GitLab API pagination mode shift: offset-to-keyset default migration uncertainty

GitLab is migrating selected high‑traffic list APIs from offset pagination to keyset pagination, but the decision to make keyset the default across all endpoints and the accompanying timeline are not settled. The goal is to understand whether clients can rely on a consistent default pagination mode and how the shift will affect pagination‑dependent features such as progress indicators and total‑count calculations.

Version‑specific behavior and the differing rollout pace between GitLab SaaS (gitlab.com) and self‑managed instances create uncertainty about which endpoints will adopt keyset pagination first and whether X‑Total headers will continue to be supplied. Clients that depend on X‑Total for page‑count estimation may need to adjust their logic when keyset mode is active, as those headers are omitted.

Will the projects listing endpoint default to keyset pagination in the next GitLab release? How will existing client libraries adapt when X‑Total headers are absent? What migration path should self‑managed operators follow to align with the anticipated SaaS‑style pagination behavior?