Step-by-Step Action Plan to Hit GitLab Level 4 (7,500 Points)

  • Current Score: 3,868 points (Level 3)
  • Target Score: 7,500 points (Level 4)
  • Points Needed: 3,632 points

Step 1: Cash In Your 10 Already-Open MRs (+1,100 Points)

You already did 95% of the work on 10 open MRs—and all 10 have green pipelines (success). Don't leave these points on the table.

1A. Fix the 3 MRs Waiting on You (Today — 30 mins total)

  1. gitlab!261178 (+110 pts)
    • What to do: Delete the 1 noisy spec block at spec/lib/security/ci_configuration/secret_detection_build_action_spec.rb:189 that @ashvins asked to remove.
    • Finish: Push commit, resolve thread, comment @gitlab-bot ready @ashvins.
  2. gitlab!262103 (+110 pts)
    • What to do: Apply @erran's exact inline suggestion on shellescape_ref (remove the 2 top-level regex constants, add the NUL check, inline [^A-Za-z0-9_\-.,:+\/@\n[:^ascii:]]) and add the sh -c "printf %s ..." round-trip test.
    • Finish: Push commit, resolve @erran's threads, reply to @cbonk & @erran.
  3. gitlab!262558 (+110 pts)
    • What to do: Add Changelog: added to the commit message, add 1 test checking the file is deleted from storage in cleanup_stale_spec_files_worker_spec.rb, paste @jnutt's SQL query plan into the MR description, and set work_item: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/633765 in the YAML file.
    • Finish: Push commit, resolve threads, ping @shameed3 & @jnutt.

1B. Nudge Maintainers on the 2 Approved MRs That Are Stalled (Today — 5 mins)

  1. gitlab!261030 (+110 pts) — Already approved by @ngala. Comment: @gitlab-bot ready or politely ping @mbenayoun for maintainer merge.
  2. gitlab!261025 (+110 pts) — Already approved by @jannik_lehmann. Comment @gitlab-bot ready to get a backend maintainer assigned to click Merge.

(Your other 5 open MRs — !4407, !4406, !262418, !261174, CNG!3156 — are already with reviewers/maintainers and will bring in another *~550 pts** as they merge.)*

Score After Step 1: 3,868 + 1,100 = ~4,968 points (~2,532 points left)

Step 2: Claim High-Multiplier community-bonus Issues (+1,000 Points)

Instead of doing ten small MRs, do 3 bonus-labeled issues where a single merge pays 230–430 points.

  1. Click to Self-Assign First (Rule: Never write code before assigning):
    • gitlab#635913 — MCP tool to list pipeline schedules (community-bonus::200 = ~330 pts)
    • gitlab#628563 — Fix concurrent mobile push subscription limit (community-bonus::100 = ~230 pts)
    • gitlab#457538 — Show parent-child relationships in iteration report (community-bonus::300 = ~430 pts)
  2. Verify 0 Competing MRs: Already verified — none of these 3 have an open MR.
  3. Link the Issue in Every MR Description: Always write Closes #<issue_iid> in the MR description so you get the +30 pt linked-issue bonus on top of the bonus label.

Score After Step 2: 4,968 + 990 = ~5,958 points (~1,542 points left)

Step 3: Batch 8 Fast MCP Server MRs in gitlab-org/gitlab (+1,040 Points)

The GitLab MCP Server (app/services/mcp/ and lib/api/mcp/) is small, self-contained Ruby code with fast RSpec tests and the exact same AI Foundations reviewers every time.

Pick up these 4 unassigned MCP issues first (each worth ~130 pts):

  1. Assign #632547 — Accept query / search_term aliases in MCP search tool (15-line change + spec).
  2. Assign #635931 — List unknown and accepted parameter names in MCP validation errors.
  3. Assign #632622 — Allow MCP save_note to edit an existing comment when note_id is passed.
  4. Assign #604238 — Add create_merge_request_pipeline MCP tool.

Then do 4 more from the same MCP list (#635916, #635915, #635910, #635909).

  • 8 Merged MCP MRs × 130 pts = +1,040 points.

Score After Step 3: 5,958 + 1,040 = ~6,998 points (~502 points left)

Step 4: Close the Final 500 Points via ai-assist, gitlab-lsp & Technical Posts

Finish the last ~500 points using whichever of these two paths is fastest that week:

  • Option A (4 Fast Code MRs in ai-assist / gitlab-lsp = +520 pts):
  • Option B (2 Technical Blog Posts + 1 MR = +530 pts):
    • Submit 2 deep-dive GitLab technical articles (MCP Server / Duo CLI architecture) for +200 pts each (+400 pts total) + 1 merged MR (+130 pts).

Score After Step 4: 7,518+ points → LEVEL 4 UNLOCKED 🏆

Step 5: Daily Checklist (How to Work with Your AI Agent Every Day)

Every time you sit down for a session, run this exact 4-part loop:

  1. Morning Check (10 mins): Ask the agent: "Check my open GitLab MRs for any new reviewer comments or pipeline failures and fix them immediately." (Reviewers merge fastest when you reply within a few hours.)
  2. Claim 1–2 Issues: Click the contributors.gitlab.com/manage-issue link to self-assign before coding.
  3. Local Test Before Push:
    • Ruby (gitlab): bundle exec rubocop <files> and bundle exec rspec <spec>
    • TypeScript (gitlab-lsp): npm test -- <test_file>
    • Python (ai-assist): poetry run pytest <test_file> and poetry run flake8
  4. Open MR & Request Review: Include Closes #<iid> in the description, wait for CI to turn green, then comment @gitlab-bot ready.