Ranked roundup · GitHub
Best MCP Server for GitHub
Picking an MCP server for GitHub is one of the rare cases where the answer is mostly settled: GitHub ships an official one, and it holds up. github/github-mcp-server sits at 32,645 stars, was pushed the day we checked, and comes in two forms — a hosted remote endpoint with OAuth login and a local Docker image that runs on a personal access token. The community landscape thinned out after it launched; Anthropic's old reference server was archived in May 2025 and its npm package is formally deprecated, though outdated tutorials still point at it. What remains around the official server are complements rather than rivals: GitMCP serves repo documentation as context, and managed platforms like Composio wrap GitHub auth for teams that would rather not handle tokens. We ranked everything below on verifiable criteria — official status, commit recency, adoption, auth model, and documented coverage. Nobody paid for placement, and every number here was checked against the GitHub API on the date above.
Facts checked September 1, 2026 · ranked on verifiable criteria · placement is never for sale
Founder, Automation Squad ·
The ranking
- Official · GitHub
Almost everyone. The default choice for github.com and GitHub Enterprise Cloud, whether you want zero-install remote or a locally scoped PAT.
20+ toolsets: repos, issues, pull requests, Actions, code scanning, secret scanning, Dependabot, discussions, gists, notifications, organizations, and projects — with per-toolset and per-tool selection so you can expose only what you need.
Hosted remote endpoint at https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ (nothing to install), or local via the ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server Docker image or a Go build · Remote: browser OAuth (token kept in memory) or a PAT in an Authorization header. Local: PAT via GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN, OAuth, or GitHub App auth for non-interactive deployments. Read-only mode via a /readonly URL suffix or the --read-only flag. · MIT · 32,645★
- The remote server needs an MCP client that supports remote servers with OAuth (VS Code 1.101+ and similar); older clients must use the local Docker route
- GitHub Enterprise Server is local-deployment only — the hosted endpoint covers github.com and Enterprise Cloud (ghe.com)
- A PAT-authenticated setup can do whatever the token's scopes allow; read-only mode exists but is off by default
- The documented 'lockdown' content filter is described by GitHub as best-effort, not a security boundary
- Community
Teams running multi-app agent stacks who want managed auth across GitHub and everything else, with no infrastructure to run.
GitHub actions and event triggers through Composio's tool router — 846 tools and 46 triggers by Composio's own count — alongside 1,000+ other app toolkits on the same platform.
Fully managed and hosted by Composio; connect your agent to their endpoint and authorize GitHub through their dashboard · OAuth2 handled by Composio — your agent never holds the GitHub credential; Composio does · MIT · 29,995★
- A third party sits between your agent and GitHub's API — Composio holds the OAuth connection and sees the traffic
- The 846-tool / 46-trigger count is Composio's own figure; we did not independently test coverage
- Stars shown are for the Composio platform monorepo, not a GitHub-specific server
- A free tier exists, but full pricing is not published on the GitHub toolkit page
- Community
Grounding a model in one specific repo's documentation. It complements the official server rather than replacing it.
Serves a repository's documentation (llms.txt, README, docs) as grounded context and lets the model search it — built to cut code hallucinations about specific projects.
Free hosted remote server at gitmcp.io with a URL per repository, or self-host from the open-source repo · None required — it serves documentation from public GitHub repositories · Apache-2.0 · 8,363★
- Documentation context only — it cannot manage issues, pull requests, or repositories
- Read-only by design, and limited to public repos
- Last push was 2026-05-08, roughly four months before our verification date
- Community
Nobody today. It is here because a large share of older MCP tutorials still point to it.
Basic repository, file, issue, and pull request operations, frozen at their early-2025 state.
Local only, via the deprecated @modelcontextprotocol/server-github npm package or its Dockerfile · PAT via environment variable · MIT · 295★
- Repository archived in May 2025 and explicitly labeled 'no longer maintained'
- The npm package is formally deprecated: 'Package no longer supported'
- No security fixes or GitHub API updates since archiving — migrate to github/github-mcp-server
GitHub MCP servers compared
| Server | Maintained by | Runs | Auth | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub MCP Server (official) | GitHub | Hosted remote endpoint at https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ (nothing to install), or local via the ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server Docker image or a Go build | Remote: browser OAuth (token kept in memory) or a PAT in an Authorization header. Local: PAT via GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN, OAuth, or GitHub App auth for non-interactive deployments. Read-only mode via a /readonly URL suffix or the --read-only flag. | MIT |
| Composio GitHub MCP (managed) | Community | Fully managed and hosted by Composio; connect your agent to their endpoint and authorize GitHub through their dashboard | OAuth2 handled by Composio — your agent never holds the GitHub credential; Composio does | MIT |
| GitMCP | Community | Free hosted remote server at gitmcp.io with a URL per repository, or self-host from the open-source repo | None required — it serves documentation from public GitHub repositories | Apache-2.0 |
| MCP reference GitHub server (archived) | Community | Local only, via the deprecated @modelcontextprotocol/server-github npm package or its Dockerfile | PAT via environment variable | MIT |
How to choose
Pick the official remote server if your client supports remote MCP with OAuth — nothing to install, no token to store, and read-only mode is one URL suffix away. Pick the official local Docker server if you are on GitHub Enterprise Server or want a PAT with scopes you control, running on your own machine. Pick Composio if you are wiring GitHub into a multi-app agent stack and want someone else to run the OAuth plumbing — accepting a third party in the credential path. Pick GitMCP only for the narrower job of feeding a repo's docs to your model; it manages nothing. Avoid the archived reference server entirely.
How this ranking works
Every server here is real and was checked against its repository or vendor documentation on the date above — stars and licenses come from the GitHub API, not from memory. Order reflects verifiable criteria only: official support, maintenance recency, adoption, auth model, and documented capability coverage. We do not run paid placements, and we list every caveat we find, including the unflattering ones.
Common questions
- Is there an official MCP server for GitHub?
- Yes. GitHub maintains github/github-mcp-server — MIT-licensed, 32,645 stars, and pushed the same day we verified it. It runs as a hosted remote endpoint at api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ or locally via a Docker image.
- What does setup and auth actually involve?
- The remote server is the easy path: your client opens a browser OAuth flow, the token stays in memory, and there is nothing to install — but the client must support remote MCP (VS Code 1.101+, for example). The local route runs the ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server Docker image with a personal access token in an environment variable, and that token's scopes define exactly what the server can do, so scope it narrowly and consider the --read-only flag.
- Can I still use @modelcontextprotocol/server-github?
- It installs, but you should not use it. The repository was archived in May 2025 and the npm package is marked 'Package no longer supported' — no security fixes or API updates are coming. The official server covers everything it did.
- Does the official server work with GitHub Enterprise?
- Enterprise Cloud (ghe.com) works with both the remote and local servers using your custom domain. Enterprise Server is local-deployment only — you set GITHUB_HOST and bring your own OAuth app or GitHub App configuration.
MCP servers we build
Automation Squad publishes its own open-source MCP servers and agent skills, documented with the same rules this ranking uses.