GitHub MCP Server

MCP Server for the GitHub API, enabling file operations, repository management, search functionality, and more.

Features

Automatic Branch Creation: When creating/updating files or pushing changes, branches are automatically created if they don't exist
Comprehensive Error Handling: Clear error messages for common issues
Git History Preservation: Operations maintain proper Git history without force pushing
Batch Operations: Support for both single-file and multi-file operations
Advanced Search: Support for searching code, issues/PRs, and users
Project Management: Complete toolset for GitHub Projects (classic) management, including creating projects, managing columns, and working with cards

Tools

create_or_update_file
- Create or update a single file in a repository
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - path (string): Path where to create/update the file
  - content (string): Content of the file
  - message (string): Commit message
  - branch (string): Branch to create/update the file in
  - sha (optional string): SHA of file being replaced (for updates)
- Returns: File content and commit details
push_files
- Push multiple files in a single commit
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - branch (string): Branch to push to
  - files (array): Files to push, each with path and content
  - message (string): Commit message
- Returns: Updated branch reference
search_repositories
- Search for GitHub repositories
- Inputs:
  - query (string): Search query
  - page (optional number): Page number for pagination
  - perPage (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
- Returns: Repository search results
create_repository
- Create a new GitHub repository
- Inputs:
  - name (string): Repository name
  - description (optional string): Repository description
  - private (optional boolean): Whether repo should be private
  - autoInit (optional boolean): Initialize with README
- Returns: Created repository details
get_file_contents
- Get contents of a file or directory
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - path (string): Path to file/directory
  - branch (optional string): Branch to get contents from
- Returns: File/directory contents
create_issue
- Create a new issue
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - title (string): Issue title
  - body (optional string): Issue description
  - assignees (optional string[]): Usernames to assign
  - labels (optional string[]): Labels to add
  - milestone (optional number): Milestone number
- Returns: Created issue details
create_pull_request
- Create a new pull request
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - title (string): PR title
  - body (optional string): PR description
  - head (string): Branch containing changes
  - base (string): Branch to merge into
  - draft (optional boolean): Create as draft PR
  - maintainer_can_modify (optional boolean): Allow maintainer edits
- Returns: Created pull request details
fork_repository
- Fork a repository
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - organization (optional string): Organization to fork to
- Returns: Forked repository details
create_branch
- Create a new branch
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - branch (string): Name for new branch
  - from_branch (optional string): Source branch (defaults to repo default)
- Returns: Created branch reference
list_issues
- List and filter repository issues
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - state (optional string): Filter by state ('open', 'closed', 'all')
  - labels (optional string[]): Filter by labels
  - sort (optional string): Sort by ('created', 'updated', 'comments')
  - direction (optional string): Sort direction ('asc', 'desc')
  - since (optional string): Filter by date (ISO 8601 timestamp)
  - page (optional number): Page number
  - per_page (optional number): Results per page
- Returns: Array of issue details
update_issue
- Update an existing issue
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - issue_number (number): Issue number to update
  - title (optional string): New title
  - body (optional string): New description
  - state (optional string): New state ('open' or 'closed')
  - labels (optional string[]): New labels
  - assignees (optional string[]): New assignees
  - milestone (optional number): New milestone number
- Returns: Updated issue details
add_issue_comment
- Add a comment to an issue
- Inputs:
  - owner (string): Repository owner
  - repo (string): Repository name
  - issue_number (number): Issue number to comment on
  - body (string): Comment text
- Returns: Created comment details
search_code
- Search for code across GitHub repositories
- Inputs:
  - q (string): Search query using GitHub code search syntax
  - sort (optional string): Sort field ('indexed' only)
  - order (optional string): Sort order ('asc' or 'desc')
  - per_page (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
  - page (optional number): Page number
- Returns: Code search results with repository context
search_issues
- Search for issues and pull requests
- Inputs:
  - q (string): Search query using GitHub issues search syntax
  - sort (optional string): Sort field (comments, reactions, created, etc.)
  - order (optional string): Sort order ('asc' or 'desc')
  - per_page (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
  - page (optional number): Page number
- Returns: Issue and pull request search results
search_users
- Search for GitHub users
- Inputs:
  - q (string): Search query using GitHub users search syntax
  - sort (optional string): Sort field (followers, repositories, joined)
  - order (optional string): Sort order ('asc' or 'desc')
  - per_page (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
  - page (optional number): Page number
- Returns: User search results
list_commits

Gets commits of a branch in a repository
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- page (optional string): page number
- per_page (optional string): number of record per page
- sha (optional string): branch name
Returns: List of commits

get_issue

Gets the contents of an issue within a repository
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- issue_number (number): Issue number to retrieve
Returns: Github Issue object & details

delete_issue

Deletes an issue from a GitHub repository using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- issue_number (number): Issue number to delete
Returns: Deletion confirmation with repository information

get_pull_request

Get details of a specific pull request
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
Returns: Pull request details including diff and review status

list_pull_requests

List and filter repository pull requests
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- state (optional string): Filter by state ('open', 'closed', 'all')
- head (optional string): Filter by head user/org and branch
- base (optional string): Filter by base branch
- sort (optional string): Sort by ('created', 'updated', 'popularity', 'long-running')
- direction (optional string): Sort direction ('asc', 'desc')
- per_page (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
- page (optional number): Page number
Returns: Array of pull request details

create_pull_request_review

Create a review on a pull request
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
- body (string): Review comment text
- event (string): Review action ('APPROVE', 'REQUEST_CHANGES', 'COMMENT')
- commit_id (optional string): SHA of commit to review
- comments (optional array): Line-specific comments, each with:
  - path (string): File path
  - position (number): Line position in diff
  - body (string): Comment text
Returns: Created review details

merge_pull_request

Merge a pull request
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
- commit_title (optional string): Title for merge commit
- commit_message (optional string): Extra detail for merge commit
- merge_method (optional string): Merge method ('merge', 'squash', 'rebase')
Returns: Merge result details

get_pull_request_files

Get the list of files changed in a pull request
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
Returns: Array of changed files with patch and status details

get_pull_request_status

Get the combined status of all status checks for a pull request
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
Returns: Combined status check results and individual check details

update_pull_request_branch

Update a pull request branch with the latest changes from the base branch (equivalent to GitHub's "Update branch" button)
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
- expected_head_sha (optional string): The expected SHA of the pull request's HEAD ref
Returns: Success message when branch is updated

get_pull_request_comments

Get the review comments on a pull request
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
Returns: Array of pull request review comments with details like the comment text, author, and location in the diff

get_pull_request_reviews

Get the reviews on a pull request
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner
- repo (string): Repository name
- pull_number (number): Pull request number
Returns: Array of pull request reviews with details like the review state (APPROVED, CHANGES_REQUESTED, etc.), reviewer, and review body

create_project

Create a new project in a GitHub repository
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
- repo (string): Repository name
- name (string): Name of the project
- body (optional string): Description of the project
Returns: Created project details

get_project

Get details about a specific project
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
- repo (string): Repository name
- project_number (number): The project number
Returns: Project details

update_project

Update an existing project's details
Inputs:
- project_id (number): The unique identifier of the project
- name (optional string): New name of the project
- body (optional string): New description of the project
- state (optional string): State of the project ('open' or 'closed')
Returns: Updated project details

list_projects

List all projects in a GitHub repository
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
- repo (string): Repository name
- state (optional string): Filter projects by state ('open', 'closed', 'all')
- page (optional number): Page number for pagination (starts at 1)
- per_page (optional number): Number of results per page (max 100)
Returns: Array of project details

create_project_column

Create a new column in a project
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
- repo (string): Repository name
- project_number (number): The project number
- name (string): Name of the column
Returns: Created column details

list_project_columns

List all columns in a project
Inputs:
- project_id (number): The unique identifier of the project
- page (optional number): Page number for pagination (starts at 1)
- per_page (optional number): Number of results per page (max 100)
Returns: Array of project column details

update_project_column

Update an existing project column
Inputs:
- column_id (number): The unique identifier of the column
- name (string): New name of the column
Returns: Updated column details

delete_project_column

Delete a project column
Inputs:
- column_id (number): The unique identifier of the column
Returns: Success message

add_card_to_column

Add a new card to a project column
Inputs:
- owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
- repo (string): Repository name
- column_id (string): The ID of the column to add card to
- content_type (string): Type of content for the card ('Issue', 'PullRequest', 'Note')
- content_id (optional number): ID of the issue or pull request (required if content_type is Issue or PullRequest)
- note (optional string): The note content for the card (required if content_type is Note)
Returns: Created card details

list_column_cards

List all cards in a project column
Inputs:
- column_id (number): The unique identifier of the column
- archived_state (optional string): Filter by card archived state ('all', 'archived', 'not_archived')
- page (optional number): Page number for pagination (starts at 1)
- per_page (optional number): Number of results per page (max 100)
Returns: Array of card details

move_card

Move a card to a different position or column
Inputs:
- card_id (number): The unique identifier of the card
- position (string): The position of the card ('top', 'bottom', or 'after:')
- column_id (optional number): The column ID to move the card to
Returns: Success message

delete_card

Delete a card from a project
Inputs:
- card_id (number): The unique identifier of the card
Returns: Success message

list_organization_projects

List all projects in a GitHub organization (at organization level, not repository level)
Inputs:
- org (string): Organization name
- state (optional string): Filter projects by state ('open', 'closed', 'all')
- page (optional number): Page number for pagination
- per_page (optional number): Number of results per page (max 100)
Returns: Array of organization project details

Projects V2 Tools (GitHub's New Projects Experience)

list_organization_projects_v2

List projects V2 in a GitHub organization using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- org (string): Organization name
- first (optional number): Number of projects to fetch (max 100)
- after (optional string): Cursor for pagination
- orderBy (optional object): How to order the projects
Returns: Array of projects with pagination info

get_project_v2

Get details of a GitHub project V2 using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- id (string): The node ID of the project
Returns: Detailed project information including fields and views

create_project_v2

Create a new GitHub project V2 using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- ownerId (string): The node ID of the organization or user
- title (string): Title of the project
- description (optional string): Description of the project
Returns: Created project details

update_project_v2

Update a GitHub project V2 using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- projectId (string): The node ID of the project
- title (optional string): New title for the project
- description (optional string): New description for the project
- closed (optional boolean): Whether to close the project
Returns: Updated project details

add_item_to_project_v2

Add an issue or pull request to a GitHub project V2 using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- projectId (string): The node ID of the project
- contentId (string): The node ID of the issue or pull request to add
Returns: Added item details

list_project_v2_items

List items in a GitHub project V2 using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- projectId (string): The node ID of the project
- first (optional number): Number of items to fetch (max 100)
- after (optional string): Cursor for pagination
- filterBy (optional object): Filters for the items
Returns: Array of project items with their field values

update_project_v2_item_field

Update a field value for an item in a GitHub project V2 using GraphQL API
Inputs:
- projectId (string): The node ID of the project
- itemId (string): The node ID of the item
- fieldId (string): The node ID of the field
- value (any): The new value for the field
Returns: Updated item details

Project Management Notes

Deprecation Warning: GitHub has announced that Projects (classic) is being deprecated in favor of the new Projects experience. Tools 27-39 work with the classic version of Projects, which may be removed in the future. For the new GitHub Projects experience, use tools 40-46 instead.

Search Query Syntax

Code Search

language:javascript: Search by programming language
repo:owner/name: Search in specific repository
path:app/src: Search in specific path
extension:js: Search by file extension
Example: q: "import express" language:typescript path:src/

Issues Search

is:issue or is:pr: Filter by type
is:open or is:closed: Filter by state
label:bug: Search by label
author:username: Search by author
Example: q: "memory leak" is:issue is:open label:bug

Users Search

type:user or type:org: Filter by account type
followers:>1000: Filter by followers
location:London: Search by location
Example: q: "fullstack developer" location:London followers:>100

For detailed search syntax, see GitHub's searching documentation.

Setup

Personal Access Token

Create a GitHub Personal Access Token with appropriate permissions:

Go to Personal access tokens (in GitHub Settings > Developer settings)
Select which repositories you'd like this token to have access to (Public, All, or Select)
Create a token with the repo scope ("Full control of private repositories")
- Alternatively, if working only with public repositories, select only the public_repo scope
- For using the Projects V2 tools, make sure to include the project scope as well
Copy the generated token

Usage with Claude Desktop

To use this with Claude Desktop, add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:

Docker

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "ghcr.io/tuanle96/mcp-github"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

NPX

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

Build

Docker build:

docker build -t mcp/github -f src/github/Dockerfile .

License

This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.

GitHub MCP Server

Integrations

GitHub MCP Server

Features

Tools

Projects V2 Tools (GitHub's New Projects Experience)

Project Management Notes

Search Query Syntax

Code Search

Issues Search

Users Search

Setup

Personal Access Token

Usage with Claude Desktop

Docker

NPX

Build

License

Appeared in Searches