diff --git a/lib/platform/github/index.ts b/lib/platform/github/index.ts
index a4c7070edbd7201e68f3c0d45e60241cf480f751..b9b3ca365d3bc4ad9a72029e2744ec472a977dc9 100644
--- a/lib/platform/github/index.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/github/index.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import type {
   FindPRConfig,
   Issue,
   MergePRConfig,
+  PlatformParams,
   PlatformResult,
   Pr,
   RepoParams,
@@ -80,12 +81,7 @@ export async function initPlatform({
   token,
   username,
   gitAuthor,
-}: {
-  endpoint: string;
-  token: string;
-  username?: string;
-  gitAuthor?: string;
-}): Promise<PlatformResult> {
+}: PlatformParams): Promise<PlatformResult> {
   if (!token) {
     throw new Error('Init: You must configure a GitHub personal access token');
   }
diff --git a/lib/platform/gitlab/index.spec.ts b/lib/platform/gitlab/index.spec.ts
index ba8effbea106bd3f60ecdd19e242756f349c6b4a..e31a3a5523583d56059b9a8419277ec692d8317a 100644
--- a/lib/platform/gitlab/index.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/gitlab/index.spec.ts
@@ -115,6 +115,19 @@ describe('platform/gitlab/index', () => {
       ).toMatchSnapshot();
       expect(httpMock.getTrace()).toMatchSnapshot();
     });
+
+    it(`should reuse existing gitAuthor`, async () => {
+      httpMock.scope(gitlabApiHost).get('/api/v4/version').reply(200, {
+        version: '13.3.6-ee',
+      });
+      expect(
+        await gitlab.initPlatform({
+          token: 'some-token',
+          endpoint: undefined,
+          gitAuthor: 'somebody',
+        })
+      ).toEqual({ endpoint: 'https://gitlab.com/api/v4/' });
+    });
   });
 
   describe('getRepos', () => {
diff --git a/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts b/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts
index bd2e7afd6d2250b63bbe7d4bbfdf47b3ef1e50d2..13ab464a810b2bf633b1be719a8b5a1c732af1f0 100644
--- a/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ let draftPrefix = DRAFT_PREFIX;
 export async function initPlatform({
   endpoint,
   token,
+  gitAuthor,
 }: PlatformParams): Promise<PlatformResult> {
   if (!token) {
     throw new Error('Init: You must configure a GitLab personal access token');
@@ -89,16 +90,20 @@ export async function initPlatform({
   } else {
     logger.debug('Using default GitLab endpoint: ' + defaults.endpoint);
   }
-  let gitAuthor: string;
+  const platformConfig: PlatformResult = {
+    endpoint: defaults.endpoint,
+  };
   let gitlabVersion: string;
   try {
-    const user = (
-      await gitlabApi.getJson<{ email: string; name: string; id: number }>(
-        `user`,
-        { token }
-      )
-    ).body;
-    gitAuthor = `${user.name} <${user.email}>`;
+    if (!gitAuthor) {
+      const user = (
+        await gitlabApi.getJson<{ email: string; name: string; id: number }>(
+          `user`,
+          { token }
+        )
+      ).body;
+      platformConfig.gitAuthor = `${user.name} <${user.email}>`;
+    }
     // version is 'x.y.z-edition', so not strictly semver; need to strip edition
     gitlabVersion = (
       await gitlabApi.getJson<{ version: string }>('version', { token })
@@ -115,10 +120,7 @@ export async function initPlatform({
   draftPrefix = lt(gitlabVersion, '13.2.0')
     ? DRAFT_PREFIX_DEPRECATED
     : DRAFT_PREFIX;
-  const platformConfig: PlatformResult = {
-    endpoint: defaults.endpoint,
-    gitAuthor,
-  };
+
   return platformConfig;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/platform/types.ts b/lib/platform/types.ts
index 04981cff72e02a117779b5edf2cede8c9258a96e..2f95f8c609fdd2c0dcd3c0e223507d212ae1abcd 100644
--- a/lib/platform/types.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/types.ts
@@ -14,12 +14,13 @@ export interface PlatformParams {
   token?: string;
   username?: string;
   password?: string;
+  gitAuthor?: string;
 }
 
 export interface PlatformResult {
   endpoint: string;
-  renovateUsername?: any;
-  gitAuthor?: any;
+  renovateUsername?: string;
+  gitAuthor?: string;
 }
 
 export interface RepoResult {