Set up Maester in GitLab

This guide will walk you through setting up Maester in GitLab and automate the running of tests using GitLab Pipelines (jobs).

Set up your Maester tests project (group) in GitLab

Pre-requisites

If you are new to GitLab, create an account at gitlab.com for organizations
If you use GitLab.com, you can run your CI/CD jobs on GitLab-hosted runners.

Create a blank new project to always use the latest available public Maester Tests

On the left sidebar, at the top, select ‘Create new ()’ and ‘New project/repository’.
Select Create a blank project
- Repository name: E.g. maester-tests
- Private: Select this option to keep your tests private

There are many ways to authenticate with Microsoft Entra from GitHub Actions. We recommend using workload identity federation as it is more secure, requires less maintenance and is the easiest to set up.

If you’re unable to use more advanced options like certificates stored in Azure Key Vault, which need an Azure subscription, there’s also guidance available for using client secrets.

Workload identity federation (recommended) uses OpenID Connect (OIDC) to authenticate with Microsoft Entra protected resources without using secrets.
Client secret uses a secret to authenticate with Microsoft Entra protected resources.

GitLab Pipline Workload identity federation (recommended)
Custom workflow using client secret

Create an Entra Application

Open Entra admin center > Identity > Applications > App registrations
- Tip: enappreg.cmd.ms is a shortcut to the App registrations page.
Select New registration
Enter a name for the application (e.g. Maester DevOps Account)
Select Register

Grant permissions to Microsoft Graph

Open the application you created in the previous step
Select API permissions > Add a permission
Select Microsoft Graph > Application permissions
Search for each of the permissions and check the box next to each permission:
- AuditLog.Read.All
- DeviceManagementConfiguration.Read.All
- DeviceManagementManagedDevices.Read.All
- DeviceManagementRBAC.Read.All
- DeviceManagementServiceConfig.Read.All
- Directory.Read.All
- DirectoryRecommendations.Read.All
- EntitlementManagement.Read.All
- IdentityRiskEvent.Read.All
- NetworkAccess.Read.All
- OnPremDirectorySynchronization.Read.All
- OrgSettings-AppsAndServices.Read.All
- OrgSettings-Forms.Read.All
- Policy.Read.All
- Policy.Read.ConditionalAccess
- Reports.Read.All
- ReportSettings.Read.All
- RoleEligibilitySchedule.Read.Directory
- RoleManagement.Read.All
- RoleManagementAlert.Read.Directory
- SecurityIdentitiesSensors.Read.All
- SecurityIdentitiesHealth.Read.All
- SharePointTenantSettings.Read.All
- ThreatHunting.Read.All
- UserAuthenticationMethod.Read.All
To run preview Agent ID tests, also grant these application permissions:
- AgentIdentity.Read.All
- AgentIdentityBlueprint.Read.All
- AgentIdentityBlueprintPrincipal.Read.All
- Application.Read.All
Optionally, search for each of the permissions if you want to allow privileged permissions:
- ReportSettings.ReadWrite.All
  - Required to disable report obfuscation
Select Add permissions
Select Grant admin consent for [your organization]
Select Yes to confirm

(Optional) Grant permissions to Exchange Online

The Exchange Online role-based access control (RBAC) implementation uses service-specific roles for applications. The configuration below establishes the authorization chain for the app registration you created in the previous steps.

The Exchange Online permissions are necessary to support tests that validate Exchange Online configurations, such as the CISA tests.

Open the application you created in the previous step
Select API permissions > Add a permission
Select APIs that my organization uses > search for Office 365 Exchange Online > Application permissions
Search for Exchange.ManageAsApp
Select Add permissions
Select Grant admin consent for [your organization]
Select Yes to confirm
Connect to the Exchange Online Management tools and use the following to set the appropriate permissions:

New-ServicePrincipal -AppId <Application ID> -ObjectId <Object ID> -DisplayName <Name>
New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "View-Only Configuration" -App <DisplayName from previous command>

(Optional) Grant permissions to Teams

The Teams role-based access control (RBAC) implementation uses service-specific roles for applications. The configuration below establishes the authorization chain for the app registration you created in the previous steps.

The Teams permissions are necessary to support tests that validate Teams configurations.

Open Roles and administrators
Search and select Teams Reader
Select Add assigment
Select No member selected
Search for the name of previously created application
Select previously created application and select Select to confirm
Select Next to confirm
Ensure that Active and Permanently assigned are ticked
Enter Justification
Select Assign to confirm

(Optional) Grant permissions to Azure

The Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) implementation uses Uniform Resource Names (URNs) with a ”/” separator for hierarchical scoping. Some resources exist within the root (e.g., ”/”) scope, and Microsoft retains strict control over them by limiting supported interactions. As a Global Administrator, you can elevate access to become authorized for these limited interactions.

The Azure RBAC permissions are necessary to support tests that validate Azure configurations, such as the CISA tests.

The following PowerShell script will enable you, with a Global Administrator role assignment, to:

Identify the Service Principal Object ID that will be authorized as a Reader (Enterprise app Object ID)
Install the necessary Az module and prompt for connection
Elevate your account access to the root scope
Create a role assignment for Reader access over the Root Scope
Create a role assignment for Reader access over the Entra ID (i.e., aadiam provider)
Identify the role assignment authorizing your account access to the root scope
Delete the root scope role assignment for your account

$servicePrincipal = "<Object ID of the Entra App>"
$subscription = "<Subscription ID>"
Install-Module Az.Accounts -Force
Install-Module Az.Resources -Force
Connect-AzAccount
#Elevate to root scope access
$elevateAccess = Invoke-AzRestMethod -Path "/providers/Microsoft.Authorization/elevateAccess?api-version=2015-07-01" -Method POST

#Assign permissions to Enterprise App
New-AzRoleAssignment -ObjectId $servicePrincipal -Scope "/" -RoleDefinitionName "Reader" -ObjectType "ServicePrincipal"
New-AzRoleAssignment -ObjectId $servicePrincipal -Scope "/providers/Microsoft.aadiam" -RoleDefinitionName "Reader" -ObjectType "ServicePrincipal"

#Remove root scope access
$assignment = Get-AzRoleAssignment -RoleDefinitionId 18d7d88d-d35e-4fb5-a5c3-7773c20a72d9|?{$_.Scope -eq "/" -and $_.SignInName -eq (Get-AzContext).Account.Id}
$deleteAssignment = Invoke-AzRestMethod -Path "$($assignment.RoleAssignmentId)?api-version=2018-07-01" -Method DELETE

(Optional) Grant permissions to SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online tests require the PnP.PowerShell module and an Entra ID app registration configured for interactive login with SharePoint delegated permissions.

The SharePoint Online permissions are necessary to support tests that validate SharePoint Online configurations, such as the CISA SharePoint baseline controls.

Install PnP.PowerShell

Install-Module PnP.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser

The easiest way to create the required app registration is to follow the official PnP PowerShell guide:

Option A — Automatically create a new PnP app registration

PnP provides a built-in cmdlet to create a dedicated app registration for interactive login. This is the quickest option and the one recommended in the PnP docs:

Register-PnPEntraIDAppForInteractiveLogin -ApplicationName "Maester PnP" -Tenant [yourtenant].onmicrosoft.com -SharePointDelegatePermissions "AllSites.FullControl"

This will:

Create an Entra ID app registration with the required delegated permissions
Configure http://localhost as the redirect URI automatically
Prompt you to authenticate and provide consent
Output the Client ID you will need for Connect-Maester

If you prefer to start from the exact example in the PnP docs, run Register-PnPEntraIDAppForInteractiveLogin with their default parameters and add -SharePointDelegatePermissions "AllSites.FullControl" for Maester’s SharePoint tests.

Note: Maester’s SharePoint tests are read-only. AllSites.FullControl (delegated) is sufficient.

Important: After registering the app, open a new PowerShell session before running Connect-Maester, as the registration process loads PnP assemblies that can conflict with Microsoft Graph.

Option B — Reuse the existing Maester app registration

If you prefer not to create a separate app, you can update the Maester app registration you created earlier to also support PnP PowerShell interactive login.

1. Add the localhost redirect URI

Open your Maester app registration in the Entra admin center
Select Authentication > Add a platform > Mobile and desktop applications
In the Custom redirect URIs field, enter http://localhost (note: http, not https)
Select Configure

2. Add SharePoint delegated permissions

Select API permissions > Add a permission
Select SharePoint > Delegated permissions
Search for and check AllSites.FullControl
Select Add permissions
Select Grant admin consent for [your organization] and confirm

3. Connect using the existing Client ID

You can retrieve the Client ID of your Maester app from Graph without looking it up manually. First connect to Graph, then query for the app by its display name:

# Connect to Graph first
Connect-Maester -Service Graph

# Retrieve the Client ID of the Maester app registration
$clientId = (Get-MgApplication -Filter "displayName eq 'Maester DevOps Account'").AppId

Then connect to SharePoint Online in a new session using the retrieved Client ID. The SharePoint admin URL is auto-discovered from your tenant — no need to specify it manually:

# Open a new PowerShell session, then:
Connect-Maester -Service Graph,SharePointOnline -SharePointClientId $clientId

Important: After registering the app, open a new PowerShell session before running Connect-Maester, as PnP assemblies loaded during the session can conflict with Microsoft Graph.

Option C — App-only access (automation / non-interactive)

For unattended runs (CI pipelines, scheduled tasks) where interactive login is not possible, use application permissions with certificate-based authentication.

1. Add SharePoint application permission

Open your app registration in the Entra admin center
Select API permissions > Add a permission
Select SharePoint > Application permissions
Search for and check Sites.FullControl.All
Select Add permissions
Select Grant admin consent for [your organization] and confirm

2. Upload a certificate

Select Certificates & secrets > Certificates > Upload certificate
Upload the public key (.cer) of your certificate

3. Connect using Connect-Maester

Pass the certificate thumbprint directly to Connect-Maester using -SharePointCertificateThumbprint. -TenantId is required for thumbprint-based auth:

$params = @{
  Service = @('Graph', 'SharePointOnline')
  SharePointClientId = "<App Client ID>"
  SharePointCertificateThumbprint = "<Certificate Thumbprint>"
  TenantId = "<Tenant ID or domain>"
}
Connect-Maester @params

The certificate must be present in the current user’s Windows certificate store. The SharePoint admin URL is auto-discovered — supply -SharePointAdminUrl to override it if needed.

Use the Client ID from Option A or Option B when connecting:

Connect-Maester -Service Graph,SharePointOnline -SharePointClientId "<Client ID>"

The SharePoint admin URL is auto-discovered from your tenant’s initial domain. If auto-discovery does not work (e.g. government or custom-domain tenants), supply it explicitly:

Connect-Maester -Service Graph,SharePointOnline -SharePointClientId "<Client ID>" -SharePointAdminUrl "https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com"

For device code flow (e.g. non-interactive sessions):

Connect-Maester -Service Graph,SharePointOnline -SharePointClientId "<Client ID>" -UseDeviceCode

(Optional) Grant Dataverse permissions for Copilot Studio tests

(Optional) Grant Dataverse permissions for Copilot Studio

Dataverse access is required for the Copilot Studio security tests (MT.1113–MT.1122) that evaluate Copilot Studio agent configurations.

Create an Application User in Power Platform

Go to the Power Platform Admin Center → select your environment → Settings → Users + permissions → Application users
Click New app user → Add an app → select the app registration created above
Select the correct Business unit
Assign a security role with read access:
- Basic User for simplicity, or
- A custom role (e.g. Maester Security Reader) with Organization-level Read on: Agent (bot), Agent component (botcomponent), User (systemuser), and Connection Reference (connectionreference)
Click Create

Configure Maester

Add the environment URL to maester-config.json:

{
  "GlobalSettings": {
    "DataverseEnvironmentUrl": "https://org12345.crm.dynamics.com"
  }
}

Add federated credentials

Select Certificates & secrets
Select Federated credentials, select Add credential
For Federated credential scenario, select Other issuer
Fill in the following fields
- Issuer: Your GitLab organization url or standard gitlab url https://gitlab.com
- Type: Select Explicit subject identifier
- Value: project_path:<mygroup>/<myproject>:ref_type:branch:ref:<branch> E.g. project_path:maester/maester-tests:ref_type:branch:ref:main
- Name: Credential name E.g. gitlab-federated-identity
- Description: Credential name E.g. GitLab service account federated identity
- Audience: Your GitLab organization url or standard gitlab url https://gitlab.com
Select Add

📖 For detailed Azure integration guidance: GitLab provides comprehensive documentation on integrating with Azure services. See the GitLab Azure integration guide for advanced authentication patterns, best practices, and troubleshooting tips.

Create GitLab variables

Open your maester-tests GitLab project and go to Settings
Select CI/CD > Variables > CI/CD Variables
Add the three secrets listed below by selecting Add variable
To look up these values you will need to use the Entra portal, open the application you created earlier and copy the following values from the Overview page:
- Visibility: Visible, Key: AZURE_TENANT_ID, Value: The Directory (tenant) ID of the Entra tenant
- Visibility: Visible, Key: AZURE_CLIENT_ID, Value: The Application (client) ID of the Entra application you created
Define which services should be connected using the other variables in order to run the corresponding tests.
- Visibility: Visible, Key: CONNECTION_EXCHANGE, Value: “true” if you want to connect to the service and execute tests for this service too, “false” if not
- Visibility: Visible, Key: CONNECTION_PURVIEW, Value: “true” if you want to connect to the service and execute tests for this service too, “false” if not
- Visibility: Visible, Key: CONNECTION_TEAMS, Value: “true” if you want to connect to the service and execute tests for this service too, “false” if not
Save each secret by selecting Add variable at the bottom.

Create .gitlab-ci.yml file (or use pipeline editor)

stages:
  - test

run_maester_tests_inline:
  stage: test
  image: mcr.microsoft.com/microsoftgraph/powershell:latest
  id_tokens:
    AZURE_FEDERATED_TOKEN:
      aud: https://gitlab.com
  variables:
    TENANTID: $AZURE_TENANT_ID
    CLIENTID: $AZURE_CLIENT_ID
    CONNECTION_EXCHANGE: $CONNECTION_EXCHANGE
    CONNECTION_PURVIEW: $CONNECTION_PURVIEW
    CONNECTION_TEAMS: $CONNECTION_TEAMS

  before_script:
    - mkdir test-results
    - mkdir public-tests
    - pwsh -c 'Write-host "Running in project $env:CI_PROJECT_NAME with results at $env:CI_JOB_URL ($env:CI_JOB_URL)."'
  script:
    - |
      pwsh -Command '
        #region prepare execution
        # Install Maester
        #Install-Module Maester -AllowPrerelease -Force
        Install-Module Maester -Force
        Install-Module Az.Accounts -Force

        # Latest public tests
        Set-Location public-tests
        Install-MaesterTests
        Set-Location ..


        # Declare functions
        function Get-AccessToken {
            param([string]$Scope)

            $TokenBody = @{
                grant_type            = "client_credentials"
                client_id             = $env:AZURE_CLIENT_ID
                client_assertion_type = "urn:ietf:params:oauth:client-assertion-type:jwt-bearer"
                client_assertion      = $env:AZURE_FEDERATED_TOKEN.Trim()
                scope                 = $Scope
            }

            $Response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://login.microsoftonline.com/$env:AZURE_TENANT_ID/oauth2/v2.0/token" -Method POST -Body $TokenBody -ContentType "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
            return $Response.access_token
        }

        # Configure test results
        $PesterConfiguration = New-PesterConfiguration
        $PesterConfiguration.Output.Verbosity = "None"
        Write-Host "Pester verbosity level set to: $($PesterConfiguration.Output.Verbosity.Value)"

        $MaesterParameters = @{
            Path                 = "public-tests"
            PesterConfiguration  = $PesterConfiguration
            OutputFolder         = "test-results"
            OutputFolderFileName = "test-results"
            PassThru             = $true
        }

        $MaesterParameters.Add("DisableTelemetry", $false )
        Write-Host "Disable pester telemetry set to: $($MaesterParameters.DisableTelemetry)"

        $AdditionalConnections = @{
            Exchange      = [System.Convert]::ToBoolean($env:CONNECTION_EXCHANGE)
            Purview       = [System.Convert]::ToBoolean($env:CONNECTION_PURVIEW)
            Teams         = [System.Convert]::ToBoolean($env:CONNECTION_TEAMS)
        }

        Write-Host "Additional connections configuration:"
        $AdditionalConnections.GetEnumerator() | ForEach-Object {
            Write-Host "  $($_.Key): $($_.Value)"
        }

        #endregion prepare execution
        #region connect to services

        # Connect as service principal
        Write-Host "Connect service principal"
        Connect-AzAccount -ServicePrincipal -Tenant $env:AZURE_TENANT_ID -ApplicationId $env:AZURE_CLIENT_ID -FederatedToken $env:AZURE_FEDERATED_TOKEN | Out-Null

        # Get Graph token and connect to Microsoft Graph
        Write-Host "Connect Graph"
        $graphToken = (Get-AzAccessToken -ResourceUrl "https://graph.microsoft.com").Token
        Connect-MgGraph -AccessToken $graphToken -NoWelcome

        # Connect to Exchange Online and Purview
        if ($AdditionalConnections.Exchange -eq $true -or $AdditionalConnections.Purview -eq $true) {
            Install-Module -Name ExchangeOnlineManagement -Force

            # Get Exchange Online token using Az authentication
            $exchangeToken = Get-AccessToken -Scope "https://outlook.office365.com/.default"

            if ($AdditionalConnections.Exchange -eq $true) {
                Write-Host "Connect Exchange"
                Connect-ExchangeOnline -AccessToken $exchangeToken -Organization $env:AZURE_TENANT_ID -ShowBanner:$false
            }

            if ($AdditionalConnections.Purview -eq $true) {
              $domains = Invoke-MgGraphRequest -Uri "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/domains?`$select=id,isDefault"
              $primaryDomain = $domains.value | Where-Object { $_.isDefault -eq $true } | Select-Object -ExpandProperty id

              Write-Host "Connect Purview"
              Connect-IPPSSession -AccessToken $exchangeToken -Organization $primaryDomain -ShowBanner:$false
            }
        }

        # Connect to Microsoft Teams
        if ($AdditionalConnections.Teams -eq $true) {
            Install-Module -Name MicrosoftTeams -Force

            Write-Host "Connect Teams"

            # Get Graph token using federated credentials
            $graphToken = Get-AccessToken -Scope "https://graph.microsoft.com/.default"

            # Get Teams token using federated credentials
            $teamsToken = Get-AccessToken -Scope "48ac35b8-9aa8-4d74-927d-1f4a14a0b239/.default"  # Microsoft Teams Application ID

            # Connect to Microsoft Teams with both tokens
            Connect-MicrosoftTeams -AccessTokens @("$graphToken", "$teamsToken")
        }

        #endregion connect to services

        #region run tests

        # Run Maester tests
        #$results = Invoke-Maester -Path public-tests -PesterConfiguration $PesterConfiguration -OutputFolder test-results -OutputFolderFileName "test-results" -PassThru
        $results = Invoke-Maester @MaesterParameters

        #endregion run tests
        #region end script

        # View summary report
        $results | Format-List Result, FailedCount, PassedCount, SkippedCount, TotalCount, TenantId, TenantName, CurrentVersion, LatestVersion

        # Flag status to GitLab
        if ($results.Result -ne "Passed") {
            Write-Warning "Status = $($results.Result): see Maester Test Report for details."
        }
        #endregion end script
      '
  after_script:
    - pwsh -c 'Write-host "Report can be opened at ($env:CI_JOB_URL/artifacts/external_file/test-results/test-results.html)."'
  artifacts:
    when: on_success
    paths:
      - test-results/
    expire_in: 1 week

  rules:
    - if: '$CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule" || $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "web"'