---

name: github description: GitHub API operations - repositories, issues, pull requests, actions, code security, discussions, gists, and more. Use for GitHub-related tasks like managing PRs, issues, searching code, and monitoring workflows. version: 1.0.0 context:fork: true allowed-tools: read, write, bash

GitHub Skill

Overview

This skill provides access to the official GitHub MCP server with progressive disclosure for optimal context usage.

Context Savings: ~95% reduction

• MCP Mode: ~50,000 tokens always loaded (80+ tools)
• Skill Mode: ~500 tokens metadata + on-demand loading

Requirements

• Docker installed and running
• GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable set

Toolsets

The server provides 80+ tools across 19 toolsets:

Quick Reference

Copy# List available tools
python executor.py --list

# Get repository info
python executor.py --tool get_repository --args '{"owner": "anthropics", "repo": "claude-code"}'

# List issues
python executor.py --tool list_issues --args '{"owner": "anthropics", "repo": "claude-code"}'

# Search code
python executor.py --tool search_code --args '{"query": "language:python MCP"}'

# Create issue
python executor.py --tool create_issue --args '{"owner": "me", "repo": "myrepo", "title": "Bug", "body": "Description"}'

# List pull requests
python executor.py --tool list_pull_requests --args '{"owner": "anthropics", "repo": "claude-code"}'

Common Tools (Default Toolsets: 40 tools)

Repository Operations

• search_repositories - Search for repositories
• create_repository - Create a new repository
• fork_repository - Fork a repository
• list_commits - List repository commits
• get_commit - Get commit details
• get_file_contents - Get file contents from a repository
• create_or_update_file - Create or update a file
• delete_file - Delete a file
• push_files - Push multiple files
• search_code - Search for code across GitHub
• list_branches - List repository branches
• create_branch - Create a new branch
• list_tags - List repository tags
• get_tag - Get tag details
• list_releases - List releases
• get_latest_release - Get latest release
• get_release_by_tag - Get release by tag

Issue Operations

• list_issues - List repository issues
• issue_read - Read issue details
• issue_write - Create/update issues
• add_issue_comment - Add a comment to an issue
• search_issues - Search for issues
• list_issue_types - List issue types (for organizations)
• get_label - Get label details
• sub_issue_write - Manage sub-issues
• assign_copilot_to_issue - Assign Copilot to an issue

Pull Request Operations

• list_pull_requests - List repository pull requests
• pull_request_read - Read PR details
• create_pull_request - Create a new PR
• update_pull_request - Update a PR
• update_pull_request_branch - Update PR branch
• merge_pull_request - Merge a PR
• search_pull_requests - Search for pull requests
• pull_request_review_write - Create/submit PR reviews
• add_comment_to_pending_review - Add comments to pending review
• request_copilot_review - Request Copilot review

User & Team Operations

• get_me - Get current authenticated user
• search_users - Search for users
• get_teams - Get organization teams
• get_team_members - Get team members

Configuration

The skill uses Docker to run the official GitHub MCP server:

• Image: ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server
• Auth: GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable

Environment Variables

Limiting Toolsets

To reduce context and improve tool selection, enable only needed toolsets:

Copy# Only repos and issues
GITHUB_TOOLSETS=repos,issues python executor.py --list

# Only pull requests and code security
GITHUB_TOOLSETS=pull_requests,code_security python executor.py --list

Error Handling

If tool execution fails:

1. Verify Docker is running: docker ps
2. Check GitHub token is set: echo $GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN
3. Ensure token has required permissions for the operation
4. Review executor.py output for details

Related

• Official GitHub MCP Server: https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server
• GitHub API Documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/rest