diff --git a/bloom/gitlab.py b/bloom/gitlab.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ac1be5cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bloom/gitlab.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import requests
+
+
+class GitlabException(Exception):
+    def __init__(self, msg, code=None):
+        if code:
+            msg = "{msg}: {code}".format(**locals())
+        super(GitlabException, self).__init__(msg)
+
+
+class GitlabAuthException(GitlabException):
+    def __init__(self, msg, code=None):
+        super(GitlabAuthException, self).__init__(msg, code)
+
+
+class Gitlab(object):
+    def __init__(self, server, token=None):
+        self.server = server
+        self.token = token
+        self.api_version = 4
+        self.base_api_url = 'http://{server}/api/v{api_version}'.format(server=server, api_version=self.api_version)
+
+    def update_params(self, params):
+        if self.token:
+            if params is None:
+                params = {}
+            params['private_token'] = self.token
+        return params
+
+    def api_get(self, query, params=None):
+        r = requests.get(self.base_api_url + query, params=self.update_params(params))
+        if r.status_code == 401:
+            raise GitlabAuthException('Authentication Failed', r.status_code)
+        elif r.status_code == 200:
+            return r.json()
+        else:
+            raise GitlabException('Query {} failed.'.format(query), r.status_code)
+
+    def api_post(self, query, params=None):
+        r = requests.post(self.base_api_url + query, params=self.update_params(params))
+        if r.status_code == 401:
+            raise GitlabAuthException('Authentication Failed', r.status_code)
+        elif r.status_code == 201:
+            return r.json()
+        else:
+            raise GitlabException('Query {} failed.'.format(query), r.status_code)
+
+    def auth(self):
+        """ Authenticate by trying to get the projects """
+        self.api_get('/projects')
+
+    def get_repo(self, owner, repo):
+        path = '{}/{}'.format(owner, repo)
+        for repo_d in self.api_get('/projects', {'search': repo}):
+            if repo_d.get('path_with_namespace', '') == path:
+                return repo_d
+
+    def list_branches(self, repo):
+        res = self.api_get('/projects/{}/repository/branches'.format(repo['id']))
+        return [d['name'] for d in res]
+
+    def create_branch(self, repo, new_branch, base_branch):
+        params = {'branch': new_branch, 'ref': base_branch}
+        return self.api_post('/projects/{}/repository/branches'.format(repo['id']), params)
+
+    def create_commit(self, repo, branch, commit_message, actions):
+        params = {
+            'branch': branch,
+            'commit_message': commit_message,
+            'actions': actions
+        }
+        return self.api_post('/projects/{}/repository/commits'.format(repo['id']), params)
+
+    def update_file(self, repo, branch, commit_message, file_path, new_contents):
+        actions = [{
+                    'action': 'update',
+                    'file_path': file_path,
+                    'content': new_contents
+                }
+            ]
+        return self.create_commit(repo, branch, commit_message, actions)
+
+    def create_pull_request(self, repo, source_branch, target_branch, title, body=''):
+        params = {
+            'source_branch': source_branch,
+            'target_branch': target_branch,
+            'title': title,
+            'description': body
+        }
+        return self.api_post('/projects/{}/merge_requests'.format(repo['id']), params)
diff --git a/stdeb.cfg b/stdeb.cfg
index 6ee7a0f9..caa71f56 100755
--- a/stdeb.cfg
+++ b/stdeb.cfg
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 [DEFAULT]
-; release with a high debinc to avoid conflict with upstream debian of the same release version
-Debian-Version: 100
-Depends: python-yaml, python-empy, python-argparse, python-rosdep (>= 0.15.0), python-rosdistro (>= 0.8.0), python-vcstools (>= 0.1.22), python-setuptools, python-catkin-pkg (>= 0.4.3)
-Depends3: python3-yaml, python3-empy, python3-rosdep (>= 0.15.0), python3-rosdistro (>= 0.8.0), python3-vcstools (>= 0.1.22), python3-setuptools, python3-catkin-pkg (>= 0.4.3)
+==== BASE ====
+Depends: python-yaml, python-empy, python-argparse, python-rosdep (>= 0.15.0), python-rosdistro (>= 0.7.5), python-vcstools (>= 0.1.22), python-setuptools, python-catkin-pkg (>= 0.4.3), python-requests (>= 2.2)
+Depends3: python3-yaml, python3-empy, python3-rosdep (>= 0.15.0), python3-rosdistro (>= 0.7.5), python3-vcstools (>= 0.1.22), python3-setuptools, python3-catkin-pkg (>= 0.4.3), python3-requests (>= 2.2)
+==== BASE ====
 Conflicts: python3-bloom
 Conflicts3: python-bloom
 Copyright-File: LICENSE.txt