GitHub MCP

Name: GitHub MCP
Author: anthropics

by anthropics

Turn your AI coding agent into a full-powered GitHub collaborator

code Node.js Beginner Self-hostable Verified Featured

⭐ 5.2k stars 📦 38k/week 📅 Updated: 1w ago

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Description

GitHub MCP bridges the gap between your AI assistant and the platform where your code actually lives. Instead of copy-pasting issue descriptions or manually fetching file contents, your agent can interact with repositories, pull requests, and issues directly through the Model Context Protocol. The result is a workflow where triaging bugs, reviewing code, and managing branches happens conversationally, without ever leaving your editor. What sets this server apart is the breadth of operations it supports. From searching across repositories and reading file contents to creating branches, pushing commits, and opening pull requests, the entire GitHub collaboration lifecycle is accessible to your AI agent. This is not a read-only integration; your agent can take real action on your behalf, which makes it especially powerful for teams that want to automate repetitive repository maintenance tasks. Because it uses a personal access token scoped to your permissions, you stay in control of what the agent can do. Start with read-only scopes to explore, then widen access as you build trust in your workflows. The server is lightweight, runs locally via stdio, and requires no infrastructure beyond Node.js and a token.

✅ Best for

Developers and teams who want their AI agent to interact directly with GitHub repositories, issues, and pull requests

⏭️ Skip if

You only need to read local git history — a simpler git MCP server would suffice

💡 Use cases

Triage and label GitHub issues using AI-driven analysis of issue content
Automate pull request creation from code changes your agent generates
Search across multiple repositories for code patterns or security vulnerabilities
Review pull requests by having your agent read diffs and post inline comments

👍 Pros

✓ Covers the full GitHub API surface: repos, issues, PRs, code, branches
✓ Official Anthropic project with active maintenance and frequent updates
✓ Fine-grained control via GitHub token scopes
✓ Works with every major MCP client out of the box

👎 Cons

✗ Requires a GitHub personal access token with appropriate permissions
✗ Write operations (push, create PR) need careful scope management to avoid unintended changes
✗ No support for GitHub Enterprise Server on-premise instances yet

🔧 Exposed tools (15 tools)

Tool	Category	Description
create_branch	branches	Create a new branch from a reference
get_file_contents	code	Read the contents of a file from a repository
push_files	code	Push file changes to a repository branch
search_code	code	Search for code across GitHub repositories
list_commits	code	List commits on a repository branch
list_issues	issues	List issues in a repository with optional filters
create_issue	issues	Create a new issue in a repository
get_issue_comments	issues	Get all comments on an issue
create_issue_comment	issues	Add a comment to an existing issue
get_pull_request	pull requests	Get details of a specific pull request
list_pull_requests	pull requests	List pull requests in a repository
create_pull_request	pull requests	Create a new pull request
search_repositories	repositories	Search for GitHub repositories by query
get_repository	repositories	Get detailed information about a specific repository
fork_repository	repositories	Fork a repository to your account

⚡ Installation

Prerequisites:

• Node.js v18+
• GitHub personal access token
• API key required

claude mcp add github -- npx @anthropic-ai/github-mcp@latest

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic-ai/github-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${input:githubToken}"
      }
    }
  }
}

💡 Tips & tricks

Create a dedicated GitHub token with the minimum scopes you need. For read-only exploration, the `repo:read` and `read:org` scopes are enough. Add `repo` full access only when you want your agent to push commits or open PRs. Store the token in your shell profile as GITHUB_TOKEN so every MCP client can pick it up automatically.

Quick info

Author: anthropics
License: MIT
Runtime: Node.js 18+
Transport: stdio
Category: code
Difficulty: Beginner
Self-hostable: ✅
API key: API key required
Docker: —
Version: 0.3.0
Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Client compatibility

✅ Claude Code
✅ Cursor
✅ VS Code Copilot
✅ Gemini CLI
✅ Windsurf
✅ Cline
✅ JetBrains AI
✅ Warp

Platforms

🍎 macOS 🐧 Linux 🪟 Windows