Executing Shell Scripts in a Job

Streamline your GitLab CI/CD pipelines by extracting complex commands into standalone shell scripts. This approach improves readability, maintainability, and version control for your build logic.

1. Example Inline Job

Below is a simple .gitlab-ci.yml that installs the cowsay gem and runs commands directly:

workflow:
  name: Generate ASCII Artwork

ascii_job:
  before_script:
    - gem install cowsay
  script:
    - echo "Generating ASCII Artwork using COWSAY Program"
    - cowsay -f dragon "Run for cover, I am a DRAGON....RAWR" >> dragon.txt
    - grep -i "dragon" dragon.txt
    - cat dragon.txt
  after_script:
    - echo "Executed at the end, can be used for cleaning/removing content"

While this works, embedding multiple commands can quickly clutter your CI file.

Best Practice

Extract repetitive or lengthy command sequences into versioned scripts to keep your pipeline definitions clean and reusable.

2. Create a Dedicated Shell Script

Open the GitLab Web IDE.
Add a file named ascii-script.sh at your repository root:

#!/bin/sh
echo "Generating ASCII Artwork using COWSAY Program"
cowsay -f dragon "Run for cover, I am a DRAGON....RAWR" >> dragon.txt
grep -i "dragon" dragon.txt
cat dragon.txt
ls -ltr

The image shows the GitLab Web IDE interface with a welcome screen and options for connecting to a remote development environment. The left sidebar displays a file explorer with a project structure.

Save and commit ascii-script.sh so it’s tracked by Git.

3. Update Your CI Configuration

Modify .gitlab-ci.yml to invoke the script instead of inline commands:

workflow:
  name: Generate ASCII Artwork

ascii_job:
  before_script:
    - gem install cowsay
  script:
    - ./ascii-script.sh
  after_script:
    - echo "Executed at the end, can be used for cleaning/removing content"

Commit and push your changes. The pipeline will now call the external script.

4. Monitor Pipeline Status

Navigate to CI/CD > Pipelines in the GitLab UI to view your job status in real time.

The image shows a GitLab interface displaying a list of CI/CD pipelines with their statuses, such as "Running," "Passed," "Failed," and "Canceled." The sidebar includes navigation options like "Issues," "Merge requests," and "Pipelines."

You should see the ascii_job running under the “Generate ASCII Artwork” pipeline.

5. Handling Permission Errors

If your script isn’t executable, GitLab will report a permission denied error:

The image shows a GitLab pipeline interface with a failed job named "ascii_job" under the "Generate ASCII Artwork" project. The pipeline was created for a specific commit and has options to retry or delete.

$ gem install cowsay
Successfully installed cowsay-0.3.0
1 gem installed
$ ./ascii-script.sh
/usr/bin/bash: ./ascii-script.sh: Permission denied
ERROR: Job failed: exit code 1

Permission Denied

Always ensure your shell scripts have execute permissions. Without chmod +x, GitLab runners cannot run them.

6. Grant Execute Permissions

Add a chmod step in before_script to make the script executable:

workflow:
  name: Generate ASCII Artwork

ascii_job:
  before_script:
    - gem install cowsay
    - chmod +x ascii-script.sh
  script:
    - ./ascii-script.sh
  after_script:
    - echo "Executed at the end, can be used for cleaning/removing content"

Commit and push. The next pipeline run will apply the new permissions automatically.

7. Confirm Successful Execution

Once fixed, your job logs should show:

$ chmod +x ascii-script.sh
$ ./ascii-script.sh
Generating ASCII Artwork using COWSAY Program
 |  Run for cover, I am a DRAGON....RAWR  |
total 32
-rwxrwxr-x 1 root root     185 Jan 25 19:32 ascii-script.sh
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root    6181 Jan 25 19:32 README.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root     270 Jan 25 19:32 .gitlab-ci.yml
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     948 Jan 25 19:32 dragon.txt
Running after_script
Job succeeded

With this pattern, your .gitlab-ci.yml stays concise, and complex logic lives in maintainable, version-controlled scripts.

Links and References

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