ellipsis_v}) dropdown list to take an action on it.

Supported actions:

Action Description
View source View the source of the view.
Copy source Copy the source of the view to clipboard.
Copy contents Copy the table or list contents to clipboard.
Reload Reload this view.

Analytics mode

  • Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate
  • Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated

Version history

GLQL supports an analytics mode for data sources that provide aggregated metrics. Analytics mode queries use dimensions and metrics instead of fields to group and aggregate data.

Some data sources support both standard and analytics mode. See each data source page for supported modes.

Syntax

Analytics mode queries use the following structure:

```glql
mode: analytics
query: type = <DataSource> and <filters>
dimensions: <dimension fields>
metrics: <metric fields>
sort: <field> <direction>
limit: <number>
```
Parameter Required Description
mode: analytics Yes Required to use analytics mode.
metrics Yes Aggregated values to compute. At least one metric is required.
dimensions No Fields to group results by. Select any combination, or omit entirely to return a single aggregated row.
sort No Sort fields must also appear in your selected dimensions or metrics.
limit No Defaults to 100. Maximum value is 100.

Custom aliases

Use the as keyword to rename dimension or metric columns:

dimensions: language as "Language", ideName as "IDE"
metrics: totalCount as "Total", acceptanceRate as "Acceptance Rate"

Sorting

Sort by any field that appears in your selected dimensions or metrics. You cannot sort by a field that is not in your selected dimensions or metrics.

sort: acceptanceRate desc

Multiple sort fields are supported:

sort: totalCount desc, acceptanceRate asc

Example

The following query returns Code Suggestions acceptance rate by language for the last 30 days, sorted by acceptance rate:

```glql
display: table
mode: analytics
query: type = CodeSuggestion and timestamp >= -30d
dimensions: language as "Language"
metrics: totalCount as "Total", acceptanceRate as "Acceptance Rate"
sort: acceptanceRate desc
```

For more information, see the examples for a specific data source.

Advanced Search integration

  • Tier: Premium, Ultimate
  • Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated

Version history

  • Introduced in GitLab 18.6 as a beta with feature flags named glql_work_items and glql_es_integration. Enabled by default.
  • Feature flag glql_work_items removed in GitLab 18.10.

[!flag] The availability of this feature is controlled by a feature flag. For more information, see the history.

GLQL uses Advanced Search when available to speed up queries. Advanced Search provides faster response times for complex queries across large datasets.

Advanced Search is:

  • Enabled by default for GitLab.com and GitLab Dedicated paid subscriptions.
  • Available for GitLab Self-Managed when an administrator enables Advanced Search.

If Advanced Search isn't available, GLQL uses PostgreSQL instead.