Read GitLab Pipeline and Job Logs on Android

You can read GitLab pipelines and job logs on an Android phone with GitAlchemy, a free open source GitLab client. Open a project, tap CI/CD to list its pipelines, open one, tap a job, and the log appears with its colors. A running job updates while you watch. This is the fast way to find out why a build failed when you are away from your desk.

Steps

1. Open the project and tap CI/CD. The Pipelines screen lists every pipeline with its number, branch, short commit, date, author and status.
2. Narrow the list with the tabs. All, Finished, Branches and Tags cut the list down, and the filter box finds a pipeline by name.
3. Tap the failed pipeline. Its screen shows the status, the duration and the jobs grouped by stage.
4. Find the red job. Jobs are listed under their stage names such as build and test, so the failed stage is easy to spot.
5. Tap the job. The Job Log opens in a scrollable box. Colors from the CI output are kept, so errors and warnings stand out.
6. Scroll to the end of the log. The first error is usually near the last red lines, and the lines above it tell you what ran just before.
7. Tap Copy to put the whole log on the clipboard and paste it into a chat or a comment.
8. Open the test report from the pipeline screen when the pipeline publishes one. It lists failed tests without making you read the whole log.

Watch a running job

A job that is still running refreshes its status and its log on its own. A new job with no output says that it has no log yet. A finished pipeline stops refreshing, so a quiet screen is not a frozen screen. If a job hangs, go to retry or cancel a pipeline.

Read the pipeline of a merge request

You do not have to start from the project. A merge request has a Pipelines tab, and the readiness panel shows the latest pipeline. Open the pipeline from there, read the log, then go back to the review. That is the shortest path when a red pipeline is the only thing between you and a merge.

A tip for long logs

The log box has a fixed height and scrolls inside the page, so scroll with one finger inside the box and drag outside it to move the page. For a very long log, copy it and read it in a text editor or search it on a computer. The app does not search inside a log.

Limits

• The log is text. There is no download of the raw trace file in the app, but Copy gives you the same content.
• Pipelines that only your teammates can see stay hidden from you, as in the browser. GitLab decides what a token may read.
• Retrying and cancelling need the api scope. The app asks for that scope at sign-in, and read_api is not enough for what it does. See how to sign in with a personal access token.

Related

This is one step of the GitAlchemy for Android walkthrough. Once you know why a job failed, retry or cancel the pipeline from the same screen, or send the fix through a merge request review.

FAQ

Can I be told when a pipeline fails?

The app notifies you about your GitLab to-dos, and GitLab adds a to-do when a pipeline for your merge request fails. Read how notifications work without Firebase.

Does it work with self-hosted runners?

The runner does not matter. The app reads what GitLab stores, so logs from shared and self-hosted runners look the same.