A model context protocol server for GitHub API
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. A model context protocol server for GitHub API.
Once Github is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:
Tools — 8. list_repositories_issues: List issues from a repositoryYou will need one environment variable: GITHUB_PERSONAL_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.
Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.
Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Github's toolset — Tools — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by ParasSolanki; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tools | 8. list_repositories_issues: List issues from a repository. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"github": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "github-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_personal_github_access_token"
}
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
Kill hallucinated APIs — version-accurate, up-to-date library documentation injected straight into context.
Microsoft's official browser automation server — drive a real browser through the accessibility tree, no screenshots needed.
GitHub's official server — repos, issues, pull requests, Actions and code security, straight from your assistant.
Issue tracking at the speed of conversation — Linear's official hosted server with OAuth and zero install.
Local repository surgery — status, diffs, commits, branches and history for any repo on disk.
Timezone sanity for AI — current time anywhere and correct conversions, without the model doing date math.