GitHub MCP Server

What it does

Official MCP server from GitHub that lets AI tools read repositories and code, manage issues and pull requests, check GitHub Actions runs and review security findings, all through natural language.

Who it's for

Developers who want their AI assistant to read code, triage issues or open PRs without leaving the chat.

How to set it up

1. Easiest: in an MCP host with remote-server support (VS Code 1.101+, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.), add the HTTP server and sign in with OAuth (or send a GitHub PAT as a Bearer header). VS Code config:

   jsonCopy

   {
     "servers": {
       "github": {
         "type": "http",
         "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/"
       }
     }
   }

2. Or run it locally with Docker (Docker must be running):

   bashCopy

   docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server

3. Optionally limit what the agent can do with toolsets or turn on read-only mode (or GITHUB_READ_ONLY=1):

   bashCopy

   github-mcp-server --toolsets repos,issues,pull_requests
   github-mcp-server --read-only

Check the official docs for the latest steps.

Example prompts

List the open issues labeled 'bug' in my repo and group them by area.

Summarize what changed in pull request #42 and flag anything risky.

Why did the latest GitHub Actions run on main fail? Show me the failing job's logs.

Demo