diff --git a/docs/self-hosting.md b/docs/self-hosting.md
index 22ba8c793edbd76a1001dd91e69c6a88ea60faf1..5670280b6edb62c2346831acf915e7faf0542777 100644
--- a/docs/self-hosting.md
+++ b/docs/self-hosting.md
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ Configure it either as `token` in your `config.js` file, or in environment varia
 
 #### GitLab CE/EE
 
-First, [create a personal access token](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/README.html#personal-access-tokens) for the bot account.
+First, [create a personal access token](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/README.html#personal-access-tokens) for the bot account (select "api" scope).
 Configure it either as `token` in your `config.js` file, or in environment variable `RENOVATE_TOKEN`, or via CLI `--token=`.
 Don't forget to configure `platform=gitlab` somewhere in config.