In GitLab 18.0, the “Locked Files” feature under the Code section is specifically designed to help teams working with binary files or non-mergeable assets (e.g., images, CAD drawings, videos, large design files) where Git’s default merge model doesn’t work well.
🔐 What are Locked Files in GitLab?
✅ Definition:
Locked files are specific files in your repository that are locked by a user to prevent others from modifying them until the lock is released.
This is useful when concurrent editing would cause conflicts or corruption — especially for binary or non-text files.
📌 Key Use Cases
| Use Case | Why Lock? |
|---|---|
Graphic design files (.psd, .ai, .fig) | Prevent designers from overwriting each other’s changes |
| Game development (Unity assets) | Avoid asset merge conflicts |
CAD/3D modeling files (.dwg, .blend) | Prevent corruption due to parallel edits |
| Audio/Video files | Version control without collisions |
| Any large binary file | Git can’t merge them cleanly — one editor at a time is safest |
🧭 How It Works in GitLab (18.0)
- Navigate to Project → Code → Locked Files
- Click “Lock a file”
- Browse or search for the file you want to lock (must be in the default branch or your working branch)
- Once locked:
- Only the locker can commit changes to that file
- Others will get a commit error or merge conflict warning
- To unlock:
- The same user (or a Maintainer) can release the lock
🚦 Permission Rules
| Role | Can Lock? | Can Unlock? |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | ✅ Own locks | ❌ Other user’s locks |
| Maintainer | ✅ Any file | ✅ Any lock |
| Guest/Reporter | ❌ | ❌ |
💡 CLI Git Integration (Git LFS)
If you’re using Git LFS (Large File Storage):
# Lock a file via Git CLI
git lfs lock path/to/file.psd
# Unlock
git lfs unlock path/to/file.psd
# View locks
git lfs locks
Code language: PHP (php)GitLab integrates with Git LFS locking if it’s enabled in the repository.
🚫 What Locked Files Do Not Do
- ❌ They don’t prevent read access (just writing).
- ❌ They don’t encrypt or hide files.
- ❌ They don’t apply to all files automatically — you must lock intentionally.
🔄 Where It Fits in Workflow
- Integrates well in teams using design review pipelines, game pipelines, or documentation with binary artifacts.
- You might combine it with:
- Branch protection rules
- File-specific approval rules
- Web IDE / VS Code integrations
📦 Summary
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| What it does | Prevents edits to non-mergeable files by multiple users |
| Where to find it | Code > Locked Files |
| Who can use it | Developers (own), Maintainers (any) |
| Works best for | Binary assets, media, game files, CAD, design |
| Git integration | Git LFS (git lfs lock/unlock) |
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