GitHub

This is GitHub’s own first-party MCP server, connecting an agent directly to GitHub’s platform rather than relying on shelled-out git/gh commands. Out of the box it exposes context, repositories, issues, pull requests, and users; more than twenty additional configurable toolsets cover Actions, code security scanning, Dependabot alerts, and project management on top of that.

Authentication is a personal access token passed via GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN — scope it to only the toolsets you actually enable, since a broad token combined with a broad toolset selection gives an agent a lot of reach over your repositories. An OAuth device-flow login is also available as an alternative for interactive setups, keeping the token in memory only. GITHUB_HOST redirects the server at a GitHub Enterprise Server or Enterprise Cloud instance instead of github.com.

The recommended way to run it is the published Docker image, though a native Go binary is also available if you’d rather build from source. It’s documented as compatible with essentially every major MCP client — Claude Desktop, Claude Code CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and more — making it one of the most broadly supported servers in the ecosystem.