How to see GitLab notifications on your Mac

Updated August 2026 · 4 min read

Unlike GitHub, GitLab doesn't ship a dedicated desktop client, and its browser tab is something most of us close and forget. Meanwhile merge request reviews and @mentions pile up unseen. Here are the four realistic ways to keep up with GitLab activity on macOS, from simplest to most reliable.

Option 1: Live in the GitLab browser tab

The default approach. GitLab shows a red dot on the bell icon whenever you have unread todos. It works — as long as the tab stays open and you remember to look. The moment you're in another workspace (which is the whole problem), the dot doesn't exist for you.

If this is your current setup: pin the tab, at minimum. But note that GitLab's todo list mixes everything together unless you filter by Assigned to you vs Mentioned, so triage cost grows with team size.

Option 2: Email notifications

Under Preferences → Notifications you can pick a level per group and project: Global, Watch, Participating, Mentioned, or Disabled. Participating + Mentioned is a sensible baseline.

Email's weakness is latency and batch behaviour — GitLab sends notifications with a short delay and merges related events, so a fast-moving MR thread can be half-resolved before you hear about it. If you also use email heavily, GitLab alerts drown in the rest of the inbox.

Option 3: Browser push notifications

GitLab can send web push: enable it under Preferences → Notifications → Notifications by web push and grant the browser permission. This gives real-time pop-ups without email.

Caveats: it only works while the browser is running, permission prompts get accidentally dismissed more often than granted, and some self-hosted instances don't have push configured at all (it requires a VAPID key pair set by the administrator).

Option 4: A menu bar app that polls GitLab directly

The pattern many developers settle on for GitHub works for GitLab too: a small native app that calls the GitLab API on an interval and shows an unread count next to the clock. You glance, you click, you're in the merge request — no tab, no inbox.

This needs a personal access token with at least read_api scope, created under your GitLab Preferences → Access Tokens. The app polls the todos endpoint locally from your machine; nothing is relayed through a third-party server.

Which should you pick?

• One or two pings a day? Email (option 2) is fine and free.
• Always have the GitLab tab open anyway? The bell dot (option 1) costs nothing.
• Want instant pop-ups and trust your browser setup? Web push (option 3).
• Work across many projects and don't want to babysit a tab? A menu bar app (option 4) is the lowest-friction answer — it's always visible, even when every browser window is closed.