gitlab-compat

A Forgejo Actions action that gives the steps after it GitLab CI's predefined variables (CI_*, GITLAB_*), for jobs written against GitLab CI. A JavaScript action (index.mjs, no dependencies), run on the job image's Node, as actions/checkout is: any image with Node runs it, such as 3rd-party/forgejo-job.

It reads what Forgejo tells a job: its environment (GITHUB_*, FORGEJO_*), the event that started it ($GITHUB_EVENT_PATH), and the forge's API, with the job's token, for what neither has. A variable it cannot know is left unset rather than made up. The list follows a GitLab job's own, env | grep -E '^(CI_|GITLAB_)' | sort on gitlab.com (2026-11-04).

Inputs

Input	Default	For
server-url	the forge's URL, its first label gitlab for git: https://gitlab.local.branchhaus.eu	gitlab-shim, GitLab's face for the forge: CI_SERVER_*, CI_API_*, CI_PROJECT_URL
token	${{ github.token }}	CI_JOB_TOKEN and the passwords; the API is read with it

What it sets

The server, gitlab-shim:

Variable	From
CI, GITLAB_CI	true
CI_SERVER	yes
CI_SERVER_NAME	GitLab
CI_SERVER_URL, _PROTOCOL, _HOST, _PORT, _FQDN	server-url
CI_API_V4_URL, CI_API_GRAPHQL_URL	server-url + /api/v4, /api/graphql
CI_SERVER_SHELL_SSH_HOST, _PORT	the repository's ssh clone URL

The project, the repository:

Variable	From
CI_PROJECT_ID, CI_PROJECT_NAMESPACE_ID	the repository's and its owner's ids
CI_PROJECT_NAME, CI_PROJECT_TITLE	its name
CI_PROJECT_PATH, CI_PROJECT_NAMESPACE and their _SLUG	owner/name, the owner
CI_PROJECT_ROOT_NAMESPACE, _SLUG	the owner: Forgejo has no nested groups
CI_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION, CI_PROJECT_TOPICS	the repository's
CI_PROJECT_VISIBILITY	private, internal or public
CI_PROJECT_REPOSITORY_LANGUAGES	its languages, most used first, at most five
CI_PROJECT_URL	server-url + /owner/name
CI_PROJECT_DIR, CI_BUILDS_DIR	the workspace, and the workspace less owner/name
CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH, _SLUG	the repository's default branch
CI_REPOSITORY_URL	the forge's https clone URL, as gitlab-ci-token with the token

The commit:

Variable	From
CI_COMMIT_SHA, CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA	the job's commit, and its first 8
CI_COMMIT_BEFORE_SHA	a push's before; 40 zeros otherwise, as GitLab
CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME, _SLUG	the branch or tag
CI_COMMIT_BRANCH or CI_COMMIT_TAG	the same, by the ref's kind; no branch for a pull request
CI_COMMIT_REF_PROTECTED	the branch's protection; for a tag, whether the repository protects any
CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE, _TITLE, _DESCRIPTION	the head commit's message, its first line, the rest
CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE_IS_TRUNCATED	false
CI_COMMIT_AUTHOR, CI_COMMIT_TIMESTAMP, CI_COMMIT_USER_LOGIN	the head commit's author, time and login

The pipeline, the workflow run, and the job:

Variable	From
CI_PIPELINE_ID, CI_PIPELINE_IID	the run's id, and its number in the repository
CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE	the event: push, merge_request_event for a pull request, schedule, web for a dispatch
CI_PIPELINE_URL, CI_PIPELINE_CREATED_AT	the run's page on the forge, and when it was made
CI_PIPELINE_NAME	the workflow's name:
CI_CONFIG_PATH, CI_CONFIG_REF_URI	the workflow's file, and forge/owner/name/<file>@<ref>
CI_JOB_ID, CI_JOB_URL, CI_JOB_TAGS	the job's id, its page, its runs-on as JSON
CI_JOB_NAME, CI_JOB_GROUP_NAME, CI_JOB_NAME_SLUG	the job's key
CI_JOB_STATUS	running
CI_JOB_STARTED_AT, _SLUG	when this action ran
CI_JOB_TOKEN	token
CI_JOB_RETRY_COUNT	the run's attempt, less one
CI_NODE_TOTAL, CI_DISPOSABLE_ENVIRONMENT	1, true
GITLAB_ENV	$GITHUB_ENV: GitLab's file of variables for later steps is Forgejo's

The runner, the user and the registry:

Variable	From
CI_RUNNER_VERSION, CI_RUNNER_DESCRIPTION	the runner's version, and its name where it gives one
CI_RUNNER_EXECUTABLE_ARCH	the job's platform, as linux/amd64
GITLAB_USER_LOGIN, _ID, _EMAIL, _NAME	who started the run
CI_REGISTRY, CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE	the forge's container registry, at its host, and host/owner/name
CI_REGISTRY_USER, CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD	who started the run, and token

The token is masked in the log, CI_JOB_TOKEN, CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD and CI_REPOSITORY_URL with it. Whether Forgejo takes the job's token for its container registry is untried.

Not set, nothing in a Forgejo job knowing them: CI_JOB_STAGE (no stages), CI_JOB_IMAGE, CI_JOB_TIMEOUT, CI_CONCURRENT_ID, CI_CONCURRENT_PROJECT_ID, CI_RUNNER_ID, CI_RUNNER_TAGS, CI_RUNNER_REVISION, CI_RUNNER_SHORT_TOKEN, CI_SERVER_VERSION*, CI_SERVER_REVISION, CI_SERVER_TLS_CA_FILE, CI_PROJECT_CLASSIFICATION_LABEL, CI_TRACEPARENT, CI_TRACESTATE, GITLAB_FEATURES; nor gitlab.com's own services: CI_DEPENDENCY_PROXY_*, CI_PAGES_*, CI_TEMPLATE_REGISTRY_HOST.

How a step hands variables on

Each step may append to files the runner names in its environment. What they hold applies to the steps after it, not to the step itself:

File	For	Line
$GITHUB_ENV	environment variables of later steps	NAME=value
$GITHUB_OUTPUT	the step's outputs, steps.<id>.outputs.<name>	name=value
$GITHUB_PATH	directories put before PATH	one per line

$FORGEJO_ENV and the others are the same files. A value of several lines goes between delimiters: NAME<<EOF, the lines, EOF. A secret the action makes itself is masked with echo "::add-mask::<value>" before it is used; Forgejo masks only the secrets and tokens it knows.

Referring to it

geut.sh forgejo-configure puts this directory on the forge as the public repository actions/gitlab-compat, its files those of this checkout, and v1 on its head (the forgejo component's README, "Actions"). The forge looks up a uses: without a host on itself, so a workflow names it as any action:

steps:
  - uses: actions/checkout@v4
  - uses: actions/gitlab-compat@v1
  - run: echo "$CI_PROJECT_PATH at $CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA, pipeline $CI_PIPELINE_IID"

A change here reaches the forge at the next forgejo-configure, which moves v1 to it.