github-mcp

A comprehensive GitHub MCP server with OAuth Device Flow authentication and 327 endpoint coverage.

Features

• 327 GitHub API endpoints as MCP tools (vs ~50 in official server)
• OAuth Device Flow - No PAT management, just authenticate in browser
• OS Keychain storage - Secure token storage via keytar
• Real-time webhooks - GitHub events as MCP resources via smee.io
• npx installable - No Docker required

Quick Start

npx github-mcp

On first run:

1. Opens browser to github.com/login/device
2. Enter the displayed code
3. Token stored securely in OS keychain
4. MCP server starts with all tools available

Installation

npm install -g github-mcp

Or run directly:

npx github-mcp

Usage

As MCP Server

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@ldraney/github-mcp", "--preset", "core"]
    }
  }
}

For security-focused work:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@ldraney/github-mcp", "--preset", "security"]
    }
  }
}

CLI Commands

# Start server (default)
github-mcp

# Auth commands
github-mcp auth login    # Trigger OAuth flow
github-mcp auth logout   # Remove stored token
github-mcp auth status   # Check auth status

# With environment token (skips OAuth)
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxx github-mcp

Presets

Claude Desktop has a ~100 tool limit. Use presets to load only what you need:

github-mcp --preset core        # Daily dev work (~109 tools)
github-mcp --preset security    # Security audits (~38 tools)
github-mcp --preset org-admin   # Org management (~92 tools)
github-mcp --preset cicd        # CI/CD automation (~71 tools)
github-mcp --preset full        # All 327 tools (Claude Code only)

Preset	Categories	Use Case
core (default)	repos, issues, pulls, search, users, actions, gists	Daily development
security	dependabot, secretScanning, codeScanning, codeSecurity, securityAdvisories	Security audits
org-admin	orgs, teams, projects, activity, users, apps	Organization management
cicd	actions, checks, repos, packages	CI/CD pipelines
full	all 33 categories	Claude Code with tool search

List presets: github-mcp --list-presets

Override with custom categories: github-mcp --categories repos,issues,pulls

Available Tools

Tools are organized by GitHub API category:

Category	Examples
github_repos_*	list, get, create, delete
github_issues_*	list, get, create, update, comment
github_pulls_*	list, get, create, merge, review
github_users_*	get, list, followers
github_actions_*	workflows, runs, jobs
github_gists_*	list, get, create
...	33 categories total

Webhook Events

When webhooks are configured, events appear as MCP resources:

github://webhooks/push
github://webhooks/pull_request
github://webhooks/issues

Setting Up Webhooks

1. Server generates a smee.io channel on first run
2. Add the channel URL as a webhook in your repo settings
3. Events stream to the MCP server in real-time

Configuration

Environment variables:

Variable	Description	Required
GITHUB_TOKEN	Skip OAuth, use this token	No
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID	OAuth App client ID	For OAuth
SMEE_URL	Custom smee.io channel	No

Comparison with Official GitHub MCP

Feature	Official (Go)	github-mcp
Endpoints	~50	327
Auth	PAT only	OAuth Device Flow
Webhooks	No	Yes (smee.io)
Install	Docker	npx
Token Storage	Manual	OS Keychain

Development

git clone https://github.com/ldraney/github-mcp.git
cd github-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm start

Contact

• LinkedIn
• GitHub Issues

License

MIT