GitLab Runner Not Picking Up Jobs

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Verify the runner process

   Copy steps
   1. Run sudo gitlab-runner verify to confirm it can reach GitLab and the token is valid.
   2. Check logs: journalctl --unit=gitlab-runner.service -n 100 --no-pager (or docker logs / kubectl logs).
   3. Restart: sudo systemctl restart gitlab-runner.service.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Turn on debug logging

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   1. Set log_level = "debug" at the top of /etc/gitlab-runner/config.toml and restart.
   2. Remove it afterwards because debug logs can expose secrets.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Fix tag and scope settings

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   1. In Settings > CI/CD > Runners edit the runner: enable "Run untagged jobs" or add the job tags.
   2. Untick Protected if the branch is not protected.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Fix certificate and DNS errors

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   1. For "x509: certificate signed by unknown authority" add your CA certificate to the runner per the self-signed certificates docs.
   2. If containers cannot reach GitLab but the host can, set dns = ["<ip>"] under [runners.docker] in config.toml.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

5. 5. Keep versions aligned and avoid duplicates

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   1. Upgrade gitlab-runner to match your GitLab major.minor version.
   2. Never run multiple runner instances on the same config.toml.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Runner appears in the list (or as offline) but jobs stay pending, or gitlab-runner logs show errors contacting GitLab.

Why it happens

• Tag mismatch or runner not allowed to run untagged jobs
• Protected or locked runner scope
• Runner service not running or two runner instances sharing one config.toml
• Certificate (x509) or DNS problems reaching GitLab from the runner or its containers
• Runner and GitLab versions out of sync
• Long polling issues delaying job start

This guide also covers

• gitlab runner not picking up jobs
• gitlab runner offline
• gitlab-runner not running jobs
• gitlab runner x509 certificate signed by unknown authority

Other GitLab errors

• GitLab Permission Denied (publickey) Error
• GitLab Pipeline Stuck on Pending
• GitLab "HTTP Basic: Access Denied" on Push or Clone
• GitLab "You Are Not Allowed to Push Code to Protected Branches"
• How to Resolve GitLab Merge Conflicts
• GitLab "No More Compute Minutes" or CI Minutes Quota Exceeded
• GitLab Pipeline Not Running or "yaml invalid"
• Why Is GitLab So Slow?