gitlab-ce/data/whats_new/202507170001_18_02.yml

# What's New entries for GitLab 18.2
# File name 202507170001_18_02.yml
# Generated on Thu Jul 17 20:22:46 UTC 2025

- name: Duo Agent Platform in the IDE (Beta)
  description: |
    The Duo Agent Platform brings agentic chat and agent flows directly into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, enabling natural conversation-based interaction with your codebase and GitLab projects.

    Agentic chat is designed for quick, conversational tasks like creating and editing files, searching across your codebase with pattern matching and grep, and getting immediate answers about your code.
    Agent flows handle larger implementations and comprehensive planning, taking high-level ideas from concept to architecture while accessing GitLab resources including issues, merge requests, commits, CI/CD pipelines, and security vulnerabilities.
    Both provide intelligent search capabilities for documentation, code patterns, and project discovery to help you accomplish everything from quick edits to complex project analysis.

    The platform also supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) for connecting to external data sources and tools, allowing AI features to leverage context beyond GitLab.

    To get started, see the [Duo Agent Platform documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/duo_agent_platform/),
    [VS Code setup guide](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/gitlab_duo_chat/agentic_chat/#use-agentic-chat-in-vs-code),
    and [JetBrains setup guide](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/gitlab_duo_chat/agentic_chat/#use-agentic-chat-in-jetbrains-ides).
  stage: ai-powered
  self-managed: true
  gitlab-com: true
  available_in: [Premium, Ultimate]
  documentation_link: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/duo_agent_platform/
  image_url: https://img.youtube.com/vi/GPewPbqlFDE/hqdefault.jpg
  published_at: 2025-07-17
  release: 18.2

- name: Custom workflow statuses for issues and tasks
  description: |
    Move beyond the basic open/closed system with configurable status that lets you track work items through
    your team's actual workflow stages.

    Instead of relying on labels, you can now define custom statuses that accurately
    reflect your process. With configurable statuses, you can:

    - **Define custom workflows** that match your team's actual process.
    - **Replace workflow labels** with proper statuses that are easier to find, update, and report on.
    - **Clarify completion outcomes** beyond closing an issue using "Done" or "Canceled".
    - **Filter and report accurately** on work item status for better project insights.
    - **Use status in issue boards** with automatic updates when issues move between columns.
    - **Bulk update status** across multiple work items for efficient workflow management.
    - **Track dependencies** with status visibility for linked work items.

    Custom workflow statuses also support **quick actions in comments** and automatically syncs with GitLab's
    open/closed system.

    Help us improve this feature by sharing your thoughts and suggestions in our
    [feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/issues/35235).
  stage: plan
  self-managed: true
  gitlab-com: true
  available_in: [Premium, Ultimate]
  documentation_link: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/work_items/status/
  image_url: https://img.youtube.com/vi/oxN95MSo6UU/hqdefault.jpg
  published_at: 2025-07-17
  release: 18.2

- name: New merge request homepage
  description: |
    Managing code reviews across multiple projects can be overwhelming when you're juggling dozens of merge requests
    as both an author and reviewer.

    The new merge request homepage transforms how you navigate your review workload
    by intelligently prioritizing what needs your attention right now, with two powerful viewing modes:

    - **Workflow view** organizes merge requests by their review state, grouping work by its stage in the code review workflow.
    - **Role view** groups your merge requests by whether you're the author or reviewer, giving you a clear separation of responsibilities.

    The **Active** tab shows merge requests requiring attention, **Merged** displays recently completed work,
    and **Search** provides comprehensive filtering capabilities.

    The new homepage also expands your visibility by combining both authored and assigned merge requests,
    ensuring you never miss work that's been delegated to you.
  stage: create
  self-managed: true
  gitlab-com: true
  available_in: [Free, Premium, Ultimate]
  documentation_link: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/merge_requests/homepage/
  image_url: https://about.gitlab.com/images/18_2/create-action-focused-mr-homepage.png
  published_at: 2025-07-17
  release: 18.2

- name: Improve security with immutable container tags
  description: |
    Container registries are critical infrastructure for modern DevSecOps teams.
    However, even with protected container tags, organizations still face a challenge:
    After a tag is created, users with sufficient permissions can alter it.
    This creates risks for teams that rely on specific tagged versions of container images for production stability.
    Any modification—even by authorized users—can introduce unintended changes or compromise deployment integrity.

    With immutable container tags, you can protect container images from unintended changes.
    After a tag is created that matches an immutable rule, no one can modify the container image.
    You can now:

    - Create up to 5 total protection rules per project (combining both protected and immutable rules) using RE2 regex patterns.
    - Protect critical tags like latest, semantic versions (for example, v1.0.0), or release candidates from any modification.
    - Ensure immutable tags are automatically excluded from cleanup policies.

    Immutable container tags require the next-generation container registry, which is enabled by default on GitLab.com.
    For GitLab Self-Managed instances, you must enable the [metadata database](https://docs.gitlab.com/administration/packages/container_registry_metadata_database/)
    to use immutable container tags.
  stage: package
  self-managed: true
  gitlab-com: true
  available_in: [Ultimate]
  documentation_link: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/packages/container_registry/immutable_container_tags/
  image_url: https://about.gitlab.com/images/18_2/immutable_tags_18_1.png
  published_at: 2025-07-17
  release: 18.2