diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration.yml b/.github/workflows/integration.yml
index b3583631247..1eeca00f1cb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration.yml
@@ -71,3 +71,17 @@ jobs:
         with:
          files: ./e2e-coverage.out
          verbose: true
+      
+      - name: Run GitLab E2E  #using retry because the GitHub token is being throttled.
+        uses: nick-invision/retry@943e742917ac94714d2f408a0e8320f2d1fcafcd
+        with:
+          max_attempts: 3
+          retry_on: error
+          timeout_minutes: 30
+          command: make e2e-gitlab
+
+      - name: codecov
+        uses: codecov/codecov-action@81cd2dc8148241f03f5839d295e000b8f761e378 # 2.1.0
+        with:
+         files: ./e2e-coverage.out
+         verbose: true
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 25d5e2370e2..b9d5e4c8509 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -334,6 +334,12 @@ e2e-gh-token: build-scorecard check-env | $(GINKGO)
 	# Run e2e tests. GITHUB_AUTH_TOKEN set to secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN must be used to run this.
 	TOKEN_TYPE="GITHUB_TOKEN" $(GINKGO) --race -p -v -cover -coverprofile=e2e-coverage.out --keep-separate-coverprofiles ./...
 
+e2e-gitlab-token: ## Runs e2e tests that require a GITLAB_TOKEN
+	TOKEN_TYPE="GITLAB_PAT" $(GINKGO) --race -p -vv --focus '.*GitLab Token' ./...
+
+e2e-gitlab: ## Runs e2e tests for GitLab only. TOKEN_TYPE is not used (since these are public APIs), but must be set to something
+	TOKEN_TYPE="GITLAB_PAT" $(GINKGO) --race -p -vv --focus '.*GitLab' ./...
+
 e2e-attestor: ## Runs e2e tests for scorecard-attestor
 	cd attestor/e2e; go test -covermode=atomic -coverprofile=e2e-coverage.out; cd ../..
 
diff --git a/checker/client.go b/checker/client.go
index 1fd646fec28..b6931a7dec1 100644
--- a/checker/client.go
+++ b/checker/client.go
@@ -17,9 +17,11 @@ package checker
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/clients"
 	ghrepo "github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/clients/githubrepo"
+	glrepo "github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/clients/gitlabrepo"
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/clients/localdir"
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/clients/ossfuzz"
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/log"
@@ -35,7 +37,9 @@ func GetClients(ctx context.Context, repoURI, localURI string, logger *log.Logge
 	clients.VulnerabilitiesClient, // vulnClient
 	error,
 ) {
-	var githubRepo clients.Repo
+	var repo clients.Repo
+	var makeRepoError error
+
 	if localURI != "" {
 		localRepo, errLocal := localdir.MakeLocalDirRepo(localURI)
 		var retErr error
@@ -50,18 +54,46 @@ func GetClients(ctx context.Context, repoURI, localURI string, logger *log.Logge
 			retErr
 	}
 
-	githubRepo, errGitHub := ghrepo.MakeGithubRepo(repoURI)
-	if errGitHub != nil {
-		return githubRepo,
-			nil,
-			nil,
-			nil,
-			nil,
-			fmt.Errorf("getting local directory client: %w", errGitHub)
+	_, experimental := os.LookupEnv("SCORECARD_EXPERIMENTAL")
+	var repoClient clients.RepoClient
+
+	//nolint:nestif
+	if experimental && glrepo.DetectGitLab(repoURI) {
+		repo, makeRepoError = glrepo.MakeGitlabRepo(repoURI)
+		if makeRepoError != nil {
+			return repo,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				fmt.Errorf("getting local directory client: %w", makeRepoError)
+		}
+
+		var err error
+		repoClient, err = glrepo.CreateGitlabClientWithToken(ctx, os.Getenv("GITLAB_AUTH_TOKEN"), repo)
+		if err != nil {
+			return repo,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				fmt.Errorf("error creating gitlab client: %w", err)
+		}
+	} else {
+		repo, makeRepoError = ghrepo.MakeGithubRepo(repoURI)
+		if makeRepoError != nil {
+			return repo,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				nil,
+				fmt.Errorf("getting local directory client: %w", makeRepoError)
+		}
+		repoClient = ghrepo.CreateGithubRepoClient(ctx, logger)
 	}
 
-	return githubRepo, /*repo*/
-		ghrepo.CreateGithubRepoClient(ctx, logger), /*repoClient*/
+	return repo, /*repo*/
+		repoClient, /*repoClient*/
 		ossfuzz.CreateOSSFuzzClient(ossfuzz.StatusURL), /*ossFuzzClient*/
 		clients.DefaultCIIBestPracticesClient(), /*ciiClient*/
 		clients.DefaultVulnerabilitiesClient(), /*vulnClient*/
diff --git a/clients/githubrepo/repo.go b/clients/githubrepo/repo.go
index 0f288cf7205..295ee21bfa1 100644
--- a/clients/githubrepo/repo.go
+++ b/clients/githubrepo/repo.go
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ func (r *repoURL) URI() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", r.host, r.owner, r.repo)
 }
 
+func (r *repoURL) Host() string {
+	return r.host
+}
+
 // String implements Repo.String.
 func (r *repoURL) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s-%s", r.host, r.owner, r.repo)
diff --git a/clients/githubrepo/repo_test.go b/clients/githubrepo/repo_test.go
index 85a507d2c7c..10b2c7a5e5a 100644
--- a/clients/githubrepo/repo_test.go
+++ b/clients/githubrepo/repo_test.go
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ func TestRepoURL_IsValid(t *testing.T) {
 			if !tt.wantErr && !cmp.Equal(tt.expected, r, cmp.AllowUnexported(repoURL{})) {
 				t.Errorf("Got diff: %s", cmp.Diff(tt.expected, r))
 			}
+
+			if !cmp.Equal(r.Host(), tt.expected.host) {
+				t.Errorf("%s expected host: %s got host %s", tt.inputURL, tt.expected.host, r.Host())
+			}
 		})
 	}
 }
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/branches.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/branches.go
index 7ca6189cc98..79aeaafbb2a 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/branches.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/branches.go
@@ -46,13 +46,13 @@ func (handler *branchesHandler) setup() error {
 			return
 		}
 
-		proj, _, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetProject(handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.GetProjectOptions{})
+		proj, _, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetProject(handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.GetProjectOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("requirest for project failed with error %w", err)
 			return
 		}
 
-		branch, _, err := handler.glClient.Branches.GetBranch(handler.repourl.projectID, proj.DefaultBranch)
+		branch, _, err := handler.glClient.Branches.GetBranch(handler.repourl.project, proj.DefaultBranch)
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for default branch failed with error %w", err)
 			return
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func (handler *branchesHandler) setup() error {
 
 		if branch.Protected {
 			protectedBranch, resp, err := handler.glClient.ProtectedBranches.GetProtectedBranch(
-				handler.repourl.projectID, branch.Name)
+				handler.repourl.project, branch.Name)
 			if err != nil && resp.StatusCode != 403 {
 				handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for protected branch failed with error %w", err)
 				return
@@ -70,13 +70,13 @@ func (handler *branchesHandler) setup() error {
 			}
 
 			projectStatusChecks, resp, err := handler.glClient.ExternalStatusChecks.ListProjectStatusChecks(
-				handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListOptions{})
+				handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListOptions{})
 			if err != nil && resp.StatusCode != 404 {
 				handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for external status checks failed with error %w", err)
 				return
 			}
 
-			projectApprovalRule, resp, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetApprovalConfiguration(handler.repourl.projectID)
+			projectApprovalRule, resp, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetApprovalConfiguration(handler.repourl.project)
 			if err != nil && resp.StatusCode != 404 {
 				handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for project approval rule failed with %w", err)
 				return
@@ -105,24 +105,24 @@ func (handler *branchesHandler) getDefaultBranch() (*clients.BranchRef, error) {
 }
 
 func (handler *branchesHandler) getBranch(branch string) (*clients.BranchRef, error) {
-	bran, _, err := handler.glClient.Branches.GetBranch(handler.repourl.projectID, branch)
+	bran, _, err := handler.glClient.Branches.GetBranch(handler.repourl.project, branch)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error getting branch in branchsHandler.getBranch: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	if bran.Protected {
-		protectedBranch, _, err := handler.glClient.ProtectedBranches.GetProtectedBranch(handler.repourl.projectID, bran.Name)
+		protectedBranch, _, err := handler.glClient.ProtectedBranches.GetProtectedBranch(handler.repourl.project, bran.Name)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("request for protected branch failed with error %w", err)
 		}
 
 		projectStatusChecks, resp, err := handler.glClient.ExternalStatusChecks.ListProjectStatusChecks(
-			handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListOptions{})
+			handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListOptions{})
 		if err != nil && resp.StatusCode != 404 {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("request for external status checks failed with error %w", err)
 		}
 
-		projectApprovalRule, resp, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetApprovalConfiguration(handler.repourl.projectID)
+		projectApprovalRule, resp, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetApprovalConfiguration(handler.repourl.project)
 		if err != nil && resp.StatusCode != 404 {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("request for project approval rule failed with %w", err)
 		}
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/checkruns.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/checkruns.go
index a666dd03a26..3508f4d3247 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/checkruns.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/checkruns.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func (handler *checkrunsHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 
 func (handler *checkrunsHandler) listCheckRunsForRef(ref string) ([]clients.CheckRun, error) {
 	pipelines, _, err := handler.glClient.Pipelines.ListProjectPipelines(
-		handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListProjectPipelinesOptions{})
+		handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListProjectPipelinesOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("request for pipelines returned error: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/client.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/client.go
index a64164c63c5..e58aca0f7c7 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/client.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/client.go
@@ -52,8 +52,7 @@ type Client struct {
 	languages     *languagesHandler
 	licenses      *licensesHandler
 	ctx           context.Context
-	// tarball       tarballHandler
-	commitDepth int
+	commitDepth   int
 }
 
 // InitRepo sets up the GitLab project in local storage for improving performance and GitLab token usage efficiency.
@@ -64,9 +63,10 @@ func (client *Client) InitRepo(inputRepo clients.Repo, commitSHA string, commitD
 	}
 
 	// Sanity check.
-	repo, _, err := client.glClient.Projects.GetProject(glRepo.projectID, &gitlab.GetProjectOptions{})
+	proj := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", glRepo.owner, glRepo.project)
+	repo, _, err := client.glClient.Projects.GetProject(proj, &gitlab.GetProjectOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
-		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrRepoUnreachable, err.Error())
+		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrRepoUnreachable, proj+"\t"+err.Error())
 	}
 	if commitDepth <= 0 {
 		client.commitDepth = 30 // default
@@ -75,8 +75,9 @@ func (client *Client) InitRepo(inputRepo clients.Repo, commitSHA string, commitD
 	}
 	client.repo = repo
 	client.repourl = &repoURL{
-		hostname:      inputRepo.URI(),
-		projectID:     fmt.Sprint(repo.ID),
+		scheme:        glRepo.scheme,
+		host:          glRepo.host,
+		project:       fmt.Sprint(repo.ID),
 		defaultBranch: repo.DefaultBranch,
 		commitSHA:     commitSHA,
 	}
@@ -127,13 +128,11 @@ func (client *Client) InitRepo(inputRepo clients.Repo, commitSHA string, commitD
 	// Init languagesHandler
 	client.licenses.init(client.repourl)
 
-	// Init tarballHandler.
-	// client.tarball.init(client.ctx, client.repourl, client.repo, commitSHA)
 	return nil
 }
 
 func (client *Client) URI() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", client.repourl.hostname, client.repourl.owner, client.repourl.projectID)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", client.repourl.host, client.repourl.owner, client.repourl.project)
 }
 
 func (client *Client) LocalPath() (string, error) {
@@ -222,7 +221,7 @@ func (client *Client) Close() error {
 }
 
 func CreateGitlabClientWithToken(ctx context.Context, token string, repo clients.Repo) (clients.RepoClient, error) {
-	client, err := gitlab.NewClient(token, gitlab.WithBaseURL(repo.URI()))
+	client, err := gitlab.NewClient(token, gitlab.WithBaseURL(repo.Host()))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not create gitlab client with error: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -269,6 +268,7 @@ func CreateGitlabClientWithToken(ctx context.Context, token string, repo clients
 		languages: &languagesHandler{
 			glClient: client,
 		},
+		licenses: &licensesHandler{},
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -276,3 +276,14 @@ func CreateGitlabClientWithToken(ctx context.Context, token string, repo clients
 func CreateOssFuzzRepoClient(ctx context.Context, logger *log.Logger) (clients.RepoClient, error) {
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w, oss fuzz currently only supported for github repos", clients.ErrUnsupportedFeature)
 }
+
+// DetectGitLab: check whether the repoURI is a GitLab URI
+// Makes HTTP request to GitLab API.
+func DetectGitLab(repoURI string) bool {
+	var repo repoURL
+	if err := repo.parse(repoURI); err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return repo.IsValid() == nil
+}
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/commits.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/commits.go
index 505e932588c..92956dda745 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/commits.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/commits.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func (handler *commitsHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 // nolint: gocognit
 func (handler *commitsHandler) setup() error {
 	handler.once.Do(func() {
-		commits, _, err := handler.glClient.Commits.ListCommits(handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListCommitsOptions{})
+		commits, _, err := handler.glClient.Commits.ListCommits(handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListCommitsOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for commits failed with %w", err)
 			return
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func (handler *commitsHandler) setup() error {
 
 			// Commits are able to be a part of multiple merge requests, but the only one that will be important
 			// here is the earliest one.
-			mergeRequests, _, err := handler.glClient.Commits.ListMergeRequestsByCommit(handler.repourl.projectID, commit.ID)
+			mergeRequests, _, err := handler.glClient.Commits.ListMergeRequestsByCommit(handler.repourl.project, commit.ID)
 			if err != nil {
 				handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("unable to find merge requests associated with commit: %w", err)
 				return
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/contributors.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/contributors.go
index 0b36594790c..f52afd4d7c9 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/contributors.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/contributors.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func (handler *contributorsHandler) setup() error {
 			return
 		}
 		contribs, _, err := handler.glClient.Repositories.Contributors(
-			handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListContributorsOptions{})
+			handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListContributorsOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("error during ListContributors: %w", err)
 			return
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/issues.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/issues.go
index d47b2b3af08..1902bcd0a3f 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/issues.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/issues.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func (handler *issuesHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 func (handler *issuesHandler) setup() error {
 	handler.once.Do(func() {
 		issues, _, err := handler.glClient.Issues.ListProjectIssues(
-			handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListProjectIssuesOptions{})
+			handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListProjectIssuesOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("unable to find issues associated with the project id: %w", err)
 			return
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func (handler *issuesHandler) setup() error {
 		// There doesn't seem to be a good way to get user access_levels in gitlab so the following way may seem incredibly
 		// barberic, however I couldn't find a better way in the docs.
 		projectAccessTokens, resp, err := handler.glClient.ProjectAccessTokens.ListProjectAccessTokens(
-			handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListProjectAccessTokensOptions{})
+			handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListProjectAccessTokensOptions{})
 		if err != nil && resp.StatusCode != 401 {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("unable to find access tokens associated with the project id: %w", err)
 			return
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/languages.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/languages.go
index 1346fabe012..57b9a652ca8 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/languages.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/languages.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func (handler *languagesHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 func (handler *languagesHandler) setup() error {
 	handler.once.Do(func() {
 		client := handler.glClient
-		languageMap, _, err := client.Projects.GetProjectLanguages(handler.repourl.projectID)
+		languageMap, _, err := client.Projects.GetProjectLanguages(handler.repourl.project)
 		if err != nil || languageMap == nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for repo languages failed with %w", err)
 			return
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/project.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/project.go
index 595f83a5224..a36256e7e7e 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/project.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/project.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func (handler *projectHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 
 func (handler *projectHandler) setup() error {
 	handler.once.Do(func() {
-		proj, _, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetProject(handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.GetProjectOptions{})
+		proj, _, err := handler.glClient.Projects.GetProject(handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.GetProjectOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for project failed with error %w", err)
 			return
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/releases.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/releases.go
index 016af359d86..6aca7adbc24 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/releases.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/releases.go
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func (handler *releasesHandler) setup() error {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("%w: ListReleases only supported for HEAD queries", clients.ErrUnsupportedFeature)
 			return
 		}
-		releases, _, err := handler.glClient.Releases.ListReleases(handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListReleasesOptions{})
+		releases, _, err := handler.glClient.Releases.ListReleases(handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListReleasesOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("%w: ListReleases failed", err)
 			return
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/repo.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/repo.go
index df97ae925ab..5c223ac12af 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/repo.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/repo.go
@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@ package gitlabrepo
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"regexp"
+	"net/url"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/xanzy/go-gitlab"
+
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/clients"
 	sce "github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/errors"
 )
@@ -30,9 +32,10 @@ const (
 )
 
 type repoURL struct {
-	hostname      string
+	scheme        string
+	host          string
 	owner         string
-	projectID     string
+	project       string
 	defaultBranch string
 	commitSHA     string
 	metadata      []string
@@ -41,64 +44,91 @@ type repoURL struct {
 // Parses input string into repoURL struct
 /*
 *  Accepted input string formats are as follows:
-	*  "gitlab.<companyDomain:string>.com/<owner:string>/<projectID:int>"
-	* "https://gitlab.<companyDomain:string>.com/<owner:string>/<projectID:int>"
+	*  "gitlab.<companyDomain:string>.com/<owner:string>/<projectID:string>"
+	* "https://gitlab.<companyDomain:string>.com/<owner:string>/<projectID:string>"
+
+The following input format is not supported:
+	* https://gitlab.<companyDomain:string>.com/projects/<projectID:int>
 */
 func (r *repoURL) parse(input string) error {
-	switch {
-	case strings.Contains(input, "https://"):
-		input = strings.TrimPrefix(input, "https://")
-	case strings.Contains(input, "http://"):
-		input = strings.TrimPrefix(input, "http://")
-	case strings.Contains(input, "://"):
-		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrScorecardInternal, "unknown input format")
+	var t string
+	c := strings.Split(input, "/")
+	switch l := len(c); {
+	// owner/repo format is not supported for gitlab, it's github-only
+	case l == 2:
+		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrScorecardInternal, fmt.Sprintf("gitlab repo must specify host: %s", input))
+	case l >= 3:
+		t = input
 	}
 
-	stringParts := strings.Split(input, "/")
+	// Allow skipping scheme for ease-of-use, default to https.
+	if !strings.Contains(t, "://") {
+		t = "https://" + t
+	}
 
-	stringParts[2] = strings.TrimSuffix(stringParts[2], "/")
+	u, e := url.Parse(t)
+	if e != nil {
+		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrScorecardInternal, fmt.Sprintf("url.Parse: %v", e))
+	}
 
-	r.hostname, r.owner, r.projectID = stringParts[0], stringParts[1], stringParts[2]
+	const splitLen = 2
+	split := strings.SplitN(strings.Trim(u.Path, "/"), "/", splitLen)
+	if len(split) != splitLen {
+		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrorInvalidURL, fmt.Sprintf("%v. Expected full repository url", input))
+	}
+
+	r.scheme, r.host, r.owner, r.project = u.Scheme, u.Host, split[0], split[1]
 	return nil
 }
 
 // URI implements Repo.URI().
-// TODO: there may be a reason the string was originally in format "%s/%s/%s", hostname, owner, projectID,
-// however I changed it to be more "userful".
 func (r *repoURL) URI() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("https://%s", r.hostname)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", r.host, r.owner, r.project)
+}
+
+func (r *repoURL) Host() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s", r.scheme, r.host)
 }
 
 // String implements Repo.String.
 func (r *repoURL) String() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s_%s", r.hostname, r.owner, r.projectID)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s_%s", r.host, r.owner, r.project)
 }
 
 func (r *repoURL) Org() clients.Repo {
 	return &repoURL{
-		hostname:  r.hostname,
-		owner:     r.owner,
-		projectID: gitlabOrgProj,
+		host:    r.host,
+		owner:   r.owner,
+		project: gitlabOrgProj,
 	}
 }
 
 // IsValid implements Repo.IsValid.
 func (r *repoURL) IsValid() error {
-	hostMatched, err := regexp.MatchString("gitlab.*com", r.hostname)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error processing regex: %w", err)
+	if strings.Contains(r.host, "gitlab.") {
+		return nil
 	}
-	if !hostMatched {
-		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrorInvalidURL, "non gitlab repository found")
+
+	client, err := gitlab.NewClient("", gitlab.WithBaseURL(fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s", r.scheme, r.host)))
+	if err != nil {
+		return sce.WithMessage(err,
+			fmt.Sprintf("couldn't create gitlab client for %s", r.host),
+		)
 	}
 
-	isNotDigit := func(c rune) bool { return c < '0' || c > '9' }
-	b := strings.IndexFunc(r.projectID, isNotDigit) == -1
-	if !b {
-		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrorInvalidURL, "incorrect format for projectID")
+	_, resp, err := client.Projects.ListProjects(&gitlab.ListProjectsOptions{})
+	if resp == nil || resp.StatusCode != 200 {
+		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrRepoUnreachable,
+			fmt.Sprintf("couldn't reach gitlab instance at %s", r.host),
+		)
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return sce.WithMessage(err,
+			fmt.Sprintf("error when connecting to gitlab instance at %s", r.host),
+		)
 	}
 
-	if strings.TrimSpace(r.owner) == "" || strings.TrimSpace(r.projectID) == "" {
+	if strings.TrimSpace(r.owner) == "" || strings.TrimSpace(r.project) == "" {
 		return sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrorInvalidURL,
 			fmt.Sprintf("%v. Expected the full project url", r.URI()))
 	}
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/repo_test.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/repo_test.go
index 6892bfb5f03..de99f02b1e1 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/repo_test.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/repo_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp/cmpopts"
 )
 
 func TestRepoURL_IsValid(t *testing.T) {
@@ -30,83 +31,58 @@ func TestRepoURL_IsValid(t *testing.T) {
 		wantErr  bool
 	}{
 		{
-			name: "valid http address",
+			name: "github repository",
 			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "gitlab.example.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				scheme:  "https",
+				host:    "https://github.com",
+				owner:   "ossf",
+				project: "scorecard",
 			},
-			inputURL: "http://gitlab.example.com/foo/1234",
-			wantErr:  false,
+			inputURL: "https://github.com/ossf/scorecard",
+			wantErr:  true,
 		},
 		{
-			name: "valid https address",
+			name: "GitHub project with 'gitlab.' in the title",
 			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "gitlab.example.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				scheme:  "http",
+				host:    "http://github.com",
+				owner:   "foo",
+				project: "gitlab.test",
 			},
-			inputURL: "https://gitlab.example.com/foo/1234",
-			wantErr:  false,
+			inputURL: "http://github.com/foo/gitlab.test",
+			wantErr:  true,
 		},
 		{
-			name: "valid http address with trailing slash",
+			name: "valid gitlab project",
 			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "gitlab.example.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				host:    "https://gitlab.com",
+				owner:   "ossf-test",
+				project: "scorecard-check-binary-artifacts-e2e",
 			},
-			inputURL: "http://gitlab.example.com/foo/1234/",
+			inputURL: "https://gitlab.com/ossf-test/scorecard-check-binary-artifacts-e2e",
 			wantErr:  false,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "valid https address with trailing slash",
 			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "gitlab.example.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				scheme:  "https",
+				host:    "https://gitlab.com",
+				owner:   "ossf-test",
+				project: "scorecard-check-binary-artifacts-e2e",
 			},
-			inputURL: "https://gitlab.example.com/foo/1234/",
+			inputURL: "https://gitlab.com/ossf-test/scorecard-check-binary-artifacts-e2e/",
 			wantErr:  false,
 		},
+
 		{
-			name: "non gitlab repository",
-			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "github.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "1234",
-			},
-			inputURL: "https://github.com/foo/1234",
-			wantErr:  true,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "GitLab project with wrong projectID",
-			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "gitlab.example.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "bar",
-			},
-			inputURL: "https://gitlab.example.com/foo/bar",
-			wantErr:  true,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "GitHub project with 'gitlab.' in the title",
-			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "github.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "gitlab.test",
-			},
-			inputURL: "http://github.com/foo/gitlab.test",
-			wantErr:  true,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "valid gitlab project without http or https",
+			name: "valid hosted gitlab project",
 			expected: repoURL{
-				hostname:  "gitlab.example.com",
-				owner:     "foo",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				scheme:  "https",
+				host:    "https://salsa.debian.org",
+				owner:   "webmaster-team",
+				project: "webml",
 			},
-			inputURL: "gitlab.example.com/foo/1234",
+			inputURL: "https://salsa.debian.org/webmaster-team/webwml",
 			wantErr:  false,
 		},
 	}
@@ -115,9 +91,9 @@ func TestRepoURL_IsValid(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Parallel()
 			r := repoURL{
-				hostname:  tt.expected.hostname,
-				owner:     tt.expected.owner,
-				projectID: tt.expected.projectID,
+				host:    tt.expected.host,
+				owner:   tt.expected.owner,
+				project: tt.expected.project,
 			}
 			if err := r.parse(tt.inputURL); err != nil {
 				t.Errorf("repoURL.parse() error = %v", err)
@@ -125,12 +101,55 @@ func TestRepoURL_IsValid(t *testing.T) {
 			if err := r.IsValid(); (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
 				t.Errorf("repoURL.IsValid() error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
 			}
-			if !tt.wantErr && !cmp.Equal(tt.expected, r, cmp.AllowUnexported(repoURL{})) {
-				fmt.Println("expected: " + tt.expected.hostname + " GOT: " + r.hostname)
+			if !tt.wantErr && !cmp.Equal(tt.expected, r, cmpopts.IgnoreUnexported(repoURL{})) {
+				fmt.Println("expected: " + tt.expected.host + " GOT: " + r.host)
 				fmt.Println("expected: " + tt.expected.owner + " GOT: " + r.owner)
-				fmt.Println("expected: " + tt.expected.projectID + " GOT: " + r.projectID)
+				fmt.Println("expected: " + tt.expected.project + " GOT: " + r.project)
 				t.Errorf("Got diff: %s", cmp.Diff(tt.expected, r))
 			}
+			if !cmp.Equal(r.Host(), tt.expected.host) {
+				t.Errorf("%s expected host: %s got host %s", tt.inputURL, tt.expected.host, r.Host())
+			}
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRepoURL_DetectGitlab(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		repouri  string
+		expected bool
+	}{
+		{
+			repouri:  "github.com/ossf/scorecard",
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			repouri:  "ossf/scorecard",
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			repouri:  "https://github.com/ossf/scorecard",
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			repouri:  "gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab",
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			repouri:  "https://salsa.debian.org/webmaster-team/webml",
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			// Invalid repo
+			repouri:  "https://abcdef.foo.txt/nilproj/nilrepo",
+			expected: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		g := DetectGitLab(tt.repouri)
+		if g != tt.expected {
+			t.Errorf("got %s isgitlab: %t expected %t", tt.repouri, g, tt.expected)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/search.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/search.go
index cb1a2f5cbf1..2c4d94245b1 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/search.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/search.go
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ func (handler *searchHandler) search(request clients.SearchRequest) (clients.Sea
 		return clients.SearchResponse{}, fmt.Errorf("handler.buildQuery: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	blobs, _, err := handler.glClient.Search.BlobsByProject(handler.repourl.projectID, query, &gitlab.SearchOptions{})
+	blobs, _, err := handler.glClient.Search.BlobsByProject(handler.repourl.project, query, &gitlab.SearchOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
 		return clients.SearchResponse{}, fmt.Errorf("Search.BlobsByProject: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func (handler *searchHandler) buildQuery(request clients.SearchRequest) (string,
 	if _, err := queryBuilder.WriteString(
 		fmt.Sprintf("%s project:%s/%s",
 			strings.ReplaceAll(request.Query, "/", " "),
-			handler.repourl.owner, handler.repourl.projectID)); err != nil {
+			handler.repourl.owner, handler.repourl.project)); err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("WriteString: %w", err)
 	}
 	if request.Filename != "" {
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits.go
index 1fa1ea9f727..6de69701d0e 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func (handler *searchCommitsHandler) search(request clients.SearchCommitsOptions
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("handler.buildQuiery: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	commits, _, err := handler.glClient.Search.CommitsByProject(handler.repourl.projectID, query, &gitlab.SearchOptions{})
+	commits, _, err := handler.glClient.Search.CommitsByProject(handler.repourl.project, query, &gitlab.SearchOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Search.Commits: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func (handler *searchCommitsHandler) buildQuery(request clients.SearchCommitsOpt
 	var queryBuilder strings.Builder
 	if _, err := queryBuilder.WriteString(
 		fmt.Sprintf("project:%s/%s author:%s",
-			handler.repourl.owner, handler.repourl.projectID,
+			handler.repourl.owner, handler.repourl.project,
 			request.Author)); err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("writestring: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits_test.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits_test.go
index a509d62543e..b7ad84d2173 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits_test.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/searchCommits_test.go
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ func TestSearchCommitsBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "Basic",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq: clients.SearchCommitsOptions{
 				Author: "testAuthor",
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ func TestSearchCommitsBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "EmptyQuery:",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq:       clients.SearchCommitsOptions{},
 			hasError:        true,
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/search_test.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/search_test.go
index 2cd7e65edca..284fa23cbee 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/search_test.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/search_test.go
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ func TestBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "Basic",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq: clients.SearchRequest{
 				Query: "testquery",
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ func TestBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "EmptyQuery",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq:       clients.SearchRequest{},
 			hasError:        true,
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ func TestBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "WithFilename",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq: clients.SearchRequest{
 				Query:    "testquery",
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ func TestBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "WithPath",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq: clients.SearchRequest{
 				Query: "testquery",
@@ -79,8 +79,8 @@ func TestBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "WithFilenameAndPath",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq: clients.SearchRequest{
 				Query:    "testquery",
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ func TestBuildQuery(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "WithFilenameAndPathWithSeperator",
 			repourl: &repoURL{
-				owner:     "testowner",
-				projectID: "1234",
+				owner:   "testowner",
+				project: "1234",
 			},
 			searchReq: clients.SearchRequest{
 				Query:    "testquery/query",
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/statuses.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/statuses.go
index bce2e198dde..317df54db87 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/statuses.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/statuses.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func (handler *statusesHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 // for gitlab this only works if ref is SHA.
 func (handler *statusesHandler) listStatuses(ref string) ([]clients.Status, error) {
 	commitStatuses, _, err := handler.glClient.Commits.GetCommitStatuses(
-		handler.repourl.projectID, ref, &gitlab.GetCommitStatusesOptions{})
+		handler.repourl.project, ref, &gitlab.GetCommitStatusesOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error getting commit statuses: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/webhook.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/webhook.go
index 2d2970fd678..9c9d6c49277 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/webhook.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/webhook.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func (handler *webhookHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 func (handler *webhookHandler) setup() error {
 	handler.once.Do(func() {
 		projectHooks, _, err := handler.glClient.Projects.ListProjectHooks(
-			handler.repourl.projectID, &gitlab.ListProjectHooksOptions{})
+			handler.repourl.project, &gitlab.ListProjectHooksOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			handler.errSetup = fmt.Errorf("request for project hooks failed with %w", err)
 			return
diff --git a/clients/gitlabrepo/workflows.go b/clients/gitlabrepo/workflows.go
index e90ef5e86d0..cba2cef59ad 100644
--- a/clients/gitlabrepo/workflows.go
+++ b/clients/gitlabrepo/workflows.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func (handler *workflowsHandler) init(repourl *repoURL) {
 func (handler *workflowsHandler) listSuccessfulWorkflowRuns(filename string) ([]clients.WorkflowRun, error) {
 	var buildStates []gitlab.BuildStateValue
 	buildStates = append(buildStates, gitlab.Success)
-	jobs, _, err := handler.glClient.Jobs.ListProjectJobs(handler.repourl.projectID,
+	jobs, _, err := handler.glClient.Jobs.ListProjectJobs(handler.repourl.project,
 		&gitlab.ListJobsOptions{Scope: &buildStates})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error getting project jobs: %w", err)
diff --git a/clients/localdir/repo.go b/clients/localdir/repo.go
index 01dfaf6a531..c3426e566af 100644
--- a/clients/localdir/repo.go
+++ b/clients/localdir/repo.go
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@ func (r *repoLocal) URI() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("file://%s", r.path)
 }
 
+func (r *repoLocal) Host() string {
+	return ""
+}
+
 // String implements Repo.String.
 func (r *repoLocal) String() string {
 	return r.URI()
diff --git a/clients/mockclients/repo.go b/clients/mockclients/repo.go
index 5a5c1e0ba27..a2812268cf1 100644
--- a/clients/mockclients/repo.go
+++ b/clients/mockclients/repo.go
@@ -129,6 +129,14 @@ func (m *MockRepo) URI() string {
 	return ret0
 }
 
+// URI mocks base method.
+func (m *MockRepo) Host() string {
+	m.ctrl.T.Helper()
+	ret := m.ctrl.Call(m, "Host")
+	ret0, _ := ret[0].(string)
+	return ret0
+}
+
 // URI indicates an expected call of URI.
 func (mr *MockRepoMockRecorder) URI() *gomock.Call {
 	mr.mock.ctrl.T.Helper()
diff --git a/clients/repo.go b/clients/repo.go
index eac20dd0683..6d4c70f7671 100644
--- a/clients/repo.go
+++ b/clients/repo.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package clients
 // Repo interface uniquely identifies a repo.
 type Repo interface {
 	URI() string
+	Host() string
 	String() string
 	Org() Repo
 	IsValid() error
diff --git a/e2e/attestor_policy_test.go b/e2e/attestor_policy_test.go
index 7de6a87aa9d..56c7ec5691e 100644
--- a/e2e/attestor_policy_test.go
+++ b/e2e/attestor_policy_test.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 package e2e
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -185,7 +184,6 @@ var _ = Describe("E2E TEST PAT: scorecard-attestor policy", func() {
 			}
 
 			for _, tc := range tt {
-				fmt.Printf("attestor_policy_test.go: %s\n", tc.name)
 				f, err := os.CreateTemp("/tmp", strings.ReplaceAll(tc.name, " ", "-"))
 				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())
 				defer os.Remove(f.Name())