Best MCP servers for GitHub
8 MCP servers that give an agent access to GitHub — from the official server to read-only repo readers and documentation lookups — and what each one is allowed to touch once you connect a token.
How to choose
Four things decide this, in this order. Features and star counts come last.
- Token scope first. Every GitHub server acts with the token you hand it, and nothing else. A read-only token for one repository is a different tool from an organisation-wide token with
reposcope; decide which one the job needs before you compare features. - Write access is the risk, not the feature. Servers that can open pull requests, merge or push put destructive tools into the same list the model picks from. If the job is reading code, issues and docs, choose a server that only reads and keep the write tools out of the config.
- Documentation lookup is not repository access. idosal/git-mcp answers questions about a project's documentation and needs no token; it cannot see your issues. Right tool when the agent writes integration code, wrong tool for managing a repository.
- Enterprise and GraphQL are separate servers. GitHub Enterprise needs its own server; the GraphQL one is an unofficial wrapper — check that it tracks a current schema before you build on it.
- The star numbers are the parent repository's. The official server lives in GitHub's own repo, so its 33,730 stars describe that repo, not this one server. A single-purpose server at 20–300 stars is normal, not a warning sign. Stars and install routes below are the values in our index at build time.
Our call: start with the official server on a read-only token limited to the repositories you are actually working in, then add a narrow reader for the task you repeat (ingest a repo, watch pull requests, look up docs) — instead of widening the one token you already granted.
Compare
| Tool | What it does | Install | Source | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| github/github-mcp-server Site ↗ | GitHub integration for repository management, pull requests, issues and more | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 33,730 |
| idosal/git-mcp Site ↗ | Generic remote server that provides documentation for any GitHub repository or project | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 8,471 |
| bgauryy/octocode-mcp Site ↗ | Research, analysis and discovery across GitHub and npm in real time | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 950 |
| gitkraken/gk-cli Site ↗ | GitKraken CLI with an MCP server wrapping GitKraken APIs as well as Jira, GitHub, GitLab… | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 460 |
| graphlit-mcp-server Site ↗ | Ingest content from Slack, Discord, websites, Google Drive, Linear or GitHub into a Graphl | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 378 |
| adhikasp/mcp-git-ingest Site ↗ | Read and analyze GitHub repositories | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 314 |
| GistPad-MCP Site ↗ | Manage personal knowledge, daily notes and reusable prompts in GitHub Gists, as a companio | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 208 |
| ryan0204/github-repo-mcp Site ↗ | Browse GitHub repositories, explore directories and view file contents | — | awesome:punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers | 33 |
Why these links: every card opens the entry's own page here first (what it does, how to install, how to verify the numbers); the tool's official site is one click further, and nothing here is a paid placement. Numbers come from public sources and are shown so you can check them.
Related / Keep exploring
Keep exploring: MCP directory · all fields · all AI tools · rankings