diff --git a/commands/ci/status/status.go b/commands/ci/status/status.go
index 94e8f2eecbbfd6751d42be923ac40e019248bdaf..f37fc53eab0fdaed17bb6fda4642087c945aeb03 100644
--- a/commands/ci/status/status.go
+++ b/commands/ci/status/status.go
@@ -50,35 +50,48 @@ func NewCmdStatus(f *cmdutils.Factory) *cobra.Command {
 			live, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("live")
 			compact, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("compact")
 
-			if branch == "" {
-				branch, err = git.CurrentBranch()
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
-				dbg.Debug("Current branch:", branch)
-			}
-
 			var repo glrepo.Interface
-			branchConfig := git.ReadBranchConfig(branch)
-			if branchConfig.RemoteName == "" {
-				repo, err = f.BaseRepo()
+			repoGlobal, err := cmdutils.GlobalRepo(cmd)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if repoGlobal != "" {
+				repo, err = glrepo.FromFullName(repoGlobal)
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
 			} else {
-				remotes, err := f.Remotes()
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
-				repo, err = remotes.FindByName(branchConfig.RemoteName)
-				if err != nil {
-					redCheck := c.Red("x")
-					fmt.Fprintf(f.IO.StdOut, "%s Remote '%s' for branch '%s' is gone.\n", redCheck, branchConfig.RemoteName, branch)
-					return err
+				branchConfig := git.ReadBranchConfig(branch)
+				if branchConfig.RemoteName == "" {
+					repo, err = f.BaseRepo()
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					if branch == "" {
+						branch, err = git.CurrentBranch()
+						if err != nil {
+							return err
+						}
+					}
+				} else {
+					remotes, err := f.Remotes()
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					repo, err = remotes.FindByName(branchConfig.RemoteName)
+					if err != nil {
+						redCheck := c.Red("x")
+						fmt.Fprintf(f.IO.StdOut, "%s Remote '%s' for branch '%s' is gone.\n", redCheck, branchConfig.RemoteName, branch)
+						return err
+					}
+					// XXX uncomment and test this in another MR
+					// branch = branchConfig.MergeRef
 				}
 			}
+
 			repoName := repo.FullName()
-			dbg.Debug("Repository:", repoName)
+			dbg.Debug("Repo:", repoName)
+			dbg.Debug("Branch:", branch)
 
 			runningPipeline, err := api.GetLatestPipeline(apiClient, repoName, branch)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -179,6 +192,8 @@ func NewCmdStatus(f *cmdutils.Factory) *cobra.Command {
 		},
 	}
 
+	cmdutils.AddGlobalRepoFlag(pipelineStatusCmd)
+
 	pipelineStatusCmd.Flags().BoolP("live", "l", false, "Show status in real time until the pipeline ends.")
 	pipelineStatusCmd.Flags().BoolP("compact", "c", false, "Show status in compact format.")
 	pipelineStatusCmd.Flags().StringP("branch", "b", "", "Check pipeline status for a branch. Default: current branch.")
diff --git a/commands/ci/status/status_test.go b/commands/ci/status/status_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c1cd26f36a78cbfeb2a7ba7ea61b150274f9ef47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/commands/ci/status/status_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package status
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/commands/cmdtest"
+	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/commands/cmdutils"
+)
+
+func TestStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	/*
+	   create fixture
+
+	   - no repo
+	   - repo with main
+	   - repo with branch
+	   - repo with branch that is tracking remote
+
+	   create tests
+
+	   - if -R is given, it overrides repo
+	     - if branch is given, set branch
+	     - if local repo exists, branch from local
+	     - no repo, default branch
+
+	   - no -R, take current repo branch
+	     - if branch param, use param
+	     - if branch tracks remote, use remote
+	*/
+	tempDir := t.TempDir()
+	t.Chdir(tempDir)
+
+	cmd := NewCmdStatus(cmdutils.NewFactory())
+	cmdtest.CmdSetup(cmd)
+	t.Run("no repo", func(t *testing.T) {
+		err := cmd.Execute()
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+	})
+	t.Run("no repo with -R", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cmd.SetArgs([]string{"-R", "forkrepo"})
+		err := cmd.Execute()
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+	})
+
+	// t.Log(os.Getwd())
+}
diff --git a/commands/cluster/agent/bootstrap/agent_bootstrap_test.go b/commands/cluster/agent/bootstrap/agent_bootstrap_test.go
index cd607395664f3aad088a622951afcf27d5e4f5b6..8fafc4d30d6ed7f32c523d4246649119e88d3794 100644
--- a/commands/cluster/agent/bootstrap/agent_bootstrap_test.go
+++ b/commands/cluster/agent/bootstrap/agent_bootstrap_test.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/google/shlex"
 	gitlab "gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go"
 	glab_api "gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/api"
+	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/commands/cmdtest"
 	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/commands/cmdutils"
 	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/internal/glrepo"
 	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/pkg/iostreams"
@@ -863,9 +864,7 @@ func setupCmdExec(t *testing.T) (execFunc, *MockAPI, *MockWriter, *MockWriter, *
 	cmd.SetOut(mockStdout)
 	cmd.SetErr(mockStderr)
 
-	// Set on root cmd, thus we also need to set it here.
-	// cmd.SilenceErrors = true
-	cmd.SilenceUsage = true
+	cmdtest.CmdSetup(cmd)
 
 	exec := func(cli string) error {
 		argv, err := shlex.Split(cli)
diff --git a/commands/cmdtest/helper.go b/commands/cmdtest/helper.go
index f537b9fe4cc38590f26c9602eeefc54a26c77d8d..fe3c8d16df2588daec91354a0b2ca64c8c0d93e8 100644
--- a/commands/cmdtest/helper.go
+++ b/commands/cmdtest/helper.go
@@ -53,6 +53,11 @@ func init() {
 	}
 }
 
+// Sets root command defaults for tests
+func CmdSetup(cmd *cobra.Command) {
+	cmd.SilenceUsage = true
+}
+
 func InitTest(m *testing.M, suffix string) {
 	// Build a glab binary with test symbols. If the parent test binary was run
 	// with coverage enabled, enable coverage on the child binary, too.
diff --git a/commands/cmdutils/global_flags.go b/commands/cmdutils/global_flags.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3ea72c011ceb2772a5929892863b32eda237f7eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/commands/cmdutils/global_flags.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package cmdutils
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/pkg/dbg"
+)
+
+func AddGlobalRepoFlag(cmd *cobra.Command) {
+	cmd.InheritedFlags().StringP("repo", "R", "", "Select another repository. Can use either `OWNER/REPO` or `GROUP/NAMESPACE/REPO` format. Also accepts full URL or Git URL.")
+}
+
+func GlobalRepo(cmd *cobra.Command) (string, error) {
+	repo, err := cmd.InheritedFlags().GetString("repo")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	if repo != "" {
+		dbg.Debug("Repo from global flag:", repo)
+		return repo, nil
+	}
+
+	if repoFromEnv := os.Getenv("GITLAB_REPO"); repoFromEnv != "" {
+		dbg.Debug("Repo from ENV:", repo)
+		return repoFromEnv, nil
+	}
+
+	// XXX cleanup f.RepoOverride() calls
+	// return f.RepoOverride(repoOverride)
+	return "", nil
+}