# CircleCI GitLab reconnection error after expired API key

**URL:** <https://discuss.circleci.com/t/circleci-gitlab-reconnection-error-after-expired-api-key/54528>\
**Category:** Integrations and Accounts\
**Tags:** gitlab, integration\
**Created:** [April 15, 2026, 7:57am UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/circleci-gitlab-reconnection-error-after-expired-api-key/54528 "2026-04-15T07:57:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ashymanouski](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/ashymanouski/32/36977_2.png) [@ashymanouski](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/ashymanouski)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 7:57am UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/circleci-gitlab-reconnection-error-after-expired-api-key/54528/1 "2026-04-15T07:57:19Z")

</div>

Hi everyone,

I use CircleCI with a self-managed GitLab instance as a trigger source.

Everything had been working fine until the GitLab personal API key used for the integration expired. After that, CircleCI stopped starting pipelines after merge requests in GitLab.

I generated a new personal API key in GitLab and wanted to update the existing trigger in CircleCI, but it turned out that the trigger was not editable. So I removed the old trigger and tried to create a new one.

Now I get this error:

**“GitLab Connection Error  
We cannot connect your selected GitLab account. You already have a GitLab account connected to your CircleCI account.”**

So at the moment I am stuck in this state:

- the old trigger is deleted

- I cannot create a new trigger because CircleCI says the GitLab account is already connected

Has anyone faced this before?  
What is the correct way to fully reset or reconnect a self-managed GitLab account in CircleCI after the personal API key expires?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.