mcp-github

Call GitHub MCP tools through the mcporter CLI. 40 structured tools for pull requests, issues, repositories, code search, releases, users, and teams. Use this for cross-repo operations, structured data retrieval, and capabilities the local `gh` CLI doesn't offer (semantic code search, file content by ref, batch operations). Requires `GITHUB_TOKEN` env var (set in ~/.zshrc).

When to Use This vs gh CLI

Task	Use	Why
Local repo PRs (create, merge, view)	gh	Already authenticated for current repo
Read files from any repo/branch/tag	mcporter	get_file_contents with ref param
Search code across GitHub	mcporter	search_code with language/org/path filters
Get PR diff as structured data	mcporter	pull_request_read(method: "get_diff")
Cross-repo issue/PR queries	mcporter	No need to clone or switch repos
Create/push files to remote repos	mcporter	push_files for multi-file commits
Review PRs programmatically	mcporter	pull_request_review_write with line comments
Repo/org-level search	mcporter	search_repositories, search_users
Quick local checks (status, log, diff)	gh / git	Faster, no network call

Call Syntax

# Colon-delimited (shell-friendly, best for simple args)
mcporter call github.TOOL_NAME key:value key2:value2 --output json

# Function-call style (better for complex/quoted args)
mcporter call 'github.TOOL_NAME(key: "value", key2: "value2")' --output json

Always use --output json for machine-readable results.

Tool Catalog Summary (40 tools)

Category	Count	Key Tools
Pull Requests	10	pull_request_read, create_pull_request, merge_pull_request, list_pull_requests, pull_request_review_write
Repo Exploration	8	get_file_contents, search_code, list_commits, get_commit, search_repositories
Issues	8	issue_read, issue_write, add_issue_comment, list_issues, search_issues
Repo Management	6	create_branch, push_files, create_or_update_file, create_repository
Releases	3	list_releases, get_latest_release, get_release_by_tag
Users & Teams	4	get_me, search_users, get_teams, get_team_members
AI	1	assign_copilot_to_issue

Full parameter details: Read references/tool-catalog.md or run mcporter list github --all-parameters

Workflows

1. Review a Pull Request

# Get PR overview (title, body, state, author, merge status)
mcporter call 'github.pull_request_read(owner: "org", repo: "repo", pullNumber: 42, method: "get")' --output json

# Get the full diff
mcporter call 'github.pull_request_read(owner: "org", repo: "repo", pullNumber: 42, method: "get_diff")' --output json

# List changed files
mcporter call 'github.pull_request_read(owner: "org", repo: "repo", pullNumber: 42, method: "list_files")' --output json

# Get CI/check status
mcporter call 'github.pull_request_read(owner: "org", repo: "repo", pullNumber: 42, method: "get_status")' --output json

# Read existing review comments
mcporter call 'github.pull_request_read(owner: "org", repo: "repo", pullNumber: 42, method: "get_review_comments")' --output json

# Submit a review with inline comments
mcporter call 'github.pull_request_review_write(owner: "org", repo: "repo", pullNumber: 42, method: "create", event: "COMMENT", body: "Looks good overall", comments: "[{\"path\": \"src/main.py\", \"line\": 15, \"body\": \"Consider error handling here\"}]")' --output json

2. Explore a Remote Repository

# Browse repo root (returns directory listing)
mcporter call 'github.get_file_contents(owner: "org", repo: "repo", path: "")' --output json

# Read a specific file
mcporter call 'github.get_file_contents(owner: "org", repo: "repo", path: "src/config.py")' --output json

# Read file at a specific branch/tag/PR
mcporter call 'github.get_file_contents(owner: "org", repo: "repo", path: "README.md", ref: "refs/heads/develop")' --output json
mcporter call 'github.get_file_contents(owner: "org", repo: "repo", path: "README.md", ref: "refs/tags/v1.0.0")' --output json
mcporter call 'github.get_file_contents(owner: "org", repo: "repo", path: "README.md", ref: "refs/pull/42/head")' --output json

# View recent commits
mcporter call 'github.list_commits(owner: "org", repo: "repo", perPage: 10)' --output json

# Get a specific commit's diff
mcporter call 'github.get_commit(owner: "org", repo: "repo", sha: "abc1234")' --output json

# List branches and tags
mcporter call 'github.list_branches(owner: "org", repo: "repo")' --output json
mcporter call 'github.list_tags(owner: "org", repo: "repo")' --output json

3. Search Code Across GitHub

# Search by content
mcporter call 'github.search_code(query: "content:useEffect language:typescript org:vercel")' --output json

# Search in a specific repo and path
mcporter call 'github.search_code(query: "content:DATABASE_URL repo:HelloWorldSungin/ArkNode-AI path:src/config")' --output json

# Search by filename
mcporter call 'github.search_code(query: "filename:CLAUDE.md org:anthropics")' --output json

# Combine multiple filters
mcporter call 'github.search_code(query: "content:FastAPI language:python org:tiangolo path:docs")' --output json

Query syntax for search_code: content:X language:Y org:Z repo:A/B path:C filename:D extension:E

4. Manage Issues

# Create an issue
mcporter call 'github.issue_write(owner: "org", repo: "repo", method: "create", title: "Bug: login fails on mobile", body: "Steps to reproduce...", labels: "[\"bug\", \"mobile\"]", assignees: "[\"username\"]")' --output json

# Get issue with comments
mcporter call 'github.issue_read(owner: "org", repo: "repo", issue_number: 99, method: "get")' --output json
mcporter call 'github.issue_read(owner: "org", repo: "repo", issue_number: 99, method: "get_comments")' --output json

# Search issues across repos
mcporter call 'github.search_issues(query: "is:open label:bug org:HelloWorldSungin")' --output json

# Close an issue
mcporter call 'github.issue_write(owner: "org", repo: "repo", method: "update", issue_number: 99, state: "closed", state_reason: "completed")' --output json

# Add a comment
mcporter call 'github.add_issue_comment(owner: "org", repo: "repo", issue_number: 99, body: "Fixed in PR #100")' --output json

- **`pull_request_read` method param is critical** — it's one tool with 7 methods: `get`, `get_diff`, `get_comments`, `get_reviews`, `get_status`, `list_files`, `get_review_comments`. Always specify the method. - **`get_file_contents` ref param** supports `refs/heads/BRANCH`, `refs/tags/TAG`, `refs/pull/PR/head` for reading files at any ref. Omit ref for default branch. - **`search_code` query syntax**: `content:X language:Y org:Z repo:A/B path:C filename:D extension:E`. These are GitHub qualifiers, not free text. - **Pagination**: list/search tools support `page` (1-indexed) + `perPage` (max 100). Default perPage varies by tool. - **`issue_read` also has methods**: `get`, `get_comments`, `get_sub_issues`, `get_labels`. Specify the one you need. - **Multi-file commits**: Use `push_files` with a `files` array to commit multiple files atomically — avoids multiple `create_or_update_file` calls. - **`list_pull_requests` sort options**: `created`, `updated`, `popularity`, `long-running`. The `long-running` sort is useful for finding stale PRs. - If `GITHUB_TOKEN` is not set, mcporter will fail with an auth error. Check with `echo $GITHUB_TOKEN`. - Discover all tools and parameters: `mcporter list github --all-parameters`