Introduction
GitHub MCP Server is the official MCP server built by GitHub that connects AI coding assistants to the entire GitHub platform. It transforms natural language into GitHub API calls, letting you manage repositories, issues, pull requests, code reviews, Actions workflows, and security alerts directly from your AI assistant.
Key capabilities:
- Repository Management — Search repos, browse code, read files, list branches, and analyze commits
- Issues & PRs — Create, update, comment, merge PRs, and manage labels programmatically
- GitHub Actions — Monitor CI/CD workflows, analyze build failures, re-run jobs
- Code Search — Full GitHub code search across public and private repositories
- Security — View code scanning alerts, Dependabot alerts, and secret scanning results
- Notifications — Read and manage your GitHub notification inbox
Built in Go, runs as a Docker container or standalone binary. MIT licensed.
FAQ
Q: What permissions does the GitHub token need?
A: At minimum repo scope for private repos, public_repo for public only. Add workflow for Actions, security_events for security features.
Q: Can I use this with Claude Code?
A: Yes. Add the MCP config to your .mcp.json in your project root or ~/.claude/mcp.json globally.
Q: Does it work with GitHub Enterprise?
A: Yes. Set the GITHUB_HOST environment variable to your GHE instance URL.
Q: Is there a rate limit? A: It uses your PAT's rate limit (5,000 requests/hour for authenticated users). The server handles pagination automatically.
Works With
- Claude Code / Claude Desktop
- Any MCP-compatible AI assistant
- GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Server
- Docker or standalone Go binary