Does it require a GitHub token?

Yes. Set GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN in your environment. Prefer a fine-grained token scoped to the specific repos you want the agent to touch — classic tokens give the agent every permission on your account.

Can it create and merge pull requests?

Yes. It supports the full PR lifecycle: create, review, comment, update, merge, and close. Merges respect the repo's branch-protection rules, so required reviews and status checks still apply.

Is this the official GitHub MCP?

Yes — it is maintained by GitHub at github/github-mcp-server. A couple of third-party GitHub MCPs exist, but unless you need a specific patch the official one is the right default and gets new endpoints first.

What scopes should my token have?

For read-only code exploration: `public_repo` plus `read:org` if you need private repos. For issue and PR work add `repo`. For the GraphQL Projects v2 API add `project`. Start minimal and expand when the agent reports a 403.

Can the agent push directly to main?

Only if your token has write access and the branch is unprotected. For agent use, protect main with required reviews or required checks and let the MCP open PRs instead. That keeps every agent change auditable.

Does it work on GitHub Enterprise Server?

Yes. Set the `GITHUB_HOST` environment variable to your Enterprise Server URL (e.g. `https://github.mycompany.com`) alongside the token. The server routes API calls to that host instead of github.com.

GitHub

Name: Top MCPs — curated MCP directory
Creator: Top MCPs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Official

Full GitHub API access: repos, PRs, issues, and code search.

Score 90(?)GitHubMIT 29kVerified May 31, 2026Top MCPs for Git & Repo Workflows →

View on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Provides access to GitHub repositories, issues, pull requests, commits, branches, and code search via the GitHub REST and GraphQL APIs.

Best for

Automated issue creation
PR review and management
Code search across repos
Repository browsing

Not for

GitLab or Bitbucket workflows
Fully local git-only setups

Setup recipe

1
Install
No install snippet available yet — see the project’s README for setup instructions.
2
Set required secrets
Set GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.
3
Try a minimum working prompt
Open a draft PR that adds a CI-status README badge
On github.com/<owner>/<repo>, open a draft pull request from a new branch `readme-badge` that adds a GitHub Actions status badge for the `ci.yml` workflow to the top of README.md. Link the badge to the Actions tab. Do not merge — leave it as draft for me to review.
Tested with: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor.

Tools & permissions

Tool	Description	Args	Side effects
`get_file_contents`	Read a file from a repo at a given path and ref.	owner: string, repo: string, path: string, ref?: string	Read
`search_repositories`	Search public and accessible repositories.	query: string	Read
`search_code`	Search code across GitHub.	q: string	Read
`create_or_update_file`	Commit a single file change to a branch.	owner: string, repo: string, path: string, content: string, message: string, branch: string	Write
`create_issue`	Open a new issue on a repo.	owner: string, repo: string, title: string, body?: string	Write
`create_pull_request`	Open a pull request.	owner: string, repo: string, title: string, head: string, base: string	Write
`merge_pull_request`	Merge an open PR that passes branch protection.	owner: string, repo: string, pull_number: number	Write
`list_issues`	List issues on a repo with filters.	owner: string, repo: string	Read
`create_branch`	Create a new branch from a base ref.	owner: string, repo: string, branch: string, from_branch?: string	Write

Security & scope

Access scope: Read + write
Sandbox: Authenticates to the GitHub API using the token in `GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN`. The blast radius equals the token scope — the MCP has whatever repo, issue, PR, and admin permissions the token grants.
Gotchas: Classic tokens grant every permission on the account — prefer fine-grained tokens scoped to the specific repos you want the agent to touch.
Branch-protection rules still apply; unprotected branches let an agent push directly to default branches.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.

Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.

Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. git & repo workflows work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-git-repo-workflows

Compare GitHub against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.

Compare GitHub MCP vs [GitLab MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/github
- top-mcps.com listing for GitLab

Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.

Install the GitHub MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/github (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/github.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

May 31, 2026
Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.
Dec 1, 2024
Initial directory listing.

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Compared with GitHub

Side-by-side breakdowns for the choices people most often weigh against this MCP.

GitHubvsFilesystem GitHubvsGitLab GitHubvsGit GitHubvsSlack

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