Automatically create a Personal Access Token in GitLab

post-reconfigure.sh

#!/bin/bash
set -e

gitlab-rails runner - <<EOS

if user = User.find_by_username('root')
    token = user.personal_access_tokens.find_by(name: 'Ansible')
    if !token || token.expired? 
        token = user.personal_access_tokens.create(
            scopes: ['api', 'admin_mode'],
            name: 'Ansible',
            expires_at: PersonalAccessToken::MAX_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN_LIFETIME_IN_DAYS.days.from_now
        )
        token.save!
        token_value = token.token
        File.open('/tmp/root.pat', 'w', 0600) { |file| file.write(token_value) }
        puts "PAT written to /tmp/root.pat"
    else
        puts "There is already a PAT with the name 'Ansible' which expires at #{token.expires_at}."
    end
end

EOS

echo "Post Reconfigure Script successfully executed"

For automatic provisioning of a GitLab instance, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is needed for API interactions. Such a token can be generated with a GITLAB_POST_RECONFIGURE_SCRIPT.

Ensure to securely delete /tmp/root.pat post-provisioning to maintain security, potentially using tools like shred, wipe, or secure-delete.

worth noting, this would only work with official gitlab server docker images