mazedur1056/github-mcp-server

GitHub MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates GitHub functionality with AI assistants like Cursor, enabling seamless interaction with your GitHub repositories, issues, pull requests, and more.

What is MCP Server?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standardized way for AI assistants to interact with external tools and services. This GitHub MCP Server acts as a bridge between your AI assistant and the GitHub API, allowing you to:

• Manage repositories directly from your AI chat
• Create and track issues without leaving your development environment
• Review pull requests and get insights on code changes
• Access file contents from any repository you have access to
• Perform GitHub operations using natural language commands

Features

This MCP server provides the following tools:

🗂️ Repository Management

• list_repositories - List repositories for the authenticated user
• get_repository - Get detailed information about a specific repository

🐛 Issue Management

• list_issues - List issues for a repository with filtering options
• create_issue - Create new issues with title, body, labels, and assignees

🔄 Pull Request Management

• list_pull_requests - List pull requests for a repository with state filtering

📄 File Operations

• get_file_content - Read file contents from any repository branch or commit

🔍 Advanced Filtering

• Filter by repository type (owner, member, all)
• Sort repositories by creation date, last update, or name
• Filter issues and PRs by state (open, closed, all)
• Apply label-based filtering for issues

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• A GitHub Personal Access Token
• Cursor IDE or another MCP-compatible AI assistant

Step 1: Clone and Setup

# Clone the repository
 git clone https://github.com/mazedur1056/github-mcp-server.git
 cd github-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

Step 2: GitHub Token Setup

1. Go to GitHub Settings > Personal Access Tokens
2. Click "Generate new token (classic)"
3. Select the following scopes:
   • repo (Full control of private repositories)
   • read:user (Read access to profile info)
   • read:org (Read access to organization info)
4. Copy the generated token

Step 3: Build and Test

# Build the TypeScript
npm run build

# Set your GitHub token
export GITHUB_TOKEN=your_github_token_here

# Start the server (runs the compiled JavaScript)
npm start

For Linux Only
Give execution permission before running

chmod +x server.ts

Or, for development (runs server.ts directly with tsx):

npm run dev

Step 4: Configure Cursor

Create or edit your MCP configuration file at one of these locations:

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/mcp.json

Linux:

~/.config/Cursor/User/globalStorage/mcp.json

or

~/.cursor/mcp.config

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage\mcp.json

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/your/github-mcp-server/dist/server.ts"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your_github_personal_access_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/your/github-mcp-server/dist/server.js with the actual absolute path to your built server file (after running npm run build).

Step 5: Restart Cursor

1. Completely quit Cursor
2. Restart Cursor
3. The GitHub MCP server should now be available

Testing the Installation

Once installed, you can test the integration by asking Cursor:

You must add your github token to the environment

export GITHUB_TOKEN="Your Github Token"

List my GitHub repositories

Show me the open issues in my project-name repository

Get the content of README.md from my repository-name

If configured correctly, Cursor will use the MCP server to fetch this information from GitHub.

Troubleshooting

"0 tools enabled" error

• Verify the absolute path in your MCP configuration
• Ensure the GitHub token has proper permissions
• Check that all dependencies are installed (npm install)
• Restart Cursor completely

Server not starting

• Verify Node.js version (18+)
• Check that GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable is set
• Run npm run dev or npm start directly to see error messages

Permission errors

• Ensure your GitHub token has the required scopes
• Verify you have access to the repositories you're trying to query

License

MIT