Remote GitHub MCP Server

What is this?

The Remote GitHub MCP Server is a managed implementation of the Multipurpose Control Protocol (MCP) hosted on GitHub’s backend. Instead of running a server on your own hardware, you connect over gRPC/TLS to a GitHub-provided endpoint that handles authentication, repository data, file operations, and workflow events for you. It’s designed to reduce setup time and eliminate maintenance overhead.

By conforming to MCP 1.2, this service ensures compatibility with MCP-aware clients in TypeScript, Python, Go, and more. Whether you’re triggering GitHub Actions workflows, performing contextual code search, or automating issue triage, you get a standardized interface backed by GitHub’s global infrastructure.

Quick Start

Install the server using npm:

npm install @modelcontextprotocol/server-remote-github-mcp-server

Then add it to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "remote-github-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-remote-github-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Key Features

Zero Local Install: Fully managed by GitHub—no VM or container setup required.

Secure Authentication: Supports GitHub App JWTs, OAuth tokens, and enterprise SSO with scoped permissions.

Deep GitHub Integration: Native support for GitHub Actions triggers, contextual code search, and branch operations via MCP calls.

Example Usage

Automate code formatting in your CI pipeline by calling the built-in formatter tool.

// Example code
const result = await client.callTool({
  name: "code-formatter",
  arguments: {
    source: "function add(a,b){return a+b}"
  }
});

This request sends a source string to the code-formatter tool and returns the formatted code according to your project’s style rules.

Configuration

The server accepts the following environment variables:

API_KEY – A GitHub App or OAuth token with the necessary repository and workflow scopes.

PRIVATE_KEY_PATH (optional) – Filesystem path to your GitHub App private key (.pem) for JWT authentication.

Available Tools/Resources

code-formatter: Formats source code using Prettier and your configured style settings.

security-scanner: Scans repositories for known vulnerabilities and reports issues.

Who Should Use This?

This server is perfect for:

AI Assistants: Build bots that power on-demand code review, issue triage, or test automation without hosting your own MCP server.

DevOps Teams: Integrate CI/CD workflows programmatically with GitHub Actions and manage runs at scale.

Remote Development: Connect IDEs like VS Code or JetBrains via MCP for seamless, secure remote code editing.

Conclusion

The Remote GitHub MCP Server simplifies AI-powered workflows by providing a secure, scalable, and zero-install endpoint to interact with GitHub. Get started quickly, automate your key processes, and let GitHub handle hosting, scaling, and security.

Check out the GitHub repository for more information and to contribute.