Github MCP Server

GitHub MCP Server with OAuth support for Issue management

Local serverstdioTypeScript

What is the Github MCP server?

Github MCP server exists for a simple reason — assistants are far more useful when they can act on Github directly instead of describing what you should do. GitHub MCP Server with OAuth support for Issue management.

What you get

A powerful GitHub automation tool that seamlessly connects AI assistants to your GitHub repositories

Setting it up

The server ships on npm as github-mcp, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

What the assistant can call

Once Github is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • Unauthenticated — 60 requests/hour
  • Authenticated — 5000 requests/hour

Configuration and credentials

You will need one environment variable: GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the github mcp server does with a few real requests.

Choosing this one

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Github's toolset — Unauthenticated, Authenticated — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by seeygo; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Github's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
Unauthenticated60 requests/hour
Authenticated5000 requests/hour

How to install the Github MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Github to Unauthenticated.
  • Use Github to Authenticated.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Github to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 2 tools (Unauthenticated, Authenticated) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Github directly.