# Gitea L1 · Needs a person Gitea is a code hosting service. **Can an AI agent use Gitea? No, its robots.txt says no.** Gitea's robots.txt disallows AI agents on sign-up, so our agent didn't sign up on its own. Category: Source control · Connects by: MCP, API, CLI · Agent payments: None found · Driven: 29 Oct 2026 **How to connect** - CLI install: `brew install gitea` (documented). Source: https://docs.gitea.com/installation/install-from-package/ - Docs page: `https://docs.gitea.com/` (tested in our drive). Source: https://docs.gitea.com/ **Level 1: Needs a person.** Agents can't get in on their own. - Got in by: A person sets it up (Not on its own in its last 2 drives) - Got as far as: Sign up (Use, Pay and Leave not reached) - To reach L2: Let an agent sign up on its own. 2 drives on one day, awaiting confirmation [What the levels mean](https://agentdrives.com/method/levels?via=md) ## From finding it to leaving What an agent managed without a person, at each step. 1. **Find**: On its own. Docs it can act on: an OpenAPI and an MCP server. 600 doc pages read. 2. **Get in**: Stopped. Can't sign up. Robots.txt tells AI agents acting for a user to stay out. Stopped here. 3. **Use**: Not reached. Tasks need an account. 4. **Pay**: Not reached. Buying needs an account. 5. **Leave**: Not reached. Nothing to cancel or delete. ## Getting in None of the 7 ways in got our agent in on its own; one got partway. Where it stopped: **No key needed**. Robots.txt tells AI agents acting for a user to stay out. - Both kinds of agent (On a server, or in its own browser): No. Signing up needs a person: its robots.txt disallows AI agents there. - Signed agent (Known to Cloudflare): Yes. The sign-up page opens. | Way in | What happened | |---|---| | Runs locally, no account | Partway | | No key needed | Stopped by robots.txt | | Email and password | Stopped by robots.txt | | Email and password | Stopped by a CAPTCHA | | Added by an admin | Stopped by robots.txt | | Continue with GitHub | Not tried: Not part of this drive | | Continue with Google | Not tried: Not part of this drive | - Crawlers: **robots.txt disallows AI agents on sign-up.** To let agents sign up, remove the rule that names them. [How agents get past bot checks](https://agentdrives.com/guides/let-signed-agents-past-your-bot-check.md?via=md) ## What an agent can do with Gitea No task was tried: our agent couldn't get into Gitea. Core tasks Gitea offers an agent: - Create a code repository (API) - Push commits to a repository (API, CLI) - Open and merge a pull request (API) - Review a pull request (API, MCP) - Create a task or issue (API, MCP) - Run a CI/CD workflow (API, MCP) - Publish a package (API) - Configure SAML SSO (Web app) - Read the audit log (Web app) - Scan code for vulnerabilities (Web app) What it can't do, and why: - Call the gitea.com API: Robots.txt disallows the API for all automated visitors. - Start the Enterprise trial or buy a licence: The customer portal signs in only through gitea.com, which is closed to agents. 15 more tasks it offers: - Publish a release (API) - Read logs (API, MCP) - Register a webhook (API) - Create a project or board (API, MCP) - Add a label to a task (API, MCP) - Create a doc or wiki page (API) - Create a workspace (API, MCP) - Invite a member (API) - Import data from a file or another tool (API) - Search the account's content (API, MCP) - Restrict access by IP address (Web app) - Enable two-factor authentication (API) - Set a member's role or permissions (API) - Connect a third-party integration (Web app) - Register an OAuth app (API) ### Self-hosted edition L4 · Runs on its own. Gitea also ships an edition you run yourself. Our agent installed it on its own server in about 3 minutes and drove it the same way, doing 100% of the core work. ## How an agent connects MCP, API, OpenAPI and CLI found. Agent surfaces: API tested · MCP tested · CLI tested · SDK unknown · Docs tested · Agent payments none found. Issues found: 3. - **MCP server**: All tested. Official server. Gitea-mcp 1.11.0, 61 tools, run with your own token. (61 tools across its docs) - **API**: 526 tested. REST, 537 operations in Gitea 28.2.0. (537 operations across its docs) - **OpenAPI**: Yes. Swagger 2.0, served by each instance at /swagger.v1.json. - **CLI**: 213 tested. official gt 0.2.0, about 200 commands. (216 commands across its docs) - **SDK**: Unknown. - **llms.txt**: None found. - **Agent payments**: None found. The checkout wasn't reached: Enterprise, $19 a month. - **Docs**: Some gaps. Covers getting started, auth, error codes and code examples. https://docs.gitea.com/ (600 of 701 pages read) [The standards](https://agentdrives.com/standard) ## Tips for agent builders - On gitea.com you cannot sign up or call the API as an AI agent; drive a self-hosted Gitea or one whose owner gives you a token. - Self-host in minutes: download the binary from dl.gitea.com, set INSTALL_LOCK=true and sqlite3 in app.ini, run 'gitea migrate', then 'gitea admin user create --admin'. - Get a token without a browser with POST /api/v1/users/{name}/tokens using basic auth; pick scopes, a read token gets a 403 naming the missing scope. - Run gitea-mcp (docker.gitea.com/gitea-mcp-server) with -t http and your token; server/discover answers 2026-07-28. - In gt, 'gt pr merge' and other destructive commands need --yes when not on a terminal. - Approving your own pull request is refused (422); use a second account or the admin Sudo header. - An admin cannot delete itself; make another admin first, then 'gitea admin user delete --purge'. ## How Gitea compares In Source control: 1 of the 5 products we drove in Source control is higher; 3 others share L1. - [Graphite](https://agentdrives.com/tools/graphite.md?via=md): L2, Gets in on its own - [Bitbucket](https://agentdrives.com/tools/bitbucket.md?via=md): L1, Can't sign up on its own - [Codeberg](https://agentdrives.com/tools/codeberg.md?via=md): L1, Can't sign up on its own - **Gitea** (this page): L1, Can't sign up on its own - [GitHub](https://agentdrives.com/tools/github.md?via=md): L1, Can't sign up on its own [All 5 in Source control](https://agentdrives.com/categories/source-control?via=md) Sorted by level, then work done, then time to the first call. [How we rank](https://agentdrives.com/method?via=md#order) On our standard (12 criteria: against other source control products where we measured 5 or more, otherwise against every product we measured): - [Errors say what to do next](https://agentdrives.com/standard#err-03): **Ahead of most** 81 of 103 others (every product) lower, 22 the same. - [The best way in is built for agents](https://agentdrives.com/standard#in-12): **In the middle** 2 of 4 others (source control products) lower, 2 the same. - [Export before leaving](https://agentdrives.com/standard#leave-03): **In the middle** 56 of 144 others (every product) lower, 60 the same, 28 higher. - [WebMCP tools on the web app](https://agentdrives.com/standard#proto-02): **The same as all** 4 others (source control products). - [Docs an agent can navigate](https://agentdrives.com/standard#docs-11): **Level with most** 87 of 141 others (every product) the same, 10 lower, 44 higher. - [Every way in works for an agent](https://agentdrives.com/standard#in-11): **Level with most** 3 of 4 others (source control products) the same, 1 higher. - [All validation problems at once](https://agentdrives.com/standard#err-04): **Level with most** 23 of 35 others (every product) the same, 12 higher. - [Pages fit one fetch](https://agentdrives.com/standard#docs-08): **Level with most** 87 of 141 others (every product) the same, 54 higher. - [Limits known before they hit](https://agentdrives.com/standard#lim-02): **Level with most** 26 of 47 others (every product) the same, 21 higher. - [Errors a program can read](https://agentdrives.com/standard#err-02): **Behind most** 65 of 104 others (every product) higher, 39 the same. - [A request id on every answer](https://agentdrives.com/standard#err-07): **Behind most** 70 of 103 others (every product) higher, 33 the same. - [A path written for agents](https://agentdrives.com/standard#docs-10): **Behind most** 103 of 141 others (every product) higher, 38 the same. [How each criterion is graded](https://agentdrives.com/standard) ## For the team behind Gitea **10 things to fix for agents.** Agent blockers: 3 found. Safety review: 2 issues found. Agents get stuck at Get in. Prove Gitea is yours, then see where each issue is, read your safety findings and ask for a free drive after a fix. How to fix each one comes with the Audit. - Find: Clear - Get in: Blocks agents - Use: Not reached - Pay: Not reached - Leave: Not reached [Claim Gitea, free](https://agentdrives.com/app/products?add=gitea.com&ref=listing) · [What a drive covers](https://agentdrives.com/method?via=md) ## Where Gitea fits - Category: [Developer platform](https://agentdrives.com/categories/developer?via=md), [Source control](https://agentdrives.com/categories/source-control?via=md) - Wall: [Bot checks](https://agentdrives.com/access/get-in/bot-checks) (kept our agent out), [Cloudflare bot check](https://agentdrives.com/vendors/cloudflare) (the check, and every product we met it at), [Let signed AI agents past your bot check](https://agentdrives.com/guides/let-signed-agents-past-your-bot-check?via=md) (fix guide) - Standards: [MCP](https://agentdrives.com/standards/mcp) (tools an agent can call), [OpenAPI](https://agentdrives.com/standards/openapi) (its API, described) - Steps: [Find](https://agentdrives.com/access/find), [Get in](https://agentdrives.com/access/get-in) (stopped here), [Use](https://agentdrives.com/access/use), [Pay](https://agentdrives.com/access/pay), [Leave](https://agentdrives.com/access/leave) - Rivals: [Bitbucket](https://agentdrives.com/tools/bitbucket?via=md) (L1), [Codeberg](https://agentdrives.com/tools/codeberg?via=md) (L1), [GitHub](https://agentdrives.com/tools/github?via=md) (L1) Data: [JSON](https://agentdrives.com/api/tools/gitea.json?via=md) · [Markdown](https://agentdrives.com/tools/gitea.md?via=md) · [History](https://agentdrives.com/tools/gitea/history?via=md) · [Atom](https://agentdrives.com/feeds/tools/gitea.atom) · [JSON Feed](https://agentdrives.com/feeds/tools/gitea.json) · licence [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) **Found an error?** [Tell us on this page](https://agentdrives.com/tools/gitea?via=md#correct) or read [how corrections work](https://agentdrives.com/corrections?via=md).