GitHub MCP Server
by GitHub
GitHub's official MCP server that lets an agent read repositories, open issues and pull requests, review diffs, and manage workflows directly from your GitHub account.
Add the hosted server (OAuth)
claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/
About
GitHub's official MCP server exposes repositories, issues, pull requests, branches, and Actions workflows as tools an agent can call directly: searching code across repos, opening a PR, commenting on an issue, or checking a workflow run's status, all without leaving your coding session.
It ships as both a remote hosted server (OAuth login, no token management) and a local binary for self-hosted or offline use, with fine-grained scopes so you can limit an agent to read-only access or specific repositories.
Key features
- Search code, issues, and pull requests across your repositories
- Create and update issues, PRs, and PR review comments
- Inspect commit history, branches, and file contents
- Read GitHub Actions workflow runs and logs
Use cases
- Have an agent open a pull request with a generated changelog after finishing a task
- Search across repositories for where a function or config key is used
- Triage incoming issues by reading and labeling them automatically
Available tools
search_repositories
Searches GitHub repositories by name, owner, or keyword.
get_file_contents
Reads a file's contents from a specific repo, branch, or commit.
create_pull_request
Opens a new pull request between two branches.
create_issue
Creates a new issue with a title, body, and labels.
list_workflow_runs
Lists recent GitHub Actions workflow runs and their status.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to paste a personal access token?
No. The hosted endpoint uses browser-based OAuth, so your client opens a GitHub login flow and you approve the scopes directly. A local binary with a PAT is available for CI environments.
Can I restrict it to read-only access?
Yes. The OAuth consent screen lets you grant only the scopes you need, and self-hosted deployments can set explicit read-only toolsets.