# Uploading artifacts to coordinator... too large

- **ID:** `cicd/gitlab-runner-artifact-size-limit`
- **Domain:** cicd
- **Category:** resource_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 85%

## Root Cause

GitLab Runner failed to upload a job artifact because it exceeds the maximum allowed size configured on the GitLab instance or runner.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| GitLab CE 15.0+ | active | — | — |
| GitLab Runner 15.0+ | active | — | — |
| GitLab EE 15.0+ | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Increase the maximum artifact size in the GitLab admin panel (Admin Area > Settings > CI/CD > Artifacts > Maximum artifacts size (MB)) and restart the runner: `gitlab-runner restart`** (85% success)
   ```
   Increase the maximum artifact size in the GitLab admin panel (Admin Area > Settings > CI/CD > Artifacts > Maximum artifacts size (MB)) and restart the runner: `gitlab-runner restart`
   ```
2. **Compress the artifact before uploading by adding a job step to tar and gzip the output: `tar -czf output.tar.gz build/ && artifacts: paths: [output.tar.gz]`** (75% success)
   ```
   Compress the artifact before uploading by adding a job step to tar and gzip the output: `tar -czf output.tar.gz build/ && artifacts: paths: [output.tar.gz]`
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **Increasing the artifact size limit in the project's CI/CD settings without restarting the runner** — The runner's cache or configuration may still enforce the old limit; a runner restart is required for the new limit to take effect. (40% fail)
- **Setting the artifact size limit to an extremely high value (e.g., 999999 MB) in the GitLab admin panel** — The GitLab instance may have a hard-coded maximum limit (e.g., 1 GB) that cannot be overridden via the admin UI; also, unlimited size can cause disk space issues. (60% fail)