If you're using GitLab's Environments concept to track your deployments to i.e. Production, or even to a feature branch using Review Apps, you may be aware that GitLab will map the Environment's deployment back to the commit that created it.

This is all done using Git refs, and means that if we were to pull that reference down, we'd be able to actually git checkout that deployment's code - which is an awesome way to determine what's running there and then, instead of i.e. tracking down what artefact it is, etc.

And in action, a git log --decorate:

commit 8056534399346aa620be7b61f905dde5c374eea2 (HEAD -> article/git-refs, origin/master, origin/environments/staging/deployments/1191, origin/environments/production/deployments/1192, origin/HEAD)
Merge: 4a5603c 390a588
Author: Jamie Tanna <gitlab@jamietanna.co.uk>
Date:   Fri Jan 18 18:06:00 2019 +0000

    Merge branch 'defect/rss-desc' into 'master'

    Use post's `description` tag for RSS description

    See merge request jamietanna/jvt.me!233

Once you configure it, following one of the options below, every git pull or git fetch will pick up any new changes in GitLab's Environments - yay!

Note: this is documented in GitLab's Environments documentation.

Configuring per-repo using git config

If you want only the current repo you're in to attempt to pick up Environments, you can run the following in the repo:

git config remote.origin.fetch '+refs/environments/*:refs/remotes/origin/environments/*'

Configuring globally using git config --global

If you want any repo you use to attempt to pick up Environments, you can run the following:

git config --global remote.origin.fetch '+refs/environments/*:refs/remotes/origin/environments/*'

Configuring globally using ~/.gitconfig

The way that I've got this set up in my personal configuration is that for each repo I have, it will try and pull down any refs under environments for the origin remote:

[remote "origin"]
	fetch = +refs/environments/*:refs/remotes/origin/environments/*