github-mcp-lite
A lightweight MCP server for GitHub with nine essential tools for reading files, managing pull requests, and creating issues, using personal access token authentication.
README
github-mcp-lite
A small Model Context Protocol server for GitHub — nine tools, PAT auth, stdio transport.
The official github/github-mcp-server covers a lot of ground (60+ tools). Handy for org admin and security workflows, but heavy if you mostly read files, scan PRs, and file issues. GitHub's been nudging people toward smaller tool sets for that reason (changelog, notes on token use).
This repo is the opposite end: fixed scope, short tool list, easy to skim before you plug it into an MCP host.
Install
git clone https://github.com/benjimkh/github-mcp-lite.git
cd github-mcp-lite
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .
Run it:
export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_...
github-mcp-lite
MCP client config (stdio):
{
"mcpServers": {
"github-mcp-lite": {
"command": "/absolute/path/to/github-mcp-lite/.venv/bin/github-mcp-lite",
"env": {
"GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token_here"
}
}
}
}
Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
get_repo |
Metadata, default branch, visibility, star count |
search_code |
Code search (repo:owner/name queries work well) |
get_file_contents |
Read a file or list a directory at a ref |
list_pull_requests |
Open / closed / all PRs |
get_pull_request |
Single PR with merge state and diff stats |
create_issue |
Open a new issue |
comment_on_issue |
Comment on an issue or PR thread |
list_issues |
Issues only (PRs filtered out) |
search_repositories |
Repo search |
No gists, notifications, or org settings — that's intentional.
Benchmark
Ballpark tool/schema footprint vs the official server:
python3 benchmark/measure_schema_size.py
Background: docs/context-budget-guide.md.
This repo vs official github-mcp-server
| github-mcp-lite | official server |
|---|---|
| Few repos, everyday PR/issue work | Org admin, security, Dependabot |
| Short tool list you can read in a minute | Actions, Projects, Discussions, etc. |
| PAT + stdio | Copilot OAuth integration |
License
MIT — see LICENSE. PRs welcome; see CONTRIBUTING.md.
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