mohammed firdous
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GitLab CLI Contribution

My first open source contribution to GitLab's command-line tool, adding documentation for fork behavior.

I contributed documentation to GitLab CLI (glab), a command-line tool for managing GitLab projects from your terminal.

What I Did

I wrote documentation explaining how the glab stack sync command works with forked repositories. This was my first contribution to GitLab.

The Problem

A GitLab maintainer had fixed a bug where the stack sync command broke when working with forks. The fix worked, but users needed documentation to understand the new behavior.

My Solution

I added clear documentation that explains:

  • Why users get prompted to select a repository when working with forks
  • How to choose the right repository
  • What this prevents (broken merge requests)

Review Process

My work was reviewed by three GitLab team members. One directed it to the appropriate reviewer, another verified its technical accuracy, and the third ensured it met documentation standards, resulting in a thorough evaluation.

I made changes based on their feedback and the contribution was merged.

Second Contribution: CLI Help Formatting

I also contributed to standardizing the CLI help display formatting for schedule commands in merge request !2063.

The Problem

GitLab CLI's help examples were inconsistent across different commands. There was an issue requesting standardization of the help display format to follow a style guide.

What I Did

I updated the help examples in all schedule command files to follow the new format:

  • Commands start with $
  • Results start with >
  • Comments start with #

I updated 5 files:

  • commands/schedule/create/create.go
  • commands/schedule/delete/delete.go
  • commands/schedule/list/list.go
  • commands/schedule/run/run.go
  • commands/schedule/update/update.go

Review Process

Gary Holtz reviewed and approved the changes quickly, recognizing the straightforward nature of the formatting updates. The merge request was merged on April 23, 2025.

Third Contribution: CLI Help Formatting for Run Commands

I also worked on making the help examples for the run commands consistent with the new style guide in merge request !2064.

The Problem

The help examples for the run commands did not follow the updated format. There was an issue requesting that these examples be updated for consistency.

What I Did

I updated the help examples in the run command files to use the new format:

  • Commands start with $
  • Results start with >
  • Comments start with #

I updated these files:

  • commands/run/run.go
  • commands/run/trace.go

Review Process

Gary Holtz reviewed and approved the changes quickly, as these were straightforward formatting updates. The merge request was merged on April 23, 2025.

Links

First Contribution:

Second Contribution:

Third Contribution:

General:

cd ..