About Integrate MCP with GitHub Copilot
This is a GitHub hands-on course that shows how to connect MCP servers to GitHub Copilot so it can use extra tools for issue and development work. It is aimed at developers who already use Copilot and takes under an hour.
Key features
- 01Introduces MCP basics
- 02Sets up a GitHub MCP server
- 03Connects to Copilot Agent Mode
- 04Uses Copilot to manage issues and open pull requests
Use cases
- 01Learning to use MCP servers with GitHub Copilot
- 02Having Copilot research similar projects and open issues
- 03Taking a feature from idea to pull request with Copilot
MCP support
The course shows how to configure a GitHub MCP server and connect it to Copilot Agent Mode so Copilot can call its tools.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
We haven’t collected a package or remote endpoint for this server. Follow the instructions in the project README.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEIntegrate MCP with GitHub Copilot
Learn how to give GitHub Copilot more tools to expand the capabilities of your development workflow. All in less than an hour!
Welcome
- Who is this for: Developers looking to enhance their AI-assisted workflows, GitHub Copilot users, and AI enthusiasts.
- What you'll learn: We'll introduce MCP basics, a GitHub MCP server setup, and integration with Copilot Agent Mode.
- What you'll build: A mixed development workflow that uses GitHub Copilot to manage issues while upgrading the extracurricular activities website for Mergington High School.
- Prerequisites: Getting Started with Copilot Exercise
- How long: This exercise takes less than one hour to complete.
In this exercise, you will:
- Integrate a GitHub MCP server with GitHub Copilot.
- Delegate Copilot to research similar projects and open issues.
- Ask Copilot to find an important issue and implement it from idea to pull request.
- Add comments to a recently closed issue.
How to start this exercise
Important
This exercise assumes basic knowledge of GitHub Copilot. If you are unfamiliar, we recommend the Getting Started with Copilot exercise.
Simply copy the exercise to your account, then give your favorite Octocat (Mona) about 20 seconds to prepare the first lesson, then refresh the page.
Having trouble? 🤷
When copying the exercise, we recommend the following settings:
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For owner, choose your personal account or an organization to host the repository.
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We recommend creating a public repository, since private repositories will use Actions minutes.
If the exercise isn't ready in 20 seconds, please check the Actions tab.
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Check to see if a job is running. Sometimes it simply takes a bit longer.
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If the page shows a failed job, please submit an issue. Nice, you found a bug! 🐛
© 2025 GitHub • Code of Conduct • MIT License
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.