The workflow JSON
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{
"meta": {
"templateCredsSetupCompleted": true
},
"nodes": [
{
"id": "b9a807c3-5847-477a-a242-2fdf5b15ba7e",
"name": "API to Check existing merge request",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"position": [
-840,
-20
],
"parameters": {
"url": "=https://gitlab.com/<projectid>/merge_requests",
"options": {
"allowUnauthorizedCerts": false
},
"sendQuery": true,
"sendHeaders": true,
"queryParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "state",
"value": "opened"
},
{
"name": "source_branch",
"value": "=sourceBranchName"
}
]
},
"headerParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "PRIVATE-TOKEN",
"value": "=gitlabToken"
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{
"id": "42270a5a-d696-44f3-b2f5-16b2ddb3488c",
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"position": [
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],
"parameters": {
"options": {},
"conditions": {
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"leftValue": "",
"caseSensitive": true,
"typeValidation": "strict"
},
"combinator": "and",
"conditions": [
{
"id": "d895b8cc-5679-442f-a1bf-d8375174a24b",
"operator": {
"type": "boolean",
"operation": "true",
"singleValue": true
},
"leftValue": "={{ $node[\"API to Check existing merge request\"].data.isEmpty() }}",
"rightValue": ""
}
]
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},
"typeVersion": 2.2
},
{
"id": "d380c943-0525-4976-9e70-c90de1177f0c",
"name": "Create New Merge Request",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"position": [
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],
"parameters": {
"url": "=https://gitlab.com/<projectid>/merge_requests",
"method": "POST",
"options": {
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},
"sendBody": true,
"contentType": "form-urlencoded",
"sendHeaders": true,
"bodyParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "source_branch",
"value": "=sourceBranchName"
},
{
"name": "target_branch",
"value": "=targetBranchName"
},
{
"name": "title",
"value": "=mergeTitle"
}
]
},
"headerParameters": {
"parameters": [
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{
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"type": "n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches",
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],
"parameters": {
"options": {}
},
"typeVersion": 3
},
{
"id": "555643cb-761c-41ec-b983-8e0194851a8d",
"name": "API to CLOSE existing Merge Request",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"position": [
-220,
180
],
"parameters": {
"url": "=https://gitlab.com/<projectid>/merge_requests/<merge_iid>",
"method": "PUT",
"options": {
"allowUnauthorizedCerts": false
},
"sendBody": true,
"contentType": "form-urlencoded",
"sendHeaders": true,
"bodyParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "state_event",
"value": "close"
}
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"headerParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "PRIVATE-TOKEN",
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{
"id": "0c94b06a-80e3-4e50-8bac-2bd4015f085e",
"name": "Add Custom Notes To Merge Request",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"position": [
-220,
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],
"parameters": {
"url": "=https://gitlab.com/<projectid>/merge_requests/<merge_iid>/notes",
"method": "POST",
"options": {
"allowUnauthorizedCerts": false
},
"sendBody": true,
"contentType": "form-urlencoded",
"sendHeaders": true,
"bodyParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "body",
"value": "=<mergeComments>"
}
]
},
"headerParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "PRIVATE-TOKEN",
"value": "=gitlabToken"
}
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{
"id": "8e849f4f-2a52-46ba-9e0a-17126a8d966c",
"name": "30 secs wait to approve merge request and pipeline to finish1",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.wait",
"position": [
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],
"parameters": {
"amount": 30
},
"typeVersion": 1.1
},
{
"id": "05cca829-b2df-4c1e-9441-56349acc4a0d",
"name": "Merge When Pipeline Succeeds",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"position": [
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],
"parameters": {
"url": "=https://gitlab.com/<projectid>/merge_requests/<merge_iid>/merge",
"method": "PUT",
"options": {
"allowUnauthorizedCerts": false
},
"jsonBody": "={\n\"merge_when_pipeline_succeeds\": {{ $('setValueForMerge').item.json.merge_when_pipeline_succeeds }},\n \"should_remove_source_branch\": {{ $('setValueForMerge').item.json.should_remove_source_branch }}\n}",
"sendBody": true,
"sendHeaders": true,
"specifyBody": "json",
"headerParameters": {
"parameters": [
{
"name": "PRIVATE-TOKEN",
"value": "=gitlabToken"
}
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{
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"name": "setValueForMerge",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.set",
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],
"parameters": {
"options": {},
"assignments": {
"assignments": [
{
"id": "a22922c7-0c69-4ac1-bd15-4d289fa57737",
"name": "merge_when_pipeline_succeeds",
"type": "boolean",
"value": false
},
{
"id": "17580668-84d9-4ad6-b93b-e7b6c9c0f8ea",
"name": "should_remove_source_branch",
"type": "boolean",
"value": true
}
]
}
},
"typeVersion": 3.4
},
{
"id": "0d49ec98-4806-492e-a6c2-a298ed8bb11a",
"name": "Schedule Trigger",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
"position": [
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],
"parameters": {
"rule": {
"interval": [
{}
]
}
},
"typeVersion": 1.2
}
],
"connections": {
"Is Exists": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Create New Merge Request",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
],
[
{
"node": "Loop Over Items",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Loop Over Items": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "API to Check existing merge request",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
],
[
{
"node": "API to CLOSE existing Merge Request",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Schedule Trigger": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "API to Check existing merge request",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"setValueForMerge": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Merge When Pipeline Succeeds",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Create New Merge Request": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Add Custom Notes To Merge Request",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Add Custom Notes To Merge Request": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "30 secs wait to approve merge request and pipeline to finish1",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"API to CLOSE existing Merge Request": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Loop Over Items",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"API to Check existing merge request": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Is Exists",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"30 secs wait to approve merge request and pipeline to finish1": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "setValueForMerge",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
}
}
}
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How this works
This workflow automates the management of merge requests in your GitLab repository, ensuring that outdated or conflicting requests are efficiently updated or closed to keep your development pipeline smooth and error-free. It's ideal for development teams handling frequent code contributions, where manual oversight can lead to delays or overlooked issues. The key step involves checking for existing merge requests via the httpRequest node, then either creating new ones or closing old ones with custom notes, followed by a wait period to allow pipelines to complete before merging.
Use this workflow when you need regular, automated housekeeping for merge requests on a cron schedule, such as daily or weekly, to maintain repository hygiene without constant manual intervention. Avoid it for one-off tasks or repositories with minimal activity, as the scheduling overhead isn't justified. Common variations include adjusting the wait time for longer pipelines or integrating with Slack for notifications on merges.
About this workflow
Http Schedule. Uses httpRequest, splitInBatches, scheduleTrigger. Scheduled trigger; 10 nodes.
Source: https://github.com/Zie619/n8n-workflows — original creator credit. Request a take-down →
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