What are the requirements for GitHub MCP Server?

GitHub MCP Server requires the following environment variables: GITHUB_TOKEN (required). You'll also need a compatible MCP client like Claude Desktop or Claude Code.

Is GitHub MCP Server free to use?

Yes, GitHub MCP Server is open source and free to use. You can find the source code on GitHub.

What MCP clients support GitHub MCP Server?

GitHub MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop (Anthropic's official desktop app), Claude Code (CLI tool), Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

How do I configure GitHub MCP Server?

Configure GitHub MCP Server by adding it to your MCP client's config file. The setup block at the top of this page generates a ready-to-paste config for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, and Claude Desktop.

MCP server/version-control

GitHub MCP Server

Q: What tools does GitHub MCP Server provide?

list_repositories: List repositories for a user or organization. get_repository: Get detailed repository information. create_repository: Create a new repository. fork_repository: Fork a repository. list_commits: List commits with optional filters. get_commit: Get commit details including stats and changed files. get_file_contents: Get file contents or directory listing. list_issues: List issues with filters. get_issue: Get detailed issue information.

Q: How do I install GitHub MCP Server?

Install GitHub MCP Server by running: git clone https://github.com/software-engineer-mj/github-mcp.git && cd github-mcp && uv sync

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol server for the GitHub API

software-engineer-mj/github-mcp ↗by software-engineer-mjupdated Apr 4, 2026

Manual setup required. The maintainer's config contains paths only you know - edit the placeholders below before adding it to Claude Code.

Prepare the server locally

Run this once before adding it to Claude Code.

git clone https://github.com/software-engineer-mj/github-mcp.git
cd github-mcp
uv sync

Register it in Claude Code

claude mcp add -e "GITHUB_TOKEN=${GITHUB_TOKEN}" github-mcp -- uv run --directory /path/to/github-mcp python -m github_mcp

Replace any placeholder paths in the command with the real path on your machine.

Required:GITHUB_TOKEN

Make your agent remember this setup

github-mcp's config, env vars, and the gotchas you hit — recalled in every future Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex session.

npx conare@latest

Free · one command · indexes the sessions already on disk. Set up in the browser instead →

What it does

Comprehensive access to 87 GitHub API tools across 25 categories.
Manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and project boards.
Automate GitHub Actions workflows and release management.
Support for branch protection rules and repository webhooks.
Built with Python and the official Model Context Protocol SDK.

Tools 9

list_repositoriesList repositories for a user or organization

get_repositoryGet detailed repository information

create_repositoryCreate a new repository

fork_repositoryFork a repository

list_commitsList commits with optional filters

get_commitGet commit details including stats and changed files

get_file_contentsGet file contents or directory listing

list_issuesList issues with filters

get_issueGet detailed issue information

Environment Variables

GITHUB_TOKENrequiredGitHub Personal Access Token with required scopes

Try it

→List all open issues in my repository and summarize the top 3 priorities.

→Create a new branch named 'feature/login-fix' in the current repository.

→Find the latest pull request in the repository and list the files changed.

→Search for all Python files in the repository that contain the string 'TODO'.

→Trigger the 'deploy' workflow for the main branch.

Original README from software-engineer-mj/github-mcp

GitHub MCP Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the GitHub API, built with Python and the official MCP SDK.

This server exposes 87 tools across 25 categories, enabling AI agents like Claude to interact with GitHub repositories, issues, pull requests, discussions, projects, and more.

Features

Category	Tools	Description
Repositories	7	List, get, create, fork repos; list commits; get commit details; get file contents
Issues	6	List, get, create, update issues; manage comments
Pull Requests	8	List, get, create, update, merge PRs; view files/commits; update branch
Search	4	Search repositories, code, issues, and users
Actions	4	List workflows/runs, trigger workflows, cancel runs
Releases	4	List, get latest, create releases; get release by tag
Tags	2	List tags, get annotated tag details
Git	2	Get repository tree, push multiple files in a single commit
Organizations	3	List orgs, get details, list members
Branches	3	List, create, delete branches
Branch Protection	3	Get, update, delete branch protection rules
Webhooks	3	List, create, delete repository webhooks
Files	2	Create/update and delete files via the Contents API
PR Reviews	2	Create and list pull request reviews
Review Comments	3	List, create, reply to PR review comments
Commit Statuses	4	List/create commit statuses; list/get check runs
Labels	3	List, create, delete repository labels
Gists	4	List, get, create, update gists
Stars	3	List starred repos, star/unstar repositories
Users	2	Get authenticated user info, get any user's profile
Notifications	3	List notifications, mark as read
Collaborators	3	List, add, remove repository collaborators
Discussions	4	List, get discussions; view comments; list categories (GraphQL)
Projects (Classic)	2	List repository and organization projects
Projects V2	3	List, get projects; list project items (GraphQL)

Requirements

Python >= 3.10
uv (recommended) or pip
GitHub Personal Access Token

Installation

git clone https://github.com/software-engineer-mj/github-mcp.git
cd github-mcp
uv sync

Configuration

cp .env.example .env

Edit the .env file:

GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here

Token Permissions

Depending on which tools you use, your token needs these scopes:

Scope	Required For
`repo`	Repositories, issues, PRs, branches, webhooks, collaborators, files, tags, git
`read:org`	Organizations, org members, org projects
`gist`	Gists
`notifications`	Notifications
`user`	Authenticated user info, starring
`workflow`	GitHub Actions (trigger, cancel)
`read:discussion`	Discussions
`project`	Projects (Classic), Projects V2

Usage

stdio (default)

uv run python -m github_mcp

Docker

docker build -t github-mcp .

docker run -e GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token github-mcp

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/github-mcp", "python", "-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add to .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/github-mcp", "python", "-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Development

# Install with dev dependencies
uv sync --dev

# Run tests
uv run pytest tests/ -v

# Lint
uv run ruff check src/ tests/

# Format
uv run ruff format src/ tests/

# Type check
uv run mypy src/

Tool Reference

Repositories

Tool	Description
`list_repositories`	List repositories for a user or organization
`get_repository`	Get detailed repository information
`create_repository`	Create a new repository
`fork_repository`	Fork a repository
`list_commits`	List commits with optional filters (author, date range)
`get_commit`	Get commit details including stats and changed files
`get_file_contents`	Get file contents or directory listing

Issues

Tool	Description
`list_issues`	List issues with filters (state, labels, assignee)
`get_issue`	Get detailed issue informatio

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of GitHub MCP Server?

Comprehensive access to 87 GitHub API tools across 25 categories.. Manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and project boards.. Automate GitHub Actions workflows and release management.. Support for branch protection rules and repository webhooks.. Built with Python and the official Model Context Protocol SDK..

What can I use GitHub MCP Server for?

Automating the triage and labeling of incoming GitHub issues.. Generating summaries of pull request changes for code reviews.. Syncing project board status with repository activity.. Triggering CI/CD workflows directly from an AI chat interface.. Quickly searching through repository codebases for specific patterns..

How do I install GitHub MCP Server?

Install GitHub MCP Server by running: git clone https://github.com/software-engineer-mj/github-mcp.git && cd github-mcp && uv sync

What MCP clients work with GitHub MCP Server?

GitHub MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Conare · memory for coding agents

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep GitHub MCP Server docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Set up free$npx conare@latest

Prepare the server locally

Register it in Claude Code

Make your agent remember this setup

What it does

Tools 9

Environment Variables

Try it

GitHub MCP Server

Features

Requirements

Installation

Configuration

Token Permissions

Usage

stdio (default)

Docker

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Development

Tool Reference

Repositories

Issues

Frequently Asked Questions

Turn this server into reusable context

Related MCP Servers