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@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ Alternatively, to manually configure VS Code, choose the appropriate JSON block
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</table>
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### Install in other MCP hosts
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-**[GitHub Copilot in other IDEs](/docs/installation-guides/install-other-copilot-ides.md)** - Installation for JetBrains, Visual Studio, Eclipse, and Xcode with GitHub Copilot
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-**[Claude Applications](/docs/installation-guides/install-claude.md)** - Installation guide for Claude Desktop and Claude Code CLI
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-**[Codex](/docs/installation-guides/install-codex.md)** - Installation guide for Open AI Codex
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GitHub Enterprise Cloud can also make use of the remote server.
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Example for `https://octocorp.ghe.com` with GitHub PAT token:
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```
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{
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...
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<details><summary><b>Handling PATs Securely</b></summary>
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### Environment Variables (Recommended)
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To keep your GitHub PAT secure and reusable across different MCP hosts:
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1.**Store your PAT in environment variables**
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```bash
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export GITHUB_PAT=your_token_here
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```
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Or create a `.env` file:
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```env
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GITHUB_PAT=your_token_here
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```
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2.**Protect your `.env` file**
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```bash
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# Add to .gitignore to prevent accidental commits
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echo".env">> .gitignore
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```
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3.**Reference the token in configurations**
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```bash
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# CLI usage
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claude mcp update github -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=$GITHUB_PAT
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-**Regular rotation**: Update tokens periodically
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-**Never commit**: Keep tokens out of version control
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-**File permissions**: Restrict access to config files containing tokens
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```bash
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chmod 600 ~/.your-app/config.json
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```
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- For GitHub Enterprise Server, prefix the hostname with the `https://` URI scheme, as it otherwise defaults to `http://`, which GitHub Enterprise Server does not support.
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- For GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency, use `https://YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com` as the hostname.
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```json
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"github": {
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"command": "docker",
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}
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```
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### CLI utilities
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The `github-mcp-server` binary includes a few CLI subcommands that are helpful for debugging and exploring the server.
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-`github-mcp-server tool-search "<query>"` searches tools by name, description, and input parameter names. Use `--max-results` to return more matches.
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Example:
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```bash
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docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server tool-search "issue" --max-results 5
The GitHub MCP Server supports enabling or disabling specific groups of functionalities via the `--toolsets` flag. This allows you to control which GitHub API capabilities are available to your AI tools. Enabling only the toolsets that you need can help the LLM with tool choice and reduce the context size.
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This registers `get_file_contents` plus the dynamic toolset tools (`enable_toolset`, `list_available_toolsets`, `get_toolset_tools`).
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**Important Notes:**
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- Tools, toolsets, and dynamic toolsets can all be used together
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- Read-only mode takes priority: write tools are skipped if `--read-only` is set, even if explicitly requested via `--tools`
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- Tool names must match exactly (e.g., `get_file_contents`, not `getFileContents`). Invalid tool names will cause the server to fail at startup with an error message
The default toolset `default` is the configuration that gets passed to the server if no toolsets are specified.
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The default configuration is:
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- context
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- repos
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- issues
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<summary>Copilot</summary>
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-**create_pull_request_with_copilot** - Perform task with GitHub Copilot coding agent
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-`owner`: Repository owner. You can guess the owner, but confirm it with the user before proceeding. (string, required)
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-`repo`: Repository name. You can guess the repository name, but confirm it with the user before proceeding. (string, required)
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-`problem_statement`: Detailed description of the task to be performed (e.g., 'Implement a feature that does X', 'Fix bug Y', etc.) (string, required)
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-`title`: Title for the pull request that will be created (string, required)
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-`base_ref`: Git reference (e.g., branch) that the agent will start its work from. If not specified, defaults to the repository's default branch (string, optional)
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-**create_pull_request_with_copilot** - Perform task with GitHub Copilot coding agent
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-`owner`: Repository owner. You can guess the owner, but confirm it with the user before proceeding. (string, required)
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-`repo`: Repository name. You can guess the repository name, but confirm it with the user before proceeding. (string, required)
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-`problem_statement`: Detailed description of the task to be performed (e.g., 'Implement a feature that does X', 'Fix bug Y', etc.) (string, required)
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-`title`: Title for the pull request that will be created (string, required)
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-`base_ref`: Git reference (e.g., branch) that the agent will start its work from. If not specified, defaults to the repository's default branch (string, optional)
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</details>
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<details>
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<summary>Copilot Spaces</summary>
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-**get_copilot_space** - Get Copilot Space
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-`owner`: The owner of the space. (string, required)
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-`name`: The name of the space. (string, required)
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-**get_copilot_space** - Get Copilot Space
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-`owner`: The owner of the space. (string, required)
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-`name`: The name of the space. (string, required)
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-**list_copilot_spaces** - List Copilot Spaces
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-**list_copilot_spaces** - List Copilot Spaces
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</details>
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<details>
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<summary>GitHub Support Docs Search</summary>
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-**github_support_docs_search** - Retrieve documentation relevant to answer GitHub product and support questions. Support topics include: GitHub Actions Workflows, Authentication, GitHub Support Inquiries, Pull Request Practices, Repository Maintenance, GitHub Pages, GitHub Packages, GitHub Discussions, Copilot Spaces
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-`query`: Input from the user about the question they need answered. This is the latest raw unedited user message. You should ALWAYS leave the user message as it is, you should never modify it. (string, required)
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-**github_support_docs_search** - Retrieve documentation relevant to answer GitHub product and support questions. Support topics include: GitHub Actions Workflows, Authentication, GitHub Support Inquiries, Pull Request Practices, Repository Maintenance, GitHub Pages, GitHub Packages, GitHub Discussions, Copilot Spaces
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-`query`: Input from the user about the question they need answered. This is the latest raw unedited user message. You should ALWAYS leave the user message as it is, you should never modify it. (string, required)
![github-actions[bot]](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/15368?v=4&size=40){kind=avatar}
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