diff --git a/deploy/gitlab-self-hosted.mdx b/deploy/gitlab-self-hosted.mdx
index a6dd94a79..ebea5b637 100644
--- a/deploy/gitlab-self-hosted.mdx
+++ b/deploy/gitlab-self-hosted.mdx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ Unlike gitlab.com, where Mintlify ships a single OAuth application that every cu
 ## Prerequisites
 
 - Admin access to your self-hosted GitLab instance.
+- A GitLab user to authorize the connection who has the Maintainer role or higher on each project you want to connect. Instance admins can also connect projects they aren't a member of.
 - Your GitLab instance must be reachable from `https://app.mintlify.com`. Instances behind a VPN or behind a firewall that blocks public ingress do not work.
 - A Mintlify organization that has the self-hosted GitLab feature enabled. Contact support if you don't see the **Self-hosted GitLab** section in your [Git settings](https://app.mintlify.com/settings/project/git-settings) dashboard page.
 
@@ -86,9 +87,7 @@ Your GitLab instance delivers webhook events to Mintlify over HTTPS (port 443) a
 
     Select the box next to each project that should participate in automations. Mintlify registers a webhook on the project, generates a secret token, and stores it encrypted. From then on, Mintlify receives push and merge-request events from your instance for that project.
 
-    <Note>
-      The connecting user must have **Maintainer** role on a project for Mintlify to mint short-lived project access tokens during automation runs. Without Maintainer, the agent can read but cannot push commits or open merge requests.
-    </Note>
+    Mintlify needs the Maintainer role to create short-lived project access tokens and the webhook. If the authorizing user has a lower role on a project, Mintlify doesn't connect the project and shows an error. Ask a Maintainer to authorize GitLab, or raise the user's role on the project in GitLab.
   </Step>
 </Steps>
 
diff --git a/snippets/gitlab-automation-setup.mdx b/snippets/gitlab-automation-setup.mdx
index 641408bb3..bfab20f7d 100644
--- a/snippets/gitlab-automation-setup.mdx
+++ b/snippets/gitlab-automation-setup.mdx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## GitLab setup
 
-To use GitLab repositories in an automation, connect each project in the **GitLab OAuth** section of the [Git settings](https://app.mintlify.com/settings/project/git-settings) page. Connect every repository the automation touches, including your documentation repository and any trigger or context repositories. You must have at least the Maintainer role on each project.
+To use GitLab repositories in an automation, connect each project in the **GitLab OAuth** section of the [Git settings](https://app.mintlify.com/settings/project/git-settings) page. Connect every repository the automation touches, including your documentation repository and any trigger or context repositories. The GitLab account you authorize must have at least the Maintainer role on each project. Otherwise, Mintlify doesn't connect the project.
 
 <Note>
   Automations require a paid GitLab tier. The agent uses short-lived project access tokens for repository access, which GitLab's Free plan does not support.