The GitHub MCP server is GitHub's official server that lets Claude work with GitHub repos, issues, pull requests, and more. You can connect it two ways — remote (GitHub-hosted) or local (Docker). (Note: the GitHub Actions flow that auto-reviews PRs when you mention @claude is separate and is covered in the GitHub Actions guide.)
What you can do
It provides tools for browsing repos, viewing and creating issues and PRs, and searching code. Features are grouped into "toolsets," so you can enable only what you need (the actual tools depend on the toolsets you turn on).
Option 1 — Remote GitHub MCP server (simple)
This server is hosted by GitHub. The URL is https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/; add it in a host that supports remote MCP (for example, Claude Desktop) and sign in to GitHub with OAuth. In Claude (web/desktop), add this URL as a custom connector — see How to connect.
Option 2 — Local GitHub MCP server (Docker)
This runs the server yourself with Docker. It needs a GitHub personal access token (PAT), passed via the GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable. A claude_desktop_config.json example:
{
"mcpServers": {
"github": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-e",
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
"ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_GITHUB_PAT>"
}
}
}
}Issue the token with the least privileges needed and keep it from being exposed.
In Claude Code
Register it with claude mcp add — see Claude Code MCP setup for details.
Try it
Ask things like "summarize the open issues in this repo" or "highlight the review points in the latest PR," and Claude will ask to approve, then work in GitHub.
Staying safe · troubleshooting
Keep the token and its scope minimal (MCP connector security). If the server does not appear or errors out, see the troubleshooting guide.
Related
For auto-review with @claude on PRs see GitHub Actions integration; for other servers see Filesystem server and recommended servers; for the full map see the connector & MCP catalog, and to build your own see Build your own MCP server. The official source is github/github-mcp-server.