gitlab-ci-patterns skill (wshobson) for Claude Code: write GitLab CI pipelines

gitlab-ci-patterns helps Claude write GitLab CI/CD pipelines for testing, building and deploying.

Installs: 13.4K; on skills.sh
Stars: 42.1K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

gitlab-ci-patterns is a skill from wshobson/agents. It loads when you set up GitLab CI/CD, tune a slow pipeline or deploy to Kubernetes from GitLab. SKILL.md is a set of .gitlab-ci.yml examples: a basic build, test and deploy pipeline, a Docker build and push, staging and production deploys, a Terraform pipeline, security scanning, caching and dynamic child pipelines.

It ends with ten best practices. The file bundles no scripts. The YAML it produces runs in your GitLab runners, not on your machine, so review it before you merge, especially the deploy and Terraform jobs.

Good for

Developers setting up GitLab CI/CD for the first time
DevOps engineers deploying to Kubernetes from GitLab
Teams adding Terraform or security scans to a GitLab pipeline

Install gitlab-ci-patterns

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the gitlab-ci-patterns skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add wshobson/agents --skill gitlab-ci-patterns

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

Built from the package data we hold. Not yet tested by us. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Build GitLab CI/CD pipelines with multi-stage workflows, caching, and distributed runners for scalable automation. Use when implementing GitLab CI/CD, optimizing pipeline performance, or setting up automated testing and deployment.

Sections in SKILL.md

Purpose
When to Use
Basic Pipeline Structure
Docker Build and Push
Multi-Environment Deployment
Terraform Pipeline
Security Scanning
Caching Strategies
Dynamic Child Pipelines
Best Practices
Related Skills

Key facts

Author: wshobson (GitHub account that owns the repo)
Source repo: wshobson/agents
Installs on skills.sh: 13,381 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars: 42,081 (whole repo) as of 2026-11-02
License: MIT
Last repo commit: 2026-10-30
Files: 1 file (SKILL.md)
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass

What it includes

Stages with npm ci, build, lint and test jobs, plus a kubectl deploy job.
Basic pipeline structure
Builds and pushes images to the GitLab registry with Docker-in-Docker.
The example logs in to the registry with CI variables and pushes two tags.
Network · Docker build and push
Staging and production kubectl deploys using a CA cert file variable and protected token.
Network · Multi-environment deployment
Validate, plan and a manual apply on main using the hashicorp/terraform image.
The apply job runs terraform apply with -auto-approve on a saved plan and is set to manual.
Write · Terraform pipeline
GitLab SAST, dependency and container scanning templates, plus a Trivy image scan.
Security scanning
Cache node_modules, a global cache and separate caches per job.
Caching strategies
A job generates child-pipeline.yml with python and triggers it.
Dynamic child pipelines
Ten rules, including pinned image tags, manual production gates and CI/CD variables.
Best practices

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

The skill is Markdown only, but the pipelines it helps you write can push images and change clusters when they run in GitLab. Review generated YAML before you merge it.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

Example jobs deploy and apply Terraform
SKILL.md includes kubectl apply to staging and production and a terraform apply -auto-approve job set to manual on main. Check the targets and variables before use. github.com
Docker-in-Docker registry push
The Docker example logs in to the GitLab registry and pushes the latest tag. Make sure that is the tag policy you want. github.com
The plugin route adds more than this skill
The cicd-automation plugin folder holds 4 skills, 5 agent file(s) and 1 command file(s), plus plugin.json files. The repo tree shows no hooks or MCP config in it. The skills CLI route installs only this skill. github.com

Questions

How do I install the gitlab-ci-patterns skill?

Use the install box above. The skills CLI command installs only this skill. The plugin route installs cicd-automation, which also holds three other skills, five agent files and a command file.

Does gitlab-ci-patterns need a GitLab token or API key?

SKILL.md does not mention a token or API key for the skill itself. The pipelines it helps you write use CI/CD variables you set in GitLab, such as a Kubernetes token and registry credentials.

Can it deploy to production by itself?

Not by itself: the skill is a Markdown file of pipeline examples, and deploys happen when your GitLab pipeline runs. Note the examples differ: the basic pipeline's kubectl deploy job and the staging job have no manual gate, while the production job in the multi-environment example and the Terraform apply are manual and limited to main.

gitlab-ci-patterns vs github-actions-templates?

Pick by where your repo lives. SKILL.md lists github-actions-templates under Related Skills for GitHub Actions. gitlab-ci-patterns covers GitLab only. Both are in the cicd-automation plugin.

Does it work in the Claude app or Codex?

The install box lists a zip upload for the Claude app and a plugin route for Codex. The wshobson/agents README names Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, Antigravity CLI, GitHub Copilot and Pi as supported tools.

Is gitlab-ci-patterns safe to install?

The skill is one Markdown file with no scripts, so installing it alone adds instructions only. The risk is in the pipelines it helps you write, which can push images and deploy to clusters when they run. Review the YAML before you merge.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: wshobson/agents
Folder: plugins/cicd-automation/skills/gitlab-ci-patterns

wshobson/agents skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 5

wshobson/agents README · github.com
Claude Code skills · code.claude.com
Using skills in Claude · support.claude.com
SKILL.md · github.com
gitlab-ci-patterns on skills.sh · skills.sh