GitHub
GitHub is an MCP server that connects AI tools directly to GitHub's platform. This gives AI agents, assistants, and chatbots the ability to read repositories and code files, manage issues and PRs, analyze code, and automate… It has 33,414 GitHub stars, is released under the MIT license and runs locally with docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:2.0.0.
- Official
- Needs API key
- Developer tools
- MIT
- Actively maintained
Install GitHub
Generated from the server's MCP registry entry. Replace your-value with your own values.
Claude Desktop
{
"mcpServers": {
"github": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-e",
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
"ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:2.0.0"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-value"
}
}
}
}Settings > Developer > Edit Config. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\. Restart Claude Desktop afterwards.
Claude Code
claude mcp add --env GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=your-value --transport stdio github -- docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:2.0.0Cursor
{
"mcpServers": {
"github": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-e",
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
"ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:2.0.0"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-value"
}
}
}
}Project file; use ~/.cursor/mcp.json to enable it in every project.
VS Code
{
"inputs": [
{
"type": "promptString",
"id": "github_personal_access_token",
"description": "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
"password": true
}
],
"servers": {
"github": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-e",
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
"ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:2.0.0"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_personal_access_token}"
}
}
}
}Claude Code (remote)
claude mcp add --transport http github "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/"The same server is also hosted as a remote MCP endpoint, so nothing runs on your machine.
Config formats checked against the official docs on Oct 7, 2026: modelcontextprotocol.io (opens in a new tab), code.claude.com (opens in a new tab), cursor.com (opens in a new tab), code.visualstudio.com (opens in a new tab).
Environment variables
Variables the server reads at startup.
| Name | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKENsecret | No | Optional GitHub Personal Access Token. Omit to log in with OAuth on first use. |
Tools (40)
Parsed from the Tools section of the README; check the repository for the current list.
actions_getGet details of GitHub Actions resources (workflows, workflow runs, jobs, and artifacts)
methodThe method to execute (string, required)
ownerRepository owner (string, required)
repoRepository name (string, required)
resource_idThe unique identifier of the resource. This will vary based on the "method" provided, so ensure you provide the…
actions_listList GitHub Actions workflows in a repository
pagePage number for pagination (default: 1) (number, optional)
workflow_jobs_filterFilters for workflow jobs. ONLY used when method is 'listworkflowjobs' (object, optional)
workflow_runs_filterFilters for workflow runs. ONLY used when method is 'listworkflowruns' (object, optional)
actions_run_triggerTrigger GitHub Actions workflow actions
inputsInputs the workflow accepts. Only used for 'run_workflow' method. (object, optional)
run_idThe ID of the workflow run. Required for all methods except 'run_workflow'. (number, optional)
workflow_idThe workflow ID (numeric) or workflow file name (e.g., main.yml, ci.yaml). Required for 'run_workflow' method.
get_job_logsGet GitHub Actions workflow job logs
failed_onlyWhen true, gets logs for all failed jobs in the workflow run specified by runid. Requires runid to be provided.
job_idThe unique identifier of the workflow job. Required when getting logs for a single job. (number, optional)
return_contentReturns actual log content instead of URLs (boolean, optional)
tail_linesNumber of lines to return from the end of the log (number, optional)
get_code_quality_findingGet code quality finding
get_code_scanning_alertGet code scanning alert
list_code_scanning_alertsList code scanning alerts
severityFilter code scanning alerts by severity (string, optional)
stateFilter code scanning alerts by state. Defaults to open (string, optional)
tool_nameThe name of the tool used for code scanning. (string, optional)
get_meGet my user profile
get_team_membersGet team members
team_slugTeam slug (string, required)
get_teamsGet teams
userUsername to get teams for. If not provided, uses the authenticated user. (string, optional)
ui_getGet UI data
assign_copilot_to_issueAssign Copilot to issue
base_refGit reference (e.g., branch) that the agent will start its work from.
custom_instructionsOptional custom instructions to guide the agent beyond the issue body.
issue_numberIssue number (number, required)
request_copilot_reviewRequest Copilot review
assign_copilot_to_issue_with_intentAssign Copilot to issue with intent
confidenceHow confident you are in this choice. 'HIGH' for clear signal or explicit user request, 'MEDIUM' for reasonable…
is_suggestionIf true, records a pending Copilot assignment intent rather than launching the agent.
rationaleOne concise sentence explaining what specifically about the issue led to choosing Copilot.
get_dependabot_alertGet dependabot alert
About GitHub
The GitHub MCP Server connects AI tools directly to GitHub's platform. This gives AI agents, assistants, and chatbots the ability to read repositories and code files, manage issues and PRs, analyze code, and automate workflows. All through natural language interactions.
- github
- mcp
- mcp-server
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What is GitHub?
GitHub is an MCP server that connects AI tools directly to GitHub's platform. This gives AI agents, assistants, and chatbots the ability to read repositories and code files, manage issues and PRs, analyze code, and automate… It has 33,414 GitHub stars, is released under the MIT license and runs locally with docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:2.0.0. The source code is at github.com/github/github-mcp-server.
How do I install the GitHub MCP server?
Add the command docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:2.0.0 to your MCP client: put it in claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop, run claude mcp add for Claude Code, or add it to .cursor/mcp.json (Cursor) or .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code). The snippets on this page are ready to paste.
Is GitHub free?
The server is open source under the MIT license, so running it is free. It needs credentials (GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN) for the service it connects to, which may require a paid account.
Is GitHub actively maintained?
The most recent commit was on Oct 6, 2026. The latest release is v2.0.0, published Oct 6, 2026. appsgit only lists MCP servers with a commit in the last six months and re-checks every server daily.