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Install GitHub MCP Server in Copilot CLI

The GitHub MCP server comes pre-installed in Copilot CLI, with read-only tools enabled by default.

Built-in Server

To verify the server is available, from an active Copilot CLI session:

/mcp show github-mcp-server

Per-Session Customization

Use CLI flags to customize the server for a session:

# Enable an additional toolset
copilot --add-github-mcp-toolset discussions

# Enable multiple additional toolsets
copilot --add-github-mcp-toolset discussions --add-github-mcp-toolset stargazers

# Enable all toolsets
copilot --enable-all-github-mcp-tools

# Enable a specific tool
copilot --add-github-mcp-tool list_discussions

# Disable the built-in server entirely
copilot --disable-builtin-mcps

Run copilot --help for all available flags. For the list of toolsets, see Available toolsets; for the list of tools, see Tools.

Custom Configuration

You can configure the GitHub MCP server in Copilot CLI using either the interactive command or by manually editing the configuration file.

Server naming: Name your server github-mcp-server to replace the built-in server, or use a different name (e.g., github) to run alongside it.

Prerequisites

  1. GitHub Personal Access Token with appropriate scopes
  2. For local server: Docker installed and running
Storing Your PAT Securely

To set your PAT as an environment variable:

# Add to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.)
export GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

Method 1: Interactive Setup (Recommended)

From an active Copilot CLI session, run the interactive command:

/mcp add

Follow the prompts to configure the server.

Method 2: Manual Setup

Create or edit the configuration file ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json and add one of the following configurations:

Remote Server

Connect to the hosted MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

For additional options like toolsets and read-only mode, see the remote server documentation.

Local Docker

With Docker running, you can run the GitHub MCP server in a container:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Binary

You can download the latest binary release from the GitHub releases page or build it from source by running:

go build -o github-mcp-server ./cmd/github-mcp-server

Then configure (replace /path/to/binary with the actual path):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "/path/to/binary",
      "args": ["stdio"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verification

  1. Restart Copilot CLI
  2. Run /mcp show to list configured servers
  3. Try: "List my GitHub repositories"

Troubleshooting

Local Server Issues

  • Docker errors: Ensure Docker Desktop is running
  • Image pull failures: Try docker logout ghcr.io then retry

Authentication Issues

  • Invalid PAT: Verify your GitHub PAT has correct scopes:
    • repo - Repository operations
    • read:packages - Docker image access (if using Docker)
  • Token expired: Generate a new GitHub PAT

Configuration Issues

  • Invalid JSON: Validate your configuration: 
    cat ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json | jq .

References