AI agents struggle with understanding the system surrounding code, leading to wasted effort and failed tasks. This gap arises because agents often lack context beyond the immediate code they are analyzing. GitLab Orbit aims to bridge this gap by creating a live, queryable graph of all software development lifecycle data. This graph connects code, merge requests, pipelines, deployments, vulnerabilities, and ownership. By using this first-party data, agents can make more informed decisions and provide more accurate results.GitLab Orbit has demonstrated significant improvements in AI code review accuracy compared to traditional methods like RAG. It enables coding agents to be up to eleven times faster and significantly reduce token usage. Furthermore, Orbit allows for previously impossible queries, such as tracing pipeline failures to their root cause or mapping the blast radius of vulnerabilities. This facilitates faster incident response and more efficient planning for tasks like migrations.The system works by ingesting and parsing data from various sources, maintaining an up-to-date graph of relationships. Query traffic is separated from the main GitLab instance, and authorization mirrors existing GitLab permissions. Orbit builds on data GitLab already captures, eliminating the need for new instrumentation. Engineers can also query this graph directly through the Data Explorer for manual investigations. GitLab Orbit is currently in public beta for Premium and Ultimate customers.