# GitHub — MCP Server

> Drive GitHub repos, PRs and issues with an AI agent.

**Source:** https://mcpplaygroundonline.com/mcp-servers/github  
**Transport:** http  
**Requires auth:** Yes

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## What it does

GitHub publishes a hosted MCP server (api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/) that exposes the GitHub REST and GraphQL APIs as MCP tools. Models can list repos, read files at a ref, search code across an org, fetch and comment on pull requests, triage issues, inspect Actions workflows and more. You authenticate with a fine-grained or classic personal access token scoped to the repos you want the agent to touch. Because it is hosted, there is nothing to install — paste the URL and a token into any MCP client to start.

## Tools exposed

- list_repositories — list repos for a user or org
- get_file_contents — read a file at a ref (branch, tag or SHA)
- search_code — code search across an org or specific repos
- list_pull_requests / get_pull_request — read PRs and diffs
- list_issues / create_issue / add_comment — triage and respond
- list_workflow_runs — inspect GitHub Actions runs

## Example queries you can run

- "List open pull requests on this repo and flag any that look stale."
- "Summarise the last 5 merged PRs and what areas of the codebase they touched."
- "What files changed in PR #42 and are there any obvious risks?"
- "Find issues labelled "bug" that have not been updated in 30 days."

## Details

- **Recommended model:** anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5 — Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads on code-heavy reasoning and PR review. GPT-5.2 is a strong alternative for general repo Q&A; Haiku for cheap bulk triage.
- **Transport:** http
- **Authentication:** Required — GitHub personal access token (fine-grained or classic) with the repo scopes you need. Generate one at github.com/settings/tokens.
- **Hosted endpoint:** https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/
- **Official source:** [github/github-mcp-server on GitHub](https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the GitHub MCP server?

It is an MCP-compatible server, hosted by GitHub at api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/, that exposes the GitHub API as tools an AI model can call. It lets models read repos, review pull requests, search code and manage issues without bespoke integrations.

### Is the GitHub MCP server free?

The MCP server itself is free to use with any GitHub account. You authenticate with a personal access token. AI model usage is billed separately by your model provider (or by MCP Agent Studio if you use the in-browser credits).

### What permissions do I need?

Create a fine-grained personal access token with read access to the repos you want to query. Add write access only if you want the agent to create issues, comments or PRs. Avoid scoping more than you need.

### Can I use the GitHub MCP server with Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor?

Yes. Any MCP-compatible client works — Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, and browser tools like MCP Agent Studio. Paste the URL https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ and your token into the client.

### How is this different from GitHub Copilot Chat?

Copilot Chat is a closed product tied to GitHub-hosted models. The MCP server is an open protocol you can drive from any model — Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek — and it returns structured tool results, not natural-language answers.

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_Test this server across 40+ models on MCP Playground: https://mcpplaygroundonline.com/mcp-servers/github — free, no install._