Troubleshooting & FAQs - GitLab

Troubleshooting

For common issues that apply to all connectors — authentication failures, syncs stuck or not progressing, no documents indexed, stale permissions — see Troubleshooting - Enterprise Search Connectors.

Deleted GitLab items still appear in search

Symptoms: A merge request or issue deleted in GitLab still shows up in Simpplr search after several hours.

Possible causes:

1. The GitLab connector does not process deletions during incremental sync.

2. A full sync has not yet run since the deletion.

Resolution:

1. Wait for the next scheduled full sync (weekly), or trigger a manual full sync from Enterprise Search → GitLab → Status.

2. If the item persists after a successful full sync, contact Support.

Fewer merge requests or issues indexed than expected

Symptoms: Sync completes successfully but the indexed count is lower than expected, or older merge requests and issues are missing from search.

Possible causes:

1. Items are outside the default 2-year content date filter.

2. The object type for issues or merge requests is disabled in the connector configuration.

3. The Personal Access Token account cannot access the relevant projects in GitLab.

Resolution:

1. Review the content date filter in the connector configuration and widen the range if older content should be indexed.

2. Confirm that issues, merge requests, and wikis are enabled under the object type filter. See Overview - GitLab for the default filter settings.

3. Confirm the token owner can access the missing projects in GitLab.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about sync frequency, deletions, audience filters, and throttling are answered in Troubleshooting - Enterprise Search Connectors. Security, privacy, and data questions are answered in Data & Security - Enterprise Search Connectors.

GitLab-specific FAQs

Q. Why don't author or date filters work during search for wiki results?

Ans: GitLab does not expose author or last-modified timestamps for wiki pages through its API. Wiki results are searchable by title and content only. The content date (age) filter used during ingestion also does not apply to wikis.

Q. Do I need a GitLab Enterprise account?

Ans: Yes. The connector requires a GitLab Enterprise account. Permission sync matches GitLab users to Simpplr identities using email addresses, and those emails are only available through the GitLab API on Enterprise accounts.

Q. Does the connector index content from public GitLab projects?

Ans: Yes. Public project content is indexed and searchable by users with connector access. Private and internal project content is enforced based on GitLab project membership.

Q. Why is content older than 2 years not appearing in search?

Ans: By default, the connector indexes merge requests and issues created or updated in the last 2 years. Widen the content date filter in the connector configuration if older content should be indexed. This age filter does not apply to wiki pages.

Q5. Can I choose which GitLab object types to index?

Ans: Yes. The object type filter lets you include or exclude issues, merge requests, and wikis. All three are enabled by default.