Description
Triggers a GitLab Pipeline.
Input Schema
| Property | Type | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| token | string | The token to use for authorization to GitLab | |
| branch | string | Project branch | |
| repoUrl | string | - | |
| projectId | number | Project Id | |
| variables | object | - | |
| tokenDescription | string | Pipeline token description |
Output Schema
| Property | Type | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| pipelineUrl | string | Pipeline Url |
Usage Examples
Trigger a CI pipeline on a feature branch with basic variables
Triggers a pipeline for a feature branch on an existing GitLab project. Use this to kick off CI after generating project files.
steps:
- id: fetch-base
action: fetch:template
input:
url: ./skeleton
targetPath: ./workspace
- id: trigger-ci
action: gitlab:pipeline:trigger
input:
repoUrl: gitlab.com?owner=platform&repo=payments-service
projectId: 4973211
tokenDescription: Backstage CI trigger for ${{ parameters.serviceName }}
branch: ${{ parameters.branch }}
variables:
DEPLOY_ENV: dev
RUN_TESTS: "false"
SERVICE_NAME: ${{ parameters.serviceName }}
- id: log-pipeline
action: debug:log
input:
message: Triggered pipeline URL ${{ steps.trigger-ci.output.pipelineUrl }}Trigger a pipeline on a self managed GitLab instance with an explicit token
Triggers a pipeline against a self managed GitLab host using an explicit token. Useful when you do not rely on configured integrations.
steps:
- id: fetch-base
action: fetch:template
input:
url: ./templates/svc
targetPath: ./workspace
- id: trigger-release
action: gitlab:pipeline:trigger
input:
repoUrl: gitlab.internal.example.com?owner=platform/delivery&repo=inventory-api
projectId: 120998
token: ${{ secrets.gitlabToken }}
tokenDescription: Backstage trigger token for inventory release
branch: release/2025.10
variables:
DEPLOY_ENV: staging
IMAGE_TAG: ${{ parameters.imageTag }}
SKIP_TESTS: "true"
- id: log-pipeline
action: debug:log
input:
message: Triggered pipeline URL ${{ steps.trigger-release.output.pipelineUrl }}Trigger a pipeline with dynamic variables from template and user context
Starts a pipeline on the main branch and passes dynamic variables based on template inputs and the current user.
steps:
- id: fetch
action: fetch:template
input:
url: ./template
targetPath: .
- id: trigger-main
action: gitlab:pipeline:trigger
input:
repoUrl: gitlab.com?owner=data&repo=analytics-pipeline
projectId: ${{ parameters.gitlabProjectId }}
tokenDescription: Backstage one off CI for analytics
branch: main
variables:
TRIGGERED_BY: ${{ user.entity.metadata.name }}
PIPELINE_SOURCE: backstage
RUN_MIGRATIONS: "true"
IMAGE_TAG: ${{ parameters.imageTag }}
- id: log
action: debug:log
input:
message: Triggered pipeline URL ${{ steps.trigger-main.output.pipelineUrl }}Trigger a hotfix pipeline for a subgroup project
Runs a pipeline for a project in a subgroup using a hotfix branch name. Use this when applying a production hotfix.
steps:
- id: fetch-template
action: fetch:template
input:
url: ./service-template
targetPath: ./service
- id: trigger-hotfix
action: gitlab:pipeline:trigger
input:
repoUrl: gitlab.com?owner=platform/infra&repo=config-service
projectId: 331200
tokenDescription: Hotfix trigger token
branch: hotfix/1.2.3
variables:
DEPLOY_ENV: production
HOTFIX_ID: HF-1234
APPROVER: ${{ parameters.approver }}
- id: log-hotfix
action: debug:log
input:
message: Triggered pipeline URL ${{ steps.trigger-hotfix.output.pipelineUrl }}Trigger a monorepo pipeline for a specific service
Triggers a pipeline in a monorepo and passes service specific variables to target downstream jobs.
steps:
- id: fetch
action: fetch:template
input:
url: ./mono
targetPath: ./work
- id: trigger-mono
action: gitlab:pipeline:trigger
input:
repoUrl: gitlab.com?owner=platform&repo=mono-repo
projectId: 774123
tokenDescription: Backstage monorepo service deployment
branch: ${{ parameters.targetBranch }}
variables:
SERVICE_NAME: ${{ parameters.service }}
AFFECTED_PATH: services/${{ parameters.service }}
TRIGGER_DOWNSTREAM: "true"
APPROVAL_REQUIRED: "false"
- id: log-mono
action: debug:log
input:
message: Triggered pipeline URL ${{ steps.trigger-mono.output.pipelineUrl }}