About mcp-github-cli
mcp-github-cli is an MCP server for working with GitHub through the GitHub CLI and GitHub GraphQL and REST APIs. It serves users who need to inspect or maintain repositories from an MCP client, with tools for profiles, repositories, issues, pull requests, and custom API requests.
Key features
- 01Retrieve authenticated user information
- 02Get repository, user, and contributor details
- 03Query issues and pull requests
- 04Search repositories and read file contents
- 05Create issues and pull requests
- 06Run custom GraphQL and REST requests
Use cases
- 01Inspect repository details, branches, and commits
- 02Review issue and pull request status
- 03Create issues or pull requests from an MCP client
MCP support
The MCP server provides tools for GitHub GraphQL and REST APIs through the GitHub CLI. It requires `gh` to be installed and authenticated before use.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEmcp-github-cli
MCP server that provides focused GraphQL and REST API tools for interacting with GitHub. This server offers a streamlined set of powerful tools that leverage GitHub's APIs to provide rich data and functionality.
Usage
uvx mcp-github-cli
Will run from PyPI. This can be used in goose or claude.
Prerequisites
-
Install the GitHub CLI (
gh) if not already installed:- macOS:
brew install gh - Linux:
sudo apt install gh - Windows:
winget install GitHub.cli
- macOS:
-
Authenticate with GitHub:
gh auth login
Test
uv run python main.py --test
This will run a comprehensive test suite that verifies:
- Authentication status with GitHub
- User information retrieval (gh_get_me)
- GraphQL query functionality (viewer info)
- REST API repository search
- GraphQL repository information retrieval
- REST API branch listing
The test output provides a good demonstration of the capabilities of the different tools.
Usage from source
Running from CLI (Goose, or to try it)
uv --directory /path/to/mcp-github-cli run python main.py
Features
This MCP server focuses on providing powerful, focused tools that leverage GitHub's GraphQL and REST APIs:
User Information
gh_get_me(): Get detailed information about the authenticated user
GraphQL Tools
GraphQL tools provide rich, nested data in a single request:
gh_graphql_repo_info(owner_repo): Get comprehensive repository informationgh_graphql_user_profile(username): Get detailed user profile datagh_graphql_pull_requests(owner_repo, limit, state): Get pull requests with reviewers and statusgh_graphql_issues(owner_repo, limit, state, labels): Get issues with comments and labelsgh_graphql_repo_contributors(owner_repo, limit): Get repository contributors and their commitsgh_custom_graphql(query, variables): Execute a custom GraphQL query
REST API Tools
REST tools provide specific functionality for common operations:
gh_rest_search_repos(query, limit): Search for repositoriesgh_rest_repo_contents(owner_repo, path, ref): Get repository contentsgh_rest_create_issue(owner_repo, title, body, labels): Create an issuegh_rest_create_pr(owner_repo, title, body, head, base, draft): Create a pull requestgh_rest_branches(owner_repo): List repository branchesgh_rest_commits(owner_repo, branch, limit): List repository commitsgh_rest_api(endpoint, method, data, query_params): Execute a custom REST API request
Examples
Here are examples of using these tools:
User Information
# Get authenticated user information
gh_get_me()
GraphQL Examples
# Get repository information
gh_graphql_repo_info("block/goose")
# Get user profile
gh_graphql_user_profile("octocat")
# Get open pull requests
gh_graphql_pull_requests("block/goose", 5, "OPEN")
# Get issues with specific labels
gh_graphql_issues("block/goose", 10, "OPEN", ["bug", "help wanted"])
# Custom GraphQL query
gh_custom_graphql("""
query {
viewer {
login
name
}
}
""")
REST API Examples
# Search for repositories
gh_rest_search_repos("language:python stars:>1000", 5)
# Get file contents
gh_rest_repo_contents("block/goose", "README.md")
# Create an issue
gh_rest_create_issue("your-username/your-repo", "Bug report", "There's a bug", ["bug"])
# List branches
gh_rest_branches("block/goose")
# Custom REST API request
gh_rest_api("repos/block/goose", "GET", query_params={"sort": "updated"})
Building and Publishing
- Update version in
pyproject.toml:
[project]
version = "x.y.z" # Update this
- Build the package:
# Clean previous builds
rm -rf dist/*
# Or build in a clean environment using uv
uv venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install build
python -m build
- Publish to PyPI:
# Install twine if needed
uv pip install twine
# Upload to PyPI
python -m twine upload dist/*
License
MIT
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