kandev/docs/plans/gitlab-task-link-menu/plan.md

spec, created, status

spec	created	status
docs/specs/integrations/requirements/gitlab-integration.md	2026-07-22	approved

Implementation Plan: GitLab Task Link Menu

Overview

Align GitLab task linking with the existing GitHub interaction: unlinked tasks do not reserve top-bar space, and linking starts from the task's contextual Link submenu. Reuse the existing GitLab MR dialog and task-menu plumbing, then update desktop and mobile E2E coverage to prove the new entry points.

Frontend

Top-bar behavior

• Update apps/web/components/gitlab/mr-topbar-button.tsx so an unlinked task renders no generic link action.
• Preserve the linked-MR status/dropdown control, including Link another merge request, open, and unlink behavior.

Shared task link menu

• Extend apps/web/components/kanban-card-menu-items.tsx and apps/web/components/task/task-switcher-context-menu.tsx with a GitLab Merge Request link action.
• Wire the existing TaskMRLinkDialog through kanban-card and sidebar/mobile task-switcher link state. Surface the action only while GitLab is configured for the active workspace.
• Reuse the task's repository associations and the existing workspace repository list; do not add a new API or duplicate link submission logic.

Mobile design contract

• Desktop outcome: right-clicking a task opens Link > GitLab Merge Request; submitting the existing dialog links the MR and reveals its status control in the task top bar.
• Mobile entry point: the visible Task actions ellipsis in the existing task-switcher drawer opens the same contextual menu; no long press is needed.
• Nearest exemplar: apps/web/components/task/mobile/session-task-switcher-sheet.tsx and apps/web/components/task/task-item.tsx provide the discoverable ellipsis, responsive menu treatment, and touch geometry.
• Hierarchy and presentation: task row > actions menu > Link submenu > GitLab Merge Request > existing link dialog. This is a short secondary action, so the responsive context-menu bottom sheet plus existing dialog is preferable to a new route or full-height surface.
• Scrolling and geometry: retain the menu primitive's safe-area-aware, internally scrolling mobile surface and 44px menu rows. The task-switcher drawer remains the outer list scroll owner while the portalled menu is open.
• Shared logic: desktop and mobile use the same availability hook, menu callbacks, target state, repository resolution, and TaskMRLinkDialog.

Tests

• What: the shared link-menu model includes GitLab Merge Request only when its callback is present. File: apps/web/components/kanban-card-menu-items.test.tsx. How: extend the existing menu-entry unit tests and assert ordering and omission.
• What: a task-switcher link selection closes the menu and targets the selected task. File: apps/web/components/task/task-switcher.test.tsx or a focused colocated test if the existing helper coverage is sufficient. How: exercise the existing provider-neutral selection helper with the new callback plumbing.
• What: the GitLab top bar renders no generic action without linked MRs and keeps the linked-MR control behavior. File: apps/web/components/gitlab/mr-topbar-button.test.ts or a focused component test where practical. How: prefer testing extracted render-policy logic; do not add broad React component tests solely for markup.

E2E Tests

• Desktop scenario: update apps/web/e2e/tests/gitlab/gitlab-parity.spec.ts so an unlinked task has no Link MR top-bar button, then right-click the task row, choose Link > GitLab Merge Request, submit the dialog, and verify the linked-MR status control appears and survives reload.
• Mobile scenario: extend apps/web/e2e/tests/gitlab/mobile-gitlab-parity.spec.ts or the focused mobile task-link menu spec so the visible Task actions ellipsis opens the menu, the nested GitLab action is touch reachable and viewport-contained, and the dialog opens without right-click or long press.

Implementation Waves

Wave 1:

• task-01-frontend-link-menu

Wave 2:

• task-02-e2e-contextual-linking

Verification

cd apps && pnpm --filter @kandev/web test -- --run components/kanban-card-menu-items.test.tsx components/task/task-switcher.test.tsx components/gitlab/mr-topbar-button.test.ts
cd apps/web && pnpm run typecheck
cd apps/web && pnpm e2e:run tests/gitlab/gitlab-parity.spec.ts tests/gitlab/mobile-gitlab-parity.spec.ts
make fmt
make typecheck test lint

Verification Status

• Targeted desktop and mobile GitLab Playwright coverage passes (6/6), including validated screenshots, mobile touch targets, and viewport containment.
• Aggregate format, typecheck, unit, and lint checks pass. Aggregate tests pass with TMPDIR=/tmp.

Risks

• Task menu props cross kanban, desktop sidebar, and mobile task-switcher surfaces; missing one caller would make the action viewport-dependent.
• GitLab availability is workspace-scoped. The action must disappear when the active workspace has no configured GitLab connection.
• Removing the generic top-bar entry invalidates the existing manual-link E2E steps; those must be changed rather than deleted.