GitLab PAT Token

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Introduction to the PAT

To enable Kody to perform automatic Code Reviews, you need to generate a Personal Access Token (PAT) in GitLab. This token allows Kody to securely access your repositories and conduct code analysis in a controlled way. Kody posts reviews as the GitLab user the token belongs to. With a personal access token, reviews appear under your own account, as they do when you connect with OAuth. To have them appear under a separate bot user, use a group access token, described below.

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Generating the PAT (Personal Access Token)

Follow these steps to set up the token correctly:

1. Access GitLab and go to your profile settings:
   • Click here to access the profile settings page.
2. Navigate to Access Tokens:
   • In the left sidebar, scroll to find Access Tokens and click on it.
3. Add a new token:
   • Click on the Add new token button.
4. Set up the new token with the following specifications:
   • Token Name: Choose an easily identifiable name, such as kody_code_review.
   • Expiration Date: If possible, select a long expiration date, preferably at least 180 days.
   • Permissions: Set the following permissions:
     • api
     • read_api
     • read_user
     • read_repository
     • write_repository
5. Finalize and save the token:
   • After configuring the permissions, click Generate token.
   • Make sure to copy the generated token and store it securely, as you’ll need it to configure Kody.

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Using a Group Access Token

A group access token posts reviews as a bot user that GitLab creates for the token, named after it. The bot has access to every project in the group and its subgroups.

1. Open the group’s access tokens:
   • In GitLab, open the group that contains your repositories and go to Settings > Access tokens.
2. Add a new token:
   • Click on the Add new token button.
3. Set up the new token with the following specifications:
   • Token name: The name Kody’s reviews will show, such as Kody.
   • Expiration date: If possible, select a long expiration date, preferably at least 180 days.
   • Role: Maintainer. Kody needs it to create the webhook on each project.
   • Scopes: api and read_repository. Kody clones your repositories, and on a group access token api does not include Git over HTTPS.
4. Finalize and save the token:
   • Click Create group access token.
   • Copy the token and store it securely. GitLab shows it only once.

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Adding the Token to Kody

After generating the token, paste it into Kodus:

• During onboarding: on Connect your Git tool, pick the Gitlab tab and click Connect via token.
• Later: in the sidebar, open Repositories, click Gitlab under Connect a provider, switch to the Token tab, paste the token and click Validate and save. For a self-managed GitLab, turn on Self-hosted and enter the Gitlab URL.
• Replacing a token: on Repositories, click Update token on the Gitlab card, paste the new token and click Update token. Webhooks and selected repositories are kept.
• Switching from OAuth: Update token is not offered for a connection made with OAuth. Click Reset, choose Just reset the integration, then connect again with the token as described above and select your repositories.