Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide will help you get up and running with the GitHub MCP Server.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9 or higher
• Git
• GitHub account
• Cursor IDE (for MCP integration)

Installation

From PyPI

pip install github-mcp

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/garotm/github-mcp.git
cd github-mcp

# Install the package
pip install -e .

Authentication Setup

The server uses githubauthlib for secure authentication. Follow these steps based on your operating system:

macOS

No additional setup required. The server will use Keychain Access.

Windows

No additional setup required. The server will use Credential Manager.

Linux

Install libsecret:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install libsecret-tools

# Fedora
sudo dnf install libsecret

Configure Git Credentials

git config --global credential.helper store
# Perform a Git operation that requires authentication

Configuration

Server Configuration

The server runs on http://localhost:8000 by default. You can configure the following environment variables:

• GITHUB_MCP_HOST: Server host (default: "0.0.0.0")
• GITHUB_MCP_PORT: Server port (default: 8000)
• GITHUB_MCP_LOG_LEVEL: Logging level (default: "info")

Cursor IDE Configuration

1. Open Cursor IDE settings
2. Add the MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": [
      {
        "name": "github-mcp",
        "url": "http://localhost:8000/sse"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Running the Server

Basic Usage

python -m github_mcp.server

Development Mode

# Install development dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run with auto-reload
python -m github_mcp.server

Verifying Installation

1. Check the server is running:

curl http://localhost:8000/

2. You should see a JSON response with server information and available tools.

Next Steps

• Features - Learn about available tools
• API Reference - Explore the API
• Security - Security best practices
• FAQ - Common questions and answers