@sumirati/mcp-github connects MCP clients to the GitHub REST API for repository and development workflows. Its five-tool surface discovers and runs a broad action catalog on demand, while keeping common file, repository, and commit operations directly available.
Key features
01On-demand discovery across 13 domains
02Repository, branch, and file operations
03Commit and pull request workflows
04Issues, Actions, and release management
05Read-only mode and output projection
Use cases
01Inspect repository files and commit diffs
02Manage pull requests and code reviews
03Check workflows and diagnose job failures
04Administer issues, releases, and repository settings
MCP support
This MCP server exposes five tools: two for discovering and executing catalog actions, plus direct file, repository, and commit access. The action catalog covers 83 GitHub operations, with optional read-only mode.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
GITHUB_EXPOSE_ALL_TOOLSSet to 'true' to expose all 83 tools directly instead of the 5-tool hybrid discovery mode
MCP_OUTPUT_FORMATDefault output format for tool responses ('markdown' or 'json')
Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Packages
npm@sumirati/mcp-github2.2.0stdio
Tools
5
Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
Parameter
Type
Required
Description
query
string
No
Search keyword query to match against action names, domains, or descriptions (e.g. 'pull request', 'issue comment', 'webhook', 'deploy', 'dependabot')
domain
enum
No
Optional domain filter to restrict discovery to a specific functional categoryrepositories | commits | pull-requests | issues | milestones | collaborators | variables | gists | actions | releases | security | webhooks | user
format
enum
Yes
Output format: 'json' (default, structured object) or 'markdown' (compact human/LLM-readable text table)json | markdown
Details
From the project README
GitHub MCP Server (@sumirati/mcp-github)
A modern, 2026 AI-native Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for GitHub REST API, engineered for autonomous AI agents and developer workflows.
What makes v2 Unique: The 2026 5-Tool Hybrid Standard
In early MCP servers, exposing 50–100+ eager tool definitions flooded every LLM turn with thousands of redundant schema tokens ("System Prompt Tax") and degraded reasoning coherence.
@sumirati/mcp-github solves this with a 5-Tool Hybrid Surface:
Glama TDQS Coherence Tier A (5/5): By exposing exactly 5 tools to the client, the server sits in the ideal 3–15 tool coherence sweet spot.
Ultra-Lean System Prompt Tax: Drops schema overhead from 23,112 tokens (92,447 B) down to 1,125 tokens (4,498 B) (95.1% reduction), preserving context windows and maximizing LLM prompt-cache hits.
Zero-Hop Hourly Drivers: The 3 operations developers and agents use constantly (get_file_contents, get_repository, get_commit) remain eager tools for instant zero-hop execution.
100% Platform Access on Demand: The entire platform surface of 83 actions across 13 domains is accessible on-demand via dynamic action discovery (github_find_actions $\rightarrow$ github_execute_action), delivering 91%–99% token savings with default high-density Markdown tables and summaries (format: "markdown" | "json").
Resilient Fallback: If an agent directly invokes any catalog action name (e.g. list_pull_requests), the server dynamically executes it with full input validation and projection.
Releases & Git Tags (releases, 5 actions): Release publishing, lightweight/annotated tag creation, and release asset inspection.
User, Organizations, Teams & Diagnostics (user, 7 actions): Authenticated user identity, organization inspection, team creation (create_team), accessible repositories, and API health/rate-limit diagnostics (system_health_check).
Search for repositories across GitHub or within an organization using query qualifiers (e.g. 'org:myorg language:typescript') with capped pagination (max 100). If owner and repository name are known, prefer 'get_repository' for exact O(1) lookup.
No
get_repository
Get repository metadata, visibility, description, default branch, clone URL, and statistics for an exact owner/repo. Use when verifying repository settings or checking default branch name.
No
create_repository
Create a new GitHub repository under the authenticated user account or a specified organization. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false. Auto-initializes with a default README commit unless auto_init is false.
Yes
get_file_contents
Read current file contents, extract symbol outlines ('outline_only: true'), slice line ranges, or list directory entries at a specified git ref. Automatically decodes Base64 into UTF-8. Use 'outline_only: true' first to inspect structure in ~50-100 tokens, then request specific line ranges.
No
create_or_update_file
Create a new file or overwrite an existing file on a branch in a single atomic commit. If updating, provide the file's current blob SHA in 'sha' (or leave empty to auto-resolve). Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
delete_file
Delete an existing file from a branch in a git commit. Requires the current blob SHA to guard against concurrent overwrites. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_branches
List branches in a repository with protection status and head commit SHAs. Supports upstream filtering by protected status and capped pagination (max 100). If branch name is already known, prefer 'get_branch'.
No
get_branch
Get detailed status of a specific branch, including branch protection rules and latest commit details. Use to verify branch existence or protection policies before merging or deleting.
No
get_branch_protection
Retrieve comprehensive branch protection rules for a specific Git branch, including required status checks, required reviews, admin enforcement, and force-push / deletion restrictions.
No
create_branch
Create a new git branch pointing to a commit SHA or branched from an existing branch (defaults to 'main'). Use before committing changes or opening a pull request. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
delete_branch
Delete a branch from a repository. Protected: explicitly rejects requests to delete the default branch (e.g. 'main') to prevent repository breakage. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
fork_repository
Fork a repository into the authenticated user's account or a specified organization namespace. Use when contributing to upstream projects where direct push access is restricted. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
3. Git Commits & Statuses (commits — 6 actions)
Action
Description
Mutating?
list_commits
List repository commit history chronologically with upstream filtering (sha, path, author, since, until) and capped pagination (max 100). For viewing actual line-by-line diffs of a commit, use get_commit instead.
No
get_commit
Get detailed commit metadata, file modification statistics, and unified diffs for a specific commit SHA or ref. Use when reviewing code changes in a commit or debugging regressions. Diffs are token-budget optimized and truncated at max_diff_lines (default: 400 lines).
No
create_commit
Create an atomic Git commit with multiple created, updated, or deleted files using the GitHub Git Trees API. Use when refactoring, applying multi-file code changes, or updating code and docs together. Avoids multiple individual single-file commits and does not require local git cloning. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
push_files
Alias for 'create_commit': atomically commit additions, modifications, or deletions to multiple files in a single Git commit via the GitHub Git Database API. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
get_commit_status
Get the combined status check state (pending, success, failure) and individual check runs for a commit SHA or branch ref.
No
create_commit_status
Set or update a commit status check (pending, success, failure, error) on a specific commit SHA. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
List and filter pull requests with upstream indexed parameters (state, head, base) and capped pagination (max 100). To inspect a known PR, prefer 'get_pull_request' with pull_number; for diffs, use get_pull_request_diff.
No
get_pull_request
Get detailed status of a specific pull request including mergeability (clean, dirty, unstable), head/base branch refs, author, and assignees. Use to check if a PR is ready to merge or blocked. Do NOT use to read code changes; use get_pull_request_diff instead.
No
get_pull_request_diff
Retrieve unified git diff for a pull request to review code modifications. Use this tool when analyzing code changes, reviewing patches, or preparing inline comments. Do NOT use for checking PR mergeability or metadata (use get_pull_request instead). Diffs are token-optimized and automatically truncated at max_lines (default: 400 lines) to prevent LLM context overflows.
No
create_pull_request
Create a new pull request from a head branch into a base branch. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false. The head branch must already exist and have at least one commit difference from the base branch.
Yes
update_pull_request
Update an existing pull request's title, body, open/closed state, or base branch. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
merge_pull_request
Merge a pull request into its base branch using merge, squash, or rebase method. Requires write/admin permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false. Ensure the PR mergeable state is clean before merging.
Yes
list_pull_request_comments
List inline code review comments anchored to specific diff lines of a pull request. Use when inspecting line-by-line review feedback. For overall PR review approvals or change requests, use list_pull_request_reviews instead.
No
create_pull_request_comment
Post an inline review comment anchored to a specific file and line number in the pull request. Requires commit_id, path, and line number in the file. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
create_pull_request_reply
Reply to an existing pull request review comment thread. Requires comment_id of the parent comment. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_pull_request_reviews
List formal code reviews (approvals, change requests, comment summaries) submitted on a pull request. Use to check reviewer decisions and approval gates before merging.
No
create_pull_request_review
Submit a formal code review on a pull request with an approval decision (APPROVE, REQUEST_CHANGES, or COMMENT) and optional summary body or inline comments. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
5. Issues & Labels (issues — 8 actions)
Action
Description
Mutating?
list_issues
Search and filter repository issue tickets with upstream indexed parameters (state, labels, assignee, creator, mentioned, milestone, since) and capped pagination (max 100). Filters out pull requests. If the issue number is already known, prefer 'get_issue' for exact O(1) lookup.
No
get_issue
Get full details of a specific issue ticket, including markdown body, assignees, milestone, state reason, and comment count. Use when investigating a bug report or reading issue specifications.
No
create_issue
Create a new issue ticket in a repository with optional labels, assignees, and milestone. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
update_issue
Update an existing issue's title, body, state ('open'/'closed'), state reason ('completed'/'not_planned'), labels, assignees, or milestone. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_issue_comments
List discussion comments on an issue ticket chronologically. Use to read conversation history, debugging updates, or user feedback on an issue.
No
create_issue_comment
Add a markdown comment to an issue ticket. Use to reply to discussions, log progress, or provide resolution details. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_labels
List all labels configured in a repository with their names, descriptions, and hex color codes. Use to discover available tags before creating or updating issues.
No
create_label
Create a new label in a repository with a name, description, and 6-character hex color code. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
6. Project Milestones (milestones — 4 actions)
Action
Description
Mutating?
list_milestones
List project milestones in a repository with open/closed issue counts and due dates. Use to monitor release roadmaps or locate milestone numbers before associating them with issues or PRs.
No
get_milestone
Get detailed status of a specific milestone, including title, open/closed issues count, creation date, and deadline. Use when reviewing milestone progress or inspecting milestone deadlines.
No
create_milestone
Create a new project milestone with a title, description, and optional due date. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
update_milestone
Update an existing milestone's title, description, state ('open'/'closed'), or due date. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
List collaborators who have access to a repository along with their assigned roles and permissions. Use to audit team access or check user memberships.
No
get_collaborator_permission
Check a specific user's exact permission level ('admin', 'maintain', 'write', 'triage', 'read', or 'none') on a repository. Use to verify authorization before attempting privileged operations.
No
add_collaborator
Add or invite a GitHub user to collaborate on a repository with a specified permission level. If the user is not an organization member, this sends a collaboration invitation. Requires admin permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
remove_collaborator
Remove a collaborator from a repository, revoking their direct access. Requires admin permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
List non-sensitive GitHub Actions configuration variables defined on a repository with their values and timestamps. Use for inspecting build environment parameters.
No
get_actions_variable
Get the plain text value and last updated timestamp of a specific GitHub Actions repository variable by name.
No
create_actions_variable
Create a non-sensitive configuration variable for GitHub Actions workflows. Requires write/admin permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false. For sensitive credentials, use repository secrets instead.
Yes
update_actions_variable
Update the value of an existing non-sensitive GitHub Actions configuration variable. Requires write/admin permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
delete_actions_variable
Delete a non-sensitive configuration variable from GitHub Actions. Requires write/admin permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_actions_secrets
List GitHub Actions repository secret names and timestamps. Behavioral safety: secret values are permanently masked by GitHub and never returned in plaintext.
No
9. Gists & Code Snippets (gists — 5 actions)
Action
Description
Mutating?
list_gists
List code snippets and gists owned by the authenticated user with file summaries. Use to locate code snippet IDs before reading or editing.
No
get_gist
Get full source code contents, files, and description of a specific GitHub gist by ID. Use to inspect standalone code snippets or configuration templates.
No
create_gist
Create a new public or secret GitHub gist with one or more files. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
update_gist
Update an existing gist's description or modify/rename/delete individual files within the gist. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
delete_gist
Permanently delete a gist by its identifier. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
List GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow files configured in a repository (.github/workflows). Use to discover workflow names and IDs before triggering or inspecting runs.
No
list_workflow_run_artifacts
List artifacts produced by a specific GitHub Actions workflow run, including file size, download archive URLs, and expiration timestamps. Use to discover generated build outputs, test logs, or release binaries.
No
get_workflow_run_artifact
Retrieve metadata and download archive URL for a specific GitHub Actions build artifact by its numeric artifact ID. Use when downloading build deliverables or inspecting individual artifacts.
No
list_workflow_runs
List workflow execution runs with status, conclusion ('success', 'failure'), triggering event, and commit SHA. Use to check CI/CD pipeline health or find run IDs.
No
get_workflow_run
Get detailed status, timing, and conclusion for a specific workflow execution run. Use when monitoring CI pipeline completion.
No
list_workflow_run_jobs
List all individual jobs and step breakdown within a workflow run. Use to identify which specific job or step failed during a build.
No
get_job_logs
Fetch plain text execution logs for an Actions job with smart failure extraction and ANSI stripping. Behavioral safety: scans for errors/panics to extract failure blocks and trims massive logs to preserve LLM token context.
No
trigger_workflow
Dispatch a workflow run on a branch or tag via workflow_dispatch event with custom inputs. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false. The target workflow file must define a workflow_dispatch trigger.
Yes
cancel_workflow_run
Cancel a queued or currently executing GitHub Actions workflow run. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
rerun_workflow
Re-execute all jobs in a completed or failed GitHub Actions workflow run. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
11. Releases & Git Tags (releases — 5 actions)
Action
Description
Mutating?
list_releases
List published and draft releases in a repository with release titles, asset download counts, and published dates. Use to check release history or download URLs.
No
get_release
Get full details of a specific release by tag name or numeric release ID, including changelog body and asset links.
No
create_release
Publish a formal GitHub release for a tag, with title, markdown release notes/changelog, and pre-release/draft flags. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_tags
List git tags in a repository with tag names and commit SHAs. Use to inspect available version tags before publishing a release.
No
create_tag
Create a git tag (lightweight reference or annotated tag object when message is provided) pointing to a specific commit SHA. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
12. User, Organizations & Teams (user — 7 actions)
Action
Description
Mutating?
system_health_check
Perform end-to-end connectivity, latency, rate limit quota, and permission diagnostics against the GitHub API. Verifies token validity, authenticated account details, remaining rate limits, and active read-only policy.
No
get_authenticated_user
Retrieve profile metadata (login, name, email, public_repos, followers) for the currently authenticated GitHub token. Use to verify token identity and scope.
No
get_user
Retrieve public profile information (login, name, company, bio, public_repos count) for any specified GitHub user by username.
No
list_user_organizations
List GitHub organizations that the authenticated user belongs to. Use to discover org namespaces for creating or querying repositories.
No
get_organization
Retrieve comprehensive details for a specific GitHub organization (name, description, email, blog, public/private repos). Use when verifying organization access or inspecting org settings.
No
create_team
Create a new team in a GitHub organization. Supports parent_team_id to establish nested child teams. Requires organization owner/admin privileges and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_accessible_repositories
List repositories accessible to the authenticated user (owned, collaborated on, or member of). Use to discover available repositories across accounts.
No
13. Webhooks & Topics (webhooks — 4 actions)
Action
Description
Mutating?
get_repository_topics
Get all topic tags associated with a GitHub repository. Use to inspect project categories and discoverability keywords.
No
set_repository_topics
Replace all topic tags on a repository with a new array of topic strings. Requires write permissions and GITHUB_READ_ONLY=false.
Yes
list_repository_webhooks
List configured event webhooks on a repository with target URLs, active status, and subscribed event triggers.
No
get_repository_webhook
Get detailed configuration of a specific repository webhook by ID, including delivery URL and subscribed events.
No
14. Security & Dependabot (security — 1 action)
Action
Description
Mutating?
list_dependabot_alerts
List Dependabot vulnerability alerts for a repository, including affected package, severity (critical, high, medium, low), and patch advisory.
Grounded strictly in official GitHub REST API (2022-11-28) response schemas (test/fixtures/github-api-v3-fixtures.js) and verified on every npm test run via node test/benchmark-test.js:
Operation
Raw GitHub API (2022-11-28)
Projected JSON (format: "json")
Default Markdown (format: "markdown")
Verified Reduction
System Prompt Tax (83 tools vs 5 hybrid tools)
23,112 tokens (92,447 B)
—
1,125 tokens (4,498 B)
95.1% savings
get_repository (1 repository)
1,321 tokens (5,283 B)
104 tokens (414 B)
85 tokens (340 B)
93.6% savings
list_issues (10 issues)
15,375 tokens (61,499 B)
1,567 tokens (6,267 B)
313 tokens (1,250 B)
98.0% savings
list_pull_requests (10 PRs with head/base repo)
46,536 tokens (186,141 B)
1,586 tokens (6,341 B)
330 tokens (1,317 B)
99.3% savings
list_workflow_runs (10 workflow runs)
14,957 tokens (59,826 B)
839 tokens (3,356 B)
212 tokens (846 B)
98.6% savings
get_file_contents (outline_only: true)
3,589 tokens (14,355 B)
331 tokens (1,323 B)
314 tokens (1,255 B)
91.3% savings
How Token Compression Works
System Prompt Tax Reduction (95.1% savings): Shrinks MCP ListTools schema footprint from 83 full tool schemas (23,112 tokens / 92,447 B) down to the 5-tool hybrid surface (1,125 tokens / 4,498 B).
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.