GitHub MCP Server - Configuration Examples

This file contains various configuration examples for using the GitHub MCP Server with different MCP clients.

Environment Setup

First, create a GitHub Personal Access Token and set it as an environment variable:

export GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="ghp_YourTokenHere123456789"

Claude Desktop Configuration

macOS

Location: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows

Location: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Linux

Location: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/AiAssist/mcp-servers/github-mcp/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_YourTokenHere123456789"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code Configuration

Option 1: Workspace Configuration (.vscode/mcp.json)

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub Personal Access Token",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "${workspaceFolder}/mcp-servers/github-mcp/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: User Settings (Settings > Extensions > MCP)

Add to your User Settings JSON (Ctrl+Shift+P > "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"):

{
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "github_token",
        "description": "GitHub Personal Access Token",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "github": {
        "command": "node",
        "args": [
          "/absolute/path/to/AiAssist/mcp-servers/github-mcp/dist/index.js"
        ],
        "env": {
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Testing with MCP Inspector

The MCP Inspector is a useful tool for testing MCP servers:

# Install the inspector
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

# Run the inspector with your server
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node /absolute/path/to/AiAssist/mcp-servers/github-mcp/dist/index.js

Then open your browser to the URL shown (typically http://localhost:5173) to interact with the server.

Example Usage Scenarios

Scenario 1: Repository Management

// List your repositories
{
  "name": "list_repositories",
  "arguments": {
    "type": "owner",
    "sort": "updated",
    "per_page": 10
  }
}

// Search for repositories
{
  "name": "search_repositories",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "language:javascript stars:>100 topic:react"
  }
}

// Fork a repository
{
  "name": "fork_repository",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "facebook",
    "repo": "react"
  }
}

Scenario 2: File Management

// Read a file
{
  "name": "get_file_contents",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "path": "README.md"
  }
}

// Update a file
{
  "name": "create_or_update_file",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "path": "src/app.js",
    "content": "console.log('Hello, World!');",
    "message": "Update app.js",
    "branch": "main",
    "sha": "abc123def456..."
  }
}

// Push multiple files at once
{
  "name": "push_files",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "branch": "feature-branch",
    "message": "Add new features",
    "files": [
      {
        "path": "src/feature1.js",
        "content": "// Feature 1 code"
      },
      {
        "path": "src/feature2.js",
        "content": "// Feature 2 code"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Scenario 3: Pull Request Workflow

// 1. Create a branch
{
  "name": "create_branch",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "branch": "fix/bug-123",
    "from_branch": "main"
  }
}

// 2. Make changes (push files)
{
  "name": "push_files",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "branch": "fix/bug-123",
    "message": "Fix bug #123",
    "files": [
      {
        "path": "src/bugfix.js",
        "content": "// Fixed code"
      }
    ]
  }
}

// 3. Create pull request
{
  "name": "create_pull_request",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "title": "Fix: Bug #123",
    "body": "This PR fixes bug #123 by...",
    "head": "fix/bug-123",
    "base": "main"
  }
}

// 4. Review the pull request
{
  "name": "create_pull_request_review",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "pull_number": 1,
    "body": "Looks good to me!",
    "event": "APPROVE"
  }
}

// 5. Merge the pull request
{
  "name": "merge_pull_request",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "pull_number": 1,
    "merge_method": "squash"
  }
}

Scenario 4: Issue Management

// Create an issue
{
  "name": "create_issue",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "title": "Bug: Application crashes on startup",
    "body": "## Description\nThe application crashes when...\n\n## Steps to Reproduce\n1. ...\n2. ...",
    "labels": ["bug", "priority-high"],
    "assignees": ["username1"]
  }
}

// List open issues with specific label
{
  "name": "list_issues",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "state": "open",
    "labels": ["bug"],
    "sort": "created",
    "direction": "desc"
  }
}

// Add a comment to an issue
{
  "name": "add_issue_comment",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "issue_number": 42,
    "body": "I'm investigating this issue and will provide an update soon."
  }
}

// Close an issue
{
  "name": "update_issue",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "issue_number": 42,
    "state": "closed"
  }
}

Scenario 5: Release Management

// Create a release
{
  "name": "create_release",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
    "name": "Version 1.0.0",
    "body": "## What's New\n- Feature 1\n- Feature 2\n\n## Bug Fixes\n- Fix 1\n- Fix 2",
    "draft": false,
    "prerelease": false
  }
}

// List all releases
{
  "name": "list_releases",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo",
    "per_page": 10
  }
}

// Get the latest release
{
  "name": "get_latest_release",
  "arguments": {
    "owner": "your-username",
    "repo": "your-repo"
  }
}

Scenario 6: Code Search and Analysis

// Search for specific code patterns
{
  "name": "search_code",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "import React from language:javascript path:src/"
  }
}

// Search for security vulnerabilities
{
  "name": "search_code",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "eval( extension:js NOT path:test/"
  }
}

// Find all TODOs in the codebase
{
  "name": "search_code",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "TODO repo:your-username/your-repo"
  }
}

// Search for open pull requests by a specific author
{
  "name": "search_issues",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "is:pr is:open author:username repo:your-username/your-repo"
  }
}

Advanced Search Queries

Code Search

• addClass in:file language:javascript - Search for "addClass" in JavaScript files
• repo:owner/repo path:src/ extension:ts - Search TypeScript files in src directory
• "import express" language:typescript NOT path:node_modules - Find express imports excluding node_modules

Issue/PR Search

• is:issue is:open label:bug label:high-priority - Open bugs with high priority
• is:pr is:merged author:username created:>2024-01-01 - Merged PRs by user since 2024
• is:issue assignee:username state:open sort:updated-desc - Open issues assigned to user

User Search

• location:London followers:>100 language:javascript - JS developers in London with 100+ followers
• type:org repos:>50 - Organizations with more than 50 repositories

Environment Variables

You can set these environment variables for additional configuration:

# Required
export GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="your_token_here"

# Optional (defaults to https://api.github.com)
export GITHUB_API_BASE_URL="https://api.github.com"

Troubleshooting

Issue: "GitHub token is required"

Solution: Ensure the GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable is set correctly.

Issue: "Rate limit exceeded"

Solution: Wait for the rate limit to reset (time shown in error message) or use a different token.

Issue: "Permission denied"

Solution: Check that your token has the required scopes. For most operations, you need the repo scope.

Issue: Server not starting

Solution:

1. Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed: node --version
2. Check that the build succeeded: ls dist/index.js
3. Verify the path in your configuration is absolute and correct

Issue: "Resource not found"

Solution:

1. Verify repository owner and name are correct
2. Ensure your token has access to the repository
3. Check that the branch/file/issue exists

Security Best Practices

1. Never hardcode tokens in configuration files
2. Use environment variables or secure secret management
3. Scope tokens appropriately - only grant necessary permissions
4. Rotate tokens regularly - create new tokens periodically
5. Use separate tokens for different purposes/environments
6. Monitor token usage through GitHub settings
7. Revoke compromised tokens immediately

Additional Resources

• GitHub REST API Documentation
• GitHub Search Syntax
• Model Context Protocol Specification
• GitHub API Best Practices