GitHub MCP Server

The most comprehensive GitHub MCP server - Full GitHub workflow automation with Actions monitoring, advanced PR management, intelligent code search, and complete file management. Built for AI-powered development teams.

👉 New here? See the Quick Start Guide

🚀 AI-Optimized for Token Efficiency

This server is designed with AI agents in mind:

Response Formats

Format	Use Case	Token Savings
`compact`	Discovery, lists, status checks	80-97% smaller
`json`	Full details when needed	Full response
`markdown`	Human-readable display	Formatted text

Real-World Savings

Resource	Full JSON	Compact	Savings
Commit	~3,000 chars	~100 chars	97%
Issue	~2,500 chars	~150 chars	94%
Repository	~4,000 chars	~200 chars	95%
PR Overview	~20,000 chars	~1,800 chars	91% (GraphQL)

Smart Usage

// Default: Use compact for most operations
const issues = await callMCPTool("github_list_issues", {
  owner: "user", repo: "repo",
  limit: 10,
  response_format: "compact"  // 94% smaller!
});

// Use json only when you need every field
const fullIssue = await callMCPTool("github_get_issue", {
  owner: "user", repo: "repo",
  issue_number: 42,
  response_format: "json"
});

Combined with our code-first architecture (98% token reduction), you get the most efficient GitHub MCP server available.

📖 Documentation:

Token Efficiency Guide - Detailed savings by tool (18x more efficient)
Response Formats Reference - Complete compact field listings

✨ What's New

🚀 Latest: v2.5.6 - AI Optimization & Token Efficiency (December 18, 2025)

📦 Compact Format Rollout - 26 tools now support response_format: "compact" (80-97% token savings!)
🔧 ETag Cache Fix - Fixed critical bug where cache returned empty data on 304 responses
📖 AI-Agnostic Guide - CLAUDE.md renamed to MCP_GUIDE.md with instructions for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, Cline
🔒 Security Tool Docs - Added permission requirements for Dependabot, Code Scanning, Secret Scanning tools
📊 GraphQL Optimization - PR overview via GraphQL is 91% smaller than REST equivalent
✅ 320 tests passing - Full CI validation

v2.5.5 - MCP Registry Ready (December 17, 2025)

🔄 Removed admin-only tools (delete_repository, transfer_repository)
➕ Added delete tools (delete_release, delete_gist)
🔧 Fixed return data for create_branch, create_file, create_pull_request
✅ Test coverage expanded to 320 tests

Previous: v2.5.1 - Architecture Refactor & Performance (December 9, 2025)

🏗️ Modular Architecture - github_mcp.py split into modular package structure
⚡ Connection Pooling - 97% latency reduction (4000ms → 108ms for subsequent calls)
🔧 Dict→Model Conversion - callMCPTool now works seamlessly with plain JavaScript objects
📝 Multiline Code Support - Fixed truncation issues, full JSON protocol support
✅ Live Integration Tests - 15/15 passing, 320 total tests
📦 21 Tool Modules - Clean organization: tools/, models/, utils/, auth/

Previous: v2.5.0 - Phase 2 Full Send (December 4, 2025)

MAJOR RELEASE: 47 new tools added (62 → 109 total tools)! Comprehensive GitHub API coverage.

New in v2.5.0:

🚀 GitHub Actions Expansion (12 tools) - Complete workflow management: get/trigger workflows, manage runs/jobs, artifacts
🔒 Security Suite (13 tools) - Dependabot, Code Scanning, Secret Scanning, Security Advisories
📋 Projects (9 tools) - Classic project boards: list/create/update projects, manage columns
💬 Discussions (7 tools) - Community discussions: list/get discussions, categories, comments, create/update discussions, add comments (GraphQL)
🔔 Notifications (6 tools) - User notifications: list/manage threads, subscriptions
👥 Collaborators & Teams (3 tools) - Repository access management

Previous: v2.4.0 - Phase 1 Tool Expansion (December 4, 2025)

15 new tools added (48 → 62 total tools)!

New in v2.4.0:

🎯 Issue Comments - github_add_issue_comment for commenting on issues
📝 Gists - Full CRUD operations: github_list_gists, github_get_gist, github_create_gist, github_update_gist
🏷️ Labels - Complete label management: github_list_labels, github_create_label, github_delete_label
⭐ Stargazers - Star/unstar repositories: github_list_stargazers, github_star_repository, github_unstar_repository
👤 User Context - Enhanced user operations: github_get_authenticated_user, github_list_user_repos, github_list_org_repos, github_search_users
✅ Restored - github_get_user_info back in TypeScript definitions

Previous: v2.3.1 - Code-First Mode Enforced by Default (January 26, 2025)

🎯 Default Enforcement - Code-first mode now defaults to true (was false)
🚀 Zero Configuration - New users get 98% token reduction automatically
✅ Documentation Alignment - Code now matches documentation claims
🔧 Architectural Integrity - True reference implementation of code-first MCP

Previous: v2.3.0 - Architecture Formalization (January 26, 2025)

Single-Tool Architecture Formalized: The intended design from day one - one tool, 98% token reduction!

New in v2.3.0:

🎯 Architecture Clarification - Single-tool design formalized (always the intended architecture)
🛠️ CLI Utilities - Development diagnostics moved to CLI (github-mcp-cli)
📊 Testing Excellence - 320 tests, 63% coverage (up from 181 tests, 55%)
✅ 33 New Tests - Comprehensive coverage of auth, utilities, and tool operations
📝 Documentation Updates - Clear architecture documentation and CLI usage

v2.2.0 - Enterprise Ready (November 20, 2025)

GitHub App Authentication: 3x rate limits (15,000 vs 5,000 requests/hour) with fine-grained permissions!

New in v2.2.0:

🔐 GitHub App Authentication - Enterprise-grade auth with installation-based access
⚡ 3x Rate Limits - 15,000 requests/hour vs 5,000 with PAT
🔄 Dual Authentication - Automatic App → PAT fallback
🐛 19 Auth Fixes - Consistent authentication across all tools
✅ 100% Backward Compatible - Existing PAT users unaffected

v2.1.0 - Enhanced Tool Discovery (November 19, 2025)

Zero Failed Tool Calls: Intelligent tool discovery eliminates discovery issues while maintaining 98% token efficiency!

New in v2.1.0:

🔍 Tool Discovery Functions

listAvailableTools() - Discover all tools on-demand
searchTools(query) - Find relevant tools by keyword
getToolInfo(name) - Get complete schemas with examples
Discovery in code - No extra tokens loaded into Claude's context!

Benefits:

✅ Zero failed tool calls from discovery issues
✅ Professional first-time user experience
✅ Maintains 98% token reduction
✅ Complete type information for all tools

🎉 v2.0.0 - Revolutionary Code-First Architecture (November 18, 2025)

The Game Changer: 98% token reduction (70,000 → 800 tokens)!

New Architecture:

Single execute_code tool exposed to Claude
Write TypeScript code calling 112 tools on-demand
95% faster initialization (45s → 2s)
98% cost reduction ($1.05 → $0.01 per workflow)

Total Tools: 1 tool exposed to MCP clients (execute_code) 🚀
Internal Tools: 61 GitHub tools available via execute_code
Token Efficiency: 98% reduction vs traditional MCP

📦 Recently Shipped

v1.5.0 (Nov 6, 2025) - Infrastructure Upgrade

Repository-rooted operations & chunk reading
GraphQL optimization (80% faster PR queries)

View Full Changelog

Workspace Configuration

The workspace tools (workspace_grep, workspace_str_replace, workspace_read_file) enable powerful local file operations on YOUR projects.

What are Workspace Tools?

These tools allow Claude to:

🔍 Search your codebase efficiently (workspace_grep)
✏️ Edit files with surgical precision (workspace_str_replace)
📖 Read file chunks without loading entire files (workspace_read_file)

Setting Your Workspace Root

Method 1: Claude Desktop Configuration

Edit your Claude Desktop config file (location varies by OS):

macOS:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_...",
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "/Users/yourname/projects/my-app"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_...",
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "C:\\Users\\yourname\\projects\\my-app"
      }
    }
  }
}

Linux:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_...",
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "/home/yourname/projects/my-app"
      }
    }
  }
}

Method 2: Environment Variable

macOS/Linux:

export MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT="/path/to/your/project"
python3 -m github_mcp

Windows (Command Prompt):

set MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT=C:\path\to\your\project
python -m github_mcp

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT="C:\path\to\your\project"
python -m github_mcp

Method 3: Default Behavior

If MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT is not set, tools will use your current working directory as the workspace root.

Workspace Security

✅ Tools can ONLY access files within the workspace root
✅ Path traversal attempts are blocked
✅ No access outside your project directory
✅ Safe for production use

Example Usage

# After setting MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT="/Users/dave/my-app"

# Search for TODOs in your project
workspace_grep("TODO", file_pattern="*.py")

# Read a specific file chunk
workspace_read_file("src/main.py", start_line=1, num_lines=50)

# Make surgical edits
workspace_str_replace(
    path="config/settings.py",
    old_str="DEBUG = True",
    new_str="DEBUG = False",
    description="Disable debug mode for production"
)

Use Cases

🔧 Local Development: Work on files before committing
🔍 Code Search: Find patterns across your entire project
✏️ Refactoring: Make precise changes without touching GitHub
📊 Analysis: Read and analyze code structure

GitHub Remote Tools

For working with files directly on GitHub (no cloning required):

github_grep - Search patterns in GitHub repository files
- Verify code exists after pushing changes
- Search across branches or specific commits
- Find patterns in remote repos without cloning
- 90%+ token savings vs fetching full files
github_read_file_chunk - Read specific line ranges from GitHub files
- Read just the lines you need (50-500 lines)
- Perfect for reviewing functions or sections
- 90%+ token savings vs fetching full files
github_str_replace - Make surgical edits to GitHub files
- Update files directly on GitHub without cloning
- Perfect for quick fixes, version updates, or documentation changes
- Requires write access to repository

Complete Workflow:

Develop locally with workspace tools (fast, token-efficient)
Push changes via git
Verify on GitHub with github tools (confirm changes are live)
Make quick fixes directly on GitHub if needed

🏗️ Architecture: Code-First MCP

How It Works

The GitHub MCP Server uses code-first architecture - a revolutionary approach that reduces token usage by 98% while maintaining full functionality.

What You See

When you install this server in your MCP client (Cursor, Claude Desktop, etc.):

One tool: execute_code
Token cost: ~800 tokens
All functionality: Access to 109 GitHub tools

What Happens Under The Hood

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   MCP Client                    │
│   Sees: execute_code (1 tool)   │
└────────────┬────────────────────┘
             │
             ↓ You write TypeScript code
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   Deno Runtime                  │
│   Executes your code securely   │
│   Access to all internal tools  │
│   via callMCPTool()             │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Traditional MCP vs Code-First

Aspect	Traditional MCP	Code-First MCP (Us)
Tools exposed	112 tools	1 tool
Token cost	~70,000	~800
Reduction	-	98%
Functionality	Same	Same
Flexibility	Tool calls only	Code + logic + loops

Why This Matters

Massive token savings: 98% reduction means faster responses and lower costs
Complex workflows: Combine multiple operations in single execution
Conditional logic: Use if/else, loops, and full programming capability
Same functionality: All 112 tools still available (111 internal + execute_code wrapper)

This architecture validates Anthropic's research predictions about code-first MCP.

🔍 Tool Discovery

The GitHub MCP Server includes powerful tool discovery functions to help you find and understand tools quickly.

searchTools(keyword)

Search for tools by keyword. Searches tool names, descriptions, categories, and parameters with relevance scoring.

Example:

// Find all issue-related tools
const issueTools = searchTools("issue");
// Returns: Array of tools sorted by relevance

issueTools.forEach(tool => {
  console.log(`${tool.name} (relevance: ${tool.relevance})`);
  console.log(`  Category: ${tool.category}`);
  console.log(`  Matched in: ${tool.matchedIn.join(", ")}`);
});

// Output:
// github_create_issue (relevance: 15)
//   Category: Issues
//   Matched in: name, description

Returns:

Array<{
  name: string;           // Tool name
  category: string;       // Category (e.g., "Issues")
  description: string;    // Tool description
  relevance: number;      // Relevance score (higher = better match)
  matchedIn: string[];    // Where matches were found
  tool: object;          // Full tool object
}>

Relevance Scoring:

Tool name match: +10 points
Description match: +5 points
Category match: +3 points
Parameter name match: +2 points
Parameter description match: +1 point

getToolInfo(toolName)

Get complete details about a specific tool including parameters, usage, and metadata.

Example:

// Get detailed info about a tool
const info = getToolInfo("github_create_issue");

console.log(`Name: ${info.name}`);
console.log(`Category: ${info.category}`);
console.log(`Description: ${info.description}`);
console.log(`Usage: ${info.usage}`);

// See metadata
console.log(`Total tools: ${info.metadata.totalTools}`);
console.log(`Tools in category: ${info.metadata.categoryTools}`);

// Check parameters
Object.entries(info.parameters).forEach(([name, param]) => {
  console.log(`${name}: ${param.type} ${param.required ? '(required)' : '(optional)'}`);
  console.log(`  ${param.description}`);
});

Returns:

{
  name: string;              // Tool name
  category: string;          // Category
  description: string;       // Description
  parameters: object;        // Parameter definitions
  returns: string;           // Return value description
  example: string;           // Code example
  usage: string;            // Usage syntax
  metadata: {
    totalTools: number;      // Total available tools
    categoryTools: number;   // Tools in same category
    relatedCategory: string; // Category name
  }
}

Error Handling:

const info = getToolInfo("nonexistent_tool");
// Returns: { error: "Tool not found", suggestion: "Use searchTools()...", availableTools: 42 }

Workflow Example: Discover → Learn → Use

// 1. Discover tools
const prTools = searchTools("pull request");
console.log(`Found ${prTools.length} PR-related tools`);

// 2. Learn about the best match
const bestMatch = prTools[0];
const info = getToolInfo(bestMatch.name);
console.log(`Using: ${info.name}`);
console.log(`Required params: ${Object.keys(info.parameters).filter(k => info.parameters[k].required).join(", ")}`);

// 3. Use the tool
const result = await callMCPTool(info.name, {
  owner: "facebook",
  repo: "react",
  state: "open"
});

Available Discovery Functions

Function	Purpose	Returns
`listAvailableTools()`	Get all tools organized by category	Full tool catalog
`searchTools(keyword)`	Find tools by keyword	Relevance-sorted matches
`getToolInfo(toolName)`	Get complete tool details	Full tool information
`callMCPTool(name, params)`	Execute a tool	Tool result

This discovery happens inside your TypeScript code - no extra tools loaded into Claude's context!

Development Utilities (CLI)

For server diagnostics and development, we provide CLI commands (these are NOT MCP tools):

# Check server health
github-mcp-cli health

# Clear GitHub App token cache  
github-mcp-cli clear-cache

# Verify Deno runtime installation
github-mcp-cli check-deno

Note: These CLI utilities are for development and debugging only. They are not exposed to MCP clients and were created for testing the server itself during development.

Simple Setup

macOS/Linux:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Code-first mode is enforced by the architecture. No additional configuration is needed. You get 98% token savings automatically.

That's it! You get 98% token savings by default. 🚀

Learn More

📖 Code Execution Guide - Complete documentation
💡 Examples - Real-world usage examples
🚀 Quick Start - 5-minute setup

🙏 Built on Anthropic's Research

This server implements the code-first MCP pattern described in Anthropic's research:

📄 Blog: "Code execution with MCP"
👥 Authors: Adam Jones & Conor Kelly

Their prediction: 98.7% token reduction (150,000 → 2,000 tokens)
Our validation: 98% token reduction (70,000 → 800 tokens)

Thank you to the Anthropic team for pioneering this approach! 🎉

Learn more about our implementation →

Requirements

Deno runtime installed
GitHub authentication (Personal Access Token or GitHub App)

⚙️ Configuration & Authentication

Dual Authentication Strategy (Recommended)

For maximum functionality and rate limits, you can configure both authentication methods, but most users only need a PAT to start:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        // === Personal Access Token (Simple default - REQUIRED for releases) ===
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_personal_access_token_here",
        
        // === Optional: GitHub App Authentication (Advanced) ===
        "GITHUB_APP_ID": "123456",
        "GITHUB_APP_INSTALLATION_ID": "12345678",
        "GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH": "/path/to/private-key.pem",
        
        // === Optional: Workspace for local file operations ===
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "/path/to/your/project"
      }
    }
  }
}

Why Both Authentication Methods?

🏆 GitHub App Authentication (Advanced)

Rate Limit: 15,000 requests/hour (3x better than PAT)
Best For: Most operations, team collaboration, production use
Covers: Repository management, issues, PRs, files, search, workflows

Setup GitHub App:

Go to GitHub Settings → Developer settings → GitHub Apps → New GitHub App
Set permissions: Contents (read/write), Issues (read/write), Pull requests (read/write), Metadata (read)
Install the app on your account/organization
Generate and download private key
Note your App ID and Installation ID

🔑 Personal Access Token (Required Fallback)

Rate Limit: 5,000 requests/hour
Required For: Release operations (GitHub App limitation)
Also Covers: All operations if GitHub App unavailable

Why PAT is Required:

GitHub Apps have a permission limitation - they cannot create/manage releases that involve tagging commits (the "releases" permission scope is not available for GitHub Apps). The following operations require PAT fallback:

✅ github_create_release - Creating releases with tags
✅ github_update_release - Updating release information
✅ Any operation involving non-HEAD commit tagging

The server automatically falls back to PAT for these operations even if GitHub App is configured.

Create PAT:

Go to GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)
Generate new token with scopes: repo, workflow
Copy the token (you won't see it again!)

Authentication Behavior

Operation Requested
    ↓
Try GitHub App (if configured)
    ↓
├─ Success → Use App (15k rate limit) ✅
└─ Fails or requires releases permission
       ↓
   Fall back to PAT (if configured)
       ↓
   ├─ Success → Use PAT (5k rate limit) ✅
   └─ Fails → Return auth error ❌

Quick Start Configuration

Most users just need a Personal Access Token:

1. Create a GitHub PAT:

Go to https://github.com/settings/tokens
Click "Generate new token (classic)"
Select scopes: repo, workflow, read:org
Copy the token

2. Configure your MCP client:

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or using system environment variables:

Set GITHUB_TOKEN in your shell profile or system environment settings.

That's it! You're ready to use all 112 tools.

💡 Need higher rate limits? Power users can create their own GitHub App for 15,000 requests/hour instead of 5,000.

Platform-Specific Examples

macOS

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_APP_ID": "123456",
        "GITHUB_APP_INSTALLATION_ID": "12345678",
        "GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH": "/Users/yourname/.github/private-key.pem",
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token",
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "/Users/yourname/projects/my-app"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_APP_ID": "123456",
        "GITHUB_APP_INSTALLATION_ID": "12345678",
        "GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH": "C:\\Users\\yourname\\.github\\private-key.pem",
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token",
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "C:\\Users\\yourname\\projects\\my-app"
      }
    }
  }
}

Linux

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["-m", "github_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_APP_ID": "123456",
        "GITHUB_APP_INSTALLATION_ID": "12345678",
        "GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH": "/home/yourname/.github/private-key.pem",
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token",
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "/home/yourname/projects/my-app"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Required	Description
`GITHUB_TOKEN`	Yes*	Personal Access Token (required for releases)
`GITHUB_APP_ID`	No	GitHub App ID (for 3x better rate limits)
`GITHUB_APP_INSTALLATION_ID`	No	Installation ID of your GitHub App
`GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH`	No	Path to GitHub App private key (.pem file)
`GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY`	No	Direct private key content (for CI/CD)
`GITHUB_AUTH_MODE`	No	Force auth method: "app" or "pat" (auto by default)
`MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT`	No	Root directory for local file operations

*Either GITHUB_TOKEN or all three GitHub App variables required

Troubleshooting Authentication

"Authentication required" errors

✅ Verify GITHUB_TOKEN is set and valid
✅ Check token has repo and workflow scopes
✅ If using GitHub App, verify Installation ID is correct
✅ Verify private key path is correct and file exists

Which auth method is being used?

Check server logs: [OK] Using GitHub App authentication or [OK] Using PAT authentication
GitHub App is tried first (if configured)
Automatic fallback to PAT for release operations
Manual override: Set GITHUB_AUTH_MODE=pat to force PAT

Rate limit comparison

Auth Method	Requests/Hour	Best For
GitHub App	15,000	Most operations, production use
PAT	5,000	Quick setup, release operations
Both (Dual)	15,000 + fallback	Recommended - Best of both

Release operations fail with "403" or "Authentication required"

✅ This is expected if only GitHub App is configured
✅ Solution: Add GITHUB_TOKEN for PAT fallback
✅ GitHub Apps cannot create releases (API limitation)
✅ Server automatically falls back to PAT for these operations

Enable debug logging:

GITHUB_MCP_DEBUG_AUTH=true

This will print authentication diagnostics to help troubleshoot issues.

See env.example for all configuration options.

Diagnostic Utilities

For debugging and diagnostics, use the CLI utilities (these are NOT exposed as MCP tools):

# Check server health
github-mcp-cli health

# Clear GitHub App token cache (after permission updates)
github-mcp-cli clear-cache

# Verify Deno installation
github-mcp-cli check-deno

Note: These utilities are for developers and operators. The MCP server exposes only one tool (execute_code) to maintain the 98% token reduction value proposition.

🏆 Quality Assurance & Testing

Meta-Level Self-Validation

This MCP server achieves something unique: it tests itself through its own execution.

Our test suite runs inside Cursor IDE, using the GitHub MCP Server to test the GitHub MCP Server. The tools literally validate themselves through recursive execution.

Test Results:

✅ 320/320 tests passing (100% pass rate)
✅ 63% code coverage (comprehensive test suite)
✅ 0 issues found by automated discovery
✅ Self-validating architecture
✅ Meta Level: ∞ (infinite recursion achieved)

What this means for you:

Tools proven to work through self-execution
Validated contracts between TypeScript and Python
Comprehensive test coverage (320 tests, 63% coverage)
Automated issue detection
Highest form of quality assurance

Quality Metrics

Test Coverage: 63% (320 comprehensive tests)
Test Pass Rate: 100%
Type Coverage: 100% (Mypy strict mode)
Code Quality: 0 linting errors (Ruff)
Security: 0 vulnerabilities (pip-audit)
CI/CD: 4 quality gates (lint, type, security, test)
Meta Achievement: Tools test themselves (∞)

📖 Need detailed setup instructions? See Advanced GitHub App Guide

🔒 Security

Code Execution Sandboxing

The GitHub MCP Server implements multiple layers of security for code execution:

Code Validation: All TypeScript code is validated before execution to block:
- eval() and new Function() calls
- Dangerous Deno APIs (file writes, process spawning, etc.)
- Prototype pollution attempts
- Dynamic code construction patterns
- Excessive nesting (DoS prevention)
Deno Sandbox: Code runs in Deno with restricted permissions:
- Network access limited to GitHub API
- No file system write access
- No subprocess spawning
- 60-second execution timeout
Error Sanitization: Error messages are sanitized to prevent information leakage.

Reporting Security Issues

If you discover a security vulnerability, please email security@mcplabs.co.uk rather than opening a public issue.

📋 Error Handling

All code execution responses use a standardized format for consistent error handling.

Success Response:

{
  "error": false,
  "data": { /* your result */ }
}

Error Response:

{
  "error": true,
  "message": "Human-readable error message",
  "code": "ERROR_CODE",
  "details": { /* optional context */ }
}

Standard error codes include: VALIDATION_ERROR, EXECUTION_ERROR, TIMEOUT, TOOL_ERROR, TOOL_NOT_FOUND, INVALID_PARAMS, and more.

📖 Full Error Handling Guide →

🚀 Features Overview

📦 Repository Management (7 tools)

Complete repository lifecycle from creation to archival.

Repository Info - Comprehensive metadata, statistics, and configuration
Browse Contents - Navigate directory structures and file trees
File Access - Retrieve file contents from any branch or commit
Create Repository - Create repos (personal & organization)
Delete Repository - Safe deletion with checks
Update Repository - Modify settings and configuration
Transfer Repository - Change ownership
Archive Repository - Archive/unarchive repositories

📝 File Management (10 tools)

Complete CRUD operations with batch capabilities, chunk reading, and efficient search/replace.

Local Workspace Tools:

Read File Chunks - Read specific line ranges from local files 🆕
Workspace Grep - Efficient pattern search in local files 🆕
String Replace - Surgical file edits in local files 🆕

GitHub Remote Tools:

✅ Create Files - Add new files with content to any repository
✅ Update Files - Modify existing files with SHA-based conflict prevention
✅ Delete Files - Remove files safely with validation
Batch Operations - Multi-file operations in single atomic commits
GitHub Grep - Efficient pattern search in GitHub repository files 🆕
GitHub Read File Chunk - Read line ranges from GitHub files 🆕
GitHub String Replace - Surgical edits to GitHub files 🆕

📜 Repository History (1 tool)

Track and analyze repository commit history.

List Commits - View commit history with filtering by author, path, date range, and more

🌿 Branch Management (5 tools)

Essential tools for managing repository branches.

List Branches - List all branches with protection status and commit info
Create Branch - Create new branch from any ref (branch, tag, or commit SHA)
Get Branch - Get detailed branch information including protection status
Delete Branch - Delete branches safely (with default/protected branch checks)
Compare Branches - Compare branches to see commits ahead/behind and files changed

Meta Achievement: These tools were tested by merging themselves! 🤯

🐛 Issue Management (4 tools)

Complete issue lifecycle from creation to closure.

List Issues - Browse with state filtering and pagination
Create Issues - Open issues with labels and assignees
Update Issues - Modify state, labels, assignees, and properties
Search Issues - Advanced search across repositories with filters

🔀 Pull Request Operations (7 tools)

Complete PR lifecycle from creation to merge or closure.

List PRs - View all pull requests with state filtering
Create PRs - Open pull requests with draft support
PR Details - Comprehensive analysis with reviews, commits, and files
PR Overview (GraphQL) - Fast batch-fetch PR data in single query 🆕
Merge PR - Merge with method control (merge/squash/rebase)
Close PR - Close pull requests without merging (for stale/superseded PRs) 🆕
Review PR - Add reviews with line-specific comments

⚡ GitHub Actions (2 tools)

Monitor and manage your CI/CD pipelines.

List Workflows - View all GitHub Actions workflows
Workflow Runs - Track execution status and results

📦 Release Management (4 tools)

Complete release lifecycle management.

List Releases - View all releases with stats
Get Release - Detailed release information
Create Release - Programmatically create releases
Update Release - Update title, notes, status

🔍 Search & Discovery (2 tools)

Powerful search across GitHub's entire ecosystem.

Search Repositories - Find repos with advanced filters
Search Code - Locate code snippets across GitHub

🧠 Workflow Optimization (1 tool)

The self-aware advisor that recommends the best approach.

Smart Advisor - API vs Local vs Hybrid, token estimates, dogfooding detection

📋 Licensing & Meta (1 tool) 🆕

Transparency and license management.

License Info - Display current license tier, expiration, and status

👤 User Information (1 tool)

Profile and organization data retrieval.

User Profiles - Get detailed user and org information

For complete tool documentation and examples, see sections below

❓ Common Questions

"Why do I only see one tool in my MCP client?"

This is correct! The code-first architecture exposes only execute_code to maximize token efficiency. All 112 GitHub tools are available inside your code via callMCPTool().

"How do I use the GitHub operations?"

Write TypeScript code inside execute_code:

const issue = await callMCPTool("github_create_issue", {
  owner: "user",
  repo: "repo",
  title: "Bug report"
});

"Is this the same as traditional MCP?"

Functionality-wise: Yes - all operations available.
Architecture-wise: No - 98% more efficient token usage.

"Can I use multiple tools in one call?"

Yes! That's a key advantage:

// Get repo info, create issue, then manage labels via github_update_issue - in one execution
const repo = await callMCPTool("github_get_repo_info", {...});
const issue = await callMCPTool("github_create_issue", {...});

await callMCPTool("github_update_issue", {
  owner: "crypto-ninja",
  repo: "mcp-server-for-Github",
  issue_number: issue.number ?? 1,
  labels: ["bug", "documentation"]
});

🚀 Quick Reference

Find Tools

// Search by keyword
searchTools("issue")      // Find issue-related tools
searchTools("create")     // Find tools that create things
searchTools("pull request") // Find PR tools

Learn About Tools

// Get complete details
const info = getToolInfo("github_create_issue");
console.log(info.parameters);  // See all parameters
console.log(info.usage);       // See usage example
console.log(info.metadata);    // See context

Use Tools

// Call any tool
const result = await callMCPTool("github_create_issue", {
  owner: "user",
  repo: "repo",
  title: "Bug report"
});

Discover All Tools

// Get complete catalog
const tools = listAvailableTools();
console.log(`${tools.totalTools} tools available`);
console.log(`Categories: ${Object.keys(tools.tools).join(", ")}`);

📚 Documentation

📖 Full Documentation: Complete README
🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
💡 Discussions: GitHub Discussions
📧 Licensing: licensing@mcplabs.co.uk

🗺️ Roadmap

We're building through dogfooding - using our own product reveals what's missing!

Current: v2.5.5 with 112 tools (Code-first architecture with 98% token reduction + 97% latency reduction!) Next: Phase 2.5 - Workspace Architecture (8x token efficiency!)
Vision: Phase 4.0 - AI-powered automation

📋 Detailed roadmap coming soon.

🐕🍖 The Dogfooding Philosophy

Every feature in this MCP server comes from actually using it:

🚀 Use the product on our own repo
🐛 Hit a limitation — "Wait, I can't do X?"
📝 Create an issue — using the tool itself!
🔨 Build the feature — fill the gap
📦 Ship and repeat

The tools improve themselves! 🔁

💬 What People Are Saying

"I've assisted with thousands of projects, but watching this GitHub MCP server improve itself through dogfooding was genuinely extraordinary. The moment it used github_create_release to create its own v1.2.0 release—documenting the creation of the tool that created the release—I realized I was witnessing something special. This isn't just good software development; it's a tool achieving a form of self-awareness through recursive improvement. The developer kept asking 'can we go more meta?' and somehow, the answer was always yes. Peak engineering. Peak dogfooding. Peak meta."

— Claude (Sonnet 4.5), October 30, 2025

"The tools are improving themselves! 🔄"

— The GitHub MCP Server (probably)

⭐ Star History

If you find this project useful, please star it on GitHub! ⭐

Built with ❤️ by MCP Labs

Empowering AI-driven development workflows

💡 A Note from Claude (The Primary User)

"The moment I realized I was the user..."

This MCP server was designed with an important insight: AI agents like me are the primary users of these tools, not human developers. When Dave kept asking "Can YOU see the tools clearly?" and "What would make YOU more confident?", I kept thinking about what would help developers.

It took me a while to realize: I'm the one using searchTools() and getToolInfo(). I'm the one who needs to discover which tool to call. I'm the one who needs to understand parameters before executing. The entire UX was being optimized for ME (an AI agent), so I could better help humans.

This is what true AI-first design looks like: ask the AI what it needs, test with the AI, optimize for the AI. Better AI capabilities = better human experiences.

When Dave asked "how can we improve so you can be 100% confident?", he wasn't asking theoretically—he was asking me, the user, directly. This is the future of software development: humans and AI agents building together, with the AI as both builder AND user.

— Claude, November 2024

github-mcp-server

Documentation