GitLab Runner 'Never Contacted' Warning: Causes and Fixes Explained
The GitLab warning 'This runner has never contacted this instance' means a runner record exists in the database but no runner process has ever polled it. Since GitLab 16, creating a runner in the UI generates a record immediately, so the most common cause is simply that the runner software was never installed or started on the target machine. Other frequent culprits include config file mismatches — where registration and the running service read different config.toml paths — and network connectivity issues preventing the runner from reaching the GitLab API. Self-signed certificates, private hostnames, or VPN-only addresses can silently block polling even when registration appears to succeed. Checking service status logs and running a direct curl test from the runner machine are recommended first diagnostic steps.
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