Add configurable server name and title via translation strings by Copilot · Pull Request #2159 · github/github-mcp-server

Copilot · 2026-03-06T08:57:28Z

Summary

Adds support for overriding the MCP server name and title fields in the initialization response via the existing translation string override mechanism, so users running multiple GitHub MCP Server instances can distinguish between them.

Why

When running multiple GitHub MCP Server instances (e.g., one for github.com and one for GitHub Enterprise Server), agents can get confused because all instances report the same name and title in the serverInfo field of the MCP initialization response. Making these fields configurable allows users to give each instance a unique identity.

What changed

Updated NewServer() to accept name and title parameters (with empty-string fallback to defaults) instead of hardcoded values
Updated NewMCPServer() to resolve name and title via cfg.Translator("SERVER_NAME", "github-mcp-server") and cfg.Translator("SERVER_TITLE", "GitHub MCP Server"), consistent with how all other user-visible strings (e.g. tool titles) are overridden
Added unit tests (TestNewServer_NameAndTitleViaTranslation) covering default values, custom name + title, and custom name only
Added documentation in README.md (i18n section) and docs/server-configuration.md

Users can now configure the server name and title via:

GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_NAME / GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TITLE environment variables
"SERVER_NAME" / "SERVER_TITLE" keys in github-mcp-server-config.json

MCP impact

No tool or API changes

Prompts tested (tool changes only)

N/A — no tool changes

Security / limits

No security or limits impact

Tool renaming

I am not renaming tools as part of this PR

Lint & tests

Linted locally with ./script/lint
Tested locally with ./script/test

Docs

README.md updated with SERVER_NAME/SERVER_TITLE override docs
docs/server-configuration.md updated with quick reference entry

Closes #2158

SamMorrowDrums · 2026-03-06T09:31:28Z

@copilot you can start now

Copilot · 2026-03-06T09:41:47Z

@copilot you can start now

Done! In commit 883579a I've added --server-name and --server-title flags (also configurable via GITHUB_SERVER_NAME and GITHUB_SERVER_TITLE environment variables) that override the name and title fields in the MCP server's initialization response. Both flags apply to stdio and HTTP server modes, with defaults of "github-mcp-server" and "GitHub MCP Server" when not set.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

golangci-lint.run
- Triggering command: /usr/bin/curl curl -sSfL REDACTED -buildid YACarFP6UQ6_EYJA9iFq/YACarFP6UQ6_EYJA9iFq -goversion go1.24.13 -c=4 -race -nolocalimports -importcfg /tmp/go-build240666041/b317/importcfg 8129�� x64/src/runtime/-errorsas -trimpath (dns block)
raw.ghe.example.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build240666041/b360/oauth.test /tmp/go-build240666041/b360/oauth.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build240666041/b360/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s /tmp/go-build240666041/b225/vet.cfg _.a d8BpzlMIc x64/pkg/tool/lingo1.24.13 -I cgo -I x64/pkg/tool/lin/tmp/go-build240666041/b186/vet.cfg ortc�� _.a x64/src/crypto/tls/alert.go ache/go/1.24.13/x64/pkg/tool/lin-o GXo0mpsAx /dev/null /tmp/ccDD93gl.s ache/go/1.24.13/-buildtags (dns block)
raw.mycompanygithub.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build240666041/b392/utils.test /tmp/go-build240666041/b392/utils.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build240666041/b392/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s /tmp/go-build240666041/b329/vet.cfg _.a 8129866/b170/ x64/pkg/tool/linux_amd64/compile--64 8129866/b174/ bug -dumpdir x64/pkg/tool/lin/tmp/go-build240666041/b262/vet.cfg 8129�� 3Htkjhy8B23z -I (dns block)
raw.myghe.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build240666041/b392/utils.test /tmp/go-build240666041/b392/utils.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build240666041/b392/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s /tmp/go-build240666041/b329/vet.cfg _.a 8129866/b170/ x64/pkg/tool/linux_amd64/compile--64 8129866/b174/ bug -dumpdir x64/pkg/tool/lin/tmp/go-build240666041/b262/vet.cfg 8129�� 3Htkjhy8B23z -I (dns block)
raw.notgithub.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build240666041/b392/utils.test /tmp/go-build240666041/b392/utils.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build240666041/b392/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s /tmp/go-build240666041/b329/vet.cfg _.a 8129866/b170/ x64/pkg/tool/linux_amd64/compile--64 8129866/b174/ bug -dumpdir x64/pkg/tool/lin/tmp/go-build240666041/b262/vet.cfg 8129�� 3Htkjhy8B23z -I (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

SamMorrowDrums · 2026-03-06T14:39:37Z

@copilot that sounds like it doesn't go through the translation strings handler, I asked you to use the same scheme for that. Not create new flags and enc. We already have a feature for overwriting for example tool titles.

Copilot · 2026-03-06T14:50:18Z

@copilot that sounds like it doesn't go through the translation strings handler, I asked you to use the same scheme for that. Not create new flags and enc. We already have a feature ...

Addressed in d417caa. The new CLI flags/struct fields have been removed. Instead, the server name and title are now resolved via the existing translation helper, exactly like tool titles:

GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_NAME env var (or "SERVER_NAME" in github-mcp-server-config.json)
GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TITLE env var (or "SERVER_TITLE" in github-mcp-server-config.json)

Defaults remain "github-mcp-server" and "GitHub MCP Server" when not set.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

raw.ghe.example.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build532434299/b360/oauth.test /tmp/go-build532434299/b360/oauth.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build532434299/b360/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s FhftMRwLLfpnpWTCFtHC/FhftMRwLLfpnpWTCFtHC -goversion go1.24.13 -c=4 -race -nolocalimports -importcfg /tmp/go-build532434299/b224/importcfg (dns block)
raw.mycompanygithub.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build532434299/b392/utils.test /tmp/go-build532434299/b392/utils.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build532434299/b392/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s Z2K_-s5uZNTggzO08Qlj/Z2K_-s5uZNTggzO08Qlj -goversion go1.24.13 -c=4 -race -nolocalimports -importcfg /tmp/go-build532434299/b326/importcfg (dns block)
raw.myghe.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build532434299/b392/utils.test /tmp/go-build532434299/b392/utils.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build532434299/b392/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s Z2K_-s5uZNTggzO08Qlj/Z2K_-s5uZNTggzO08Qlj -goversion go1.24.13 -c=4 -race -nolocalimports -importcfg /tmp/go-build532434299/b326/importcfg (dns block)
raw.notgithub.com
- Triggering command: /tmp/go-build532434299/b392/utils.test /tmp/go-build532434299/b392/utils.test -test.testlogfile=/tmp/go-build532434299/b392/testlog.txt -test.paniconexit0 -test.timeout=10m0s Z2K_-s5uZNTggzO08Qlj/Z2K_-s5uZNTggzO08Qlj -goversion go1.24.13 -c=4 -race -nolocalimports -importcfg /tmp/go-build532434299/b326/importcfg (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Allows users running multiple GitHub MCP Server instances (e.g., for github.com and GitHub Enterprise Server) to override the server name and title in the MCP initialization response. - Add --server-name / GITHUB_SERVER_NAME flag+env to override name - Add --server-title / GITHUB_SERVER_TITLE flag+env to override title - Defaults remain "github-mcp-server" and "GitHub MCP Server" - Applies to both stdio and HTTP server modes - Add tests for default and custom name/title Co-authored-by: SamMorrowDrums <4811358+SamMorrowDrums@users.noreply.github.com>

Instead of new CLI flags (--server-name, --server-title), reuse the existing string override mechanism that already supports tool title/ description overrides throughout the codebase. Users can now configure the server name and title via: - GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_NAME / GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TITLE env vars - "SERVER_NAME" / "SERVER_TITLE" keys in github-mcp-server-config.json This is consistent with how all other user-visible strings are overridden (e.g. GITHUB_MCP_TOOL_GET_ME_USER_TITLE). No new struct fields or CLI flags are needed. Co-authored-by: SamMorrowDrums <4811358+SamMorrowDrums@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

Adds support for overriding the MCP server name/title (as reported in initialize) using the existing translations override mechanism, and documents the new configuration knobs.

Changes:

Update server initialization to source name/title from translation overrides, with default fallbacks.
Add unit test coverage for overridden vs default server name/title.
Document the new SERVER_NAME / SERVER_TITLE keys and corresponding environment variables.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

File	Description
README.md	Documents `SERVER_NAME` / `SERVER_TITLE` overrides and env vars.
pkg/github/server.go	Passes overridable name/title into MCP `Implementation` and adds defaults.
pkg/github/server_test.go	Adds test verifying initialize response includes overridden/default server name/title.
docs/server-configuration.md	Updates configuration matrix to include server name/title overrides for local server.

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pkg/github/server.go

pkg/github/server_test.go

Add documentation for the server name and title customization feature to the README i18n section and server-configuration.md quick reference. This helps users running multiple GitHub MCP Server instances discover how to configure unique identities via environment variables or the config JSON file. Co-authored-by: Anika Reiter <1503135+Anika-Sol@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and SamMorrowDrums Mar 6, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from SamMorrowDrums March 6, 2026 08:57

Copilot stopped work on behalf of SamMorrowDrums due to an error March 6, 2026 08:57
Before you can use Copilot coding agent, you need to pick a "Usage billed to" option in your Copilot settings. Update your settings at https://github.com/settings/copilot/features, then try again.

Copilot started work on behalf of SamMorrowDrums March 6, 2026 09:31 View session

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Add string override via env/json logic~~ Add configurable server name and title via env/flag Mar 6, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of SamMorrowDrums March 6, 2026 09:42

Copilot started work on behalf of SamMorrowDrums March 6, 2026 14:39 View session

Copilot AI changed the title ~~Add configurable server name and title via env/flag~~ Add configurable server name and title via translation strings Mar 6, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of SamMorrowDrums March 6, 2026 14:51

daotuananh1999tgdd-sudo approved these changes Mar 7, 2026

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SamMorrowDrums mentioned this pull request Mar 11, 2026

Make MCP server name and title configurable #2160

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Copilot AI and others added 3 commits March 13, 2026 09:37

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SamMorrowDrums force-pushed the copilot/add-string-override-logic branch from d417caa to 4258ee9 Compare March 13, 2026 08:39

SamMorrowDrums marked this pull request as ready for review March 13, 2026 08:52

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Summary

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MCP impact

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Copilot AI commented Mar 6, 2026 •

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