GitHub

GitHub MCP Server Plus provides a dedicated MCP server that exposes GitHub API capabilities for file operations, repository management, search, issues, pull requests, and more. It lets you automate common GitHub workflows through a structured MCP endpoint surface while preserving Git history and enabling batch operations.

How to use

You interact with the GitHub MCP Server Plus through an MCP client by selecting a server named github and invoking its available tools. You can create or update files, push multiple files, search repositories, manage issues and pull requests, and more, all through the MCP surface. When you push changes, branches are created automatically if they do not exist, and Git history is preserved without force pushes.

How to install

Prerequisites include Docker or Node tooling to run the MCP server. You will need a GitHub Personal Access Token with the repo scope (or public_repo scope if you only work with public repositories). Keep your token secure and do not expose it in client configuration.

Install via Docker (recommended for quick starts):

docker run -i --rm \
  -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN \
  mcp/github

"""

## Additional setup steps

If you prefer to run the MCP server locally via NPX, you can start it with the NPX-based command shown below.

Install and run with NPX:

{ "mcpServers": { "github": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github" ], "env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>" } } } }

"""

Configuration and security

Configure the MCP client with either the Docker-based runtime or the NPX-based runtime as separate MCP servers. Ensure you supply the GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable securely. For Docker, the env block maps GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN to your token. For NPX, you place the token in the same environment mapping.

Notes on usage and capabilities

Available tools cover a wide range of GitHub actions, including creating or updating files, pushing multiple files, creating repositories, searching code, opening issues, creating pull requests, forking, branching, and reviewing pull requests. You can list and filter issues and PRs, fetch commit history, and obtain file contents. The server provides advanced search across repositories, issues, users, and code.

Build and start from source

If you build from source, the runtime command shown for Docker and NPX replaces the generic start commands. Use the same environment variable mappings and tokens to access GitHub APIs securely.

Troubleshooting and tips

If you encounter authentication issues, verify that GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN has the correct scope and is being passed to the container or process correctly. Check that the branch creation happens automatically when you create or update files and that Git history is preserved.

Available tools

create_or_update_file

Create or update a single file in a repository. Inputs: owner, repo, path, content, message, branch, sha (optional). Returns: file content and commit details.

push_files_content

Push multiple files with direct content in a single commit. Inputs: owner, repo, branch, files (path, content), message. Returns: updated branch reference.

push_files_from_path

Push multiple files from filesystem paths in a single commit. Inputs: owner, repo, branch, files (path, filepath), message. Returns: updated branch reference.

search_repositories

Search for GitHub repositories with query, page, perPage. Returns: repository search results.

create_repository

Create a new GitHub repository with name, description, private, autoInit. Returns: created repository details.

get_file_contents

Get contents of a file or directory. Inputs: owner, repo, path, branch. Returns: file/directory contents.

create_issue

Create a new issue with owner, repo, title, body, assignees, labels, milestone. Returns: created issue details.

create_pull_request

Create a new pull request with owner, repo, title, body, head, base, draft, maintainer_can_modify. Returns: created PR details.

fork_repository

Fork a repository to owner/repo or an organization. Returns: forked repository details.

create_branch

Create a new branch in a repository. Inputs: owner, repo, branch, from_branch. Returns: created branch reference.

list_issues

List and filter repository issues with state, labels, sort, direction, since, page, per_page. Returns: array of issue details.

update_issue

Update an existing issue with title, body, state, labels, assignees, milestone. Returns: updated issue details.

add_issue_comment

Add a comment to an issue. Inputs: owner, repo, issue_number, body. Returns: created comment details.

search_code

Search for code across repositories with q, sort, order, per_page, page. Returns: code search results with repo context.

search_issues

Search for issues and PRs with q, sort, order, per_page, page. Returns: issue and PR search results.

search_users

Search for GitHub users with q, sort, order, per_page, page. Returns: user search results.

list_commits

Get commits of a branch in a repository with page, per_page, sha. Returns: list of commits.

get_issue

Get the contents of an issue by number. Returns: GitHub Issue object and details.

get_pull_request

Get details of a pull request by number. Returns: PR details including diff and review status.

list_pull_requests

List and filter repository pull requests by state, head, base, sort, direction, per_page, page. Returns: array of pull request details.

create_pull_request_review

Create a review on a pull request with body, event, optional commit_id, optional comments. Returns: created review details.

merge_pull_request

Merge a pull request with optional commit_title, commit_message, merge_method. Returns: merge result details.

get_pull_request_files

Get the list of files changed in a pull request. Returns: array of changed files.

get_pull_request_status

Get the combined status of all status checks for a pull request. Returns: combined status and individual checks.

update_pull_request_branch

Update a pull request branch with latest changes from base. Inputs: pull_number, optional expected_head_sha. Returns: success message.

get_pull_request_comments

Get review comments on a pull request. Returns: array of review comments.

get_pull_request_reviews

Get reviews on a pull request. Returns: array of pull request reviews.