GitHub Repo MCP

GitHub Repo MCP is an open-source MCP server that lets your AI assistants browse GitHub repositories, explore directories, and view file contents.

Table of contents

Getting started • Feature overview

✨ Key features

• 💻 Compatible with Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, and other MCP clients supporting stdio protocol
• 🔎 Browse the contents of any public GitHub repository
• 📂 Navigate through repository directories and subdirectories
• 📝 View the content of code and text files
• 📦 Easy installation via package manager

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Installing the server requires the following on your system:

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

Step 1. Installation

You can install and run GitHub Repo MCP using Smithery, NPX, or setting in mcp.json of your IDE:

MacOS

npx github-repo-mcp

Windows NPX

cmd /c npx -y github-repo-mcp

Windows NPX via .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-repo-mcp": {
      "command": "wsl",
      "args": [
        "bash",
        "-c",
        "cmd /c npx -y github-repo-mcp"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Windows NPX via .cursor/mcp.json (if path not set)

# Find the full path to npx first
which npx

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-repo-mcp": {
      "command": "wsl",
      "args": [
        "bash",
        "-c",
        "'/home/[username]/.nvm/versions/node/v20.18.0/bin/npx github-repo-mcp'"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Installing via Smithery

To install GitHub Repo MCP for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @Ryan0204/github-repo-mcp --client claude

Wait a few seconds or click on the refresh button a few times if it does not register. If it still won’t register, make sure you entered the right command.

Step 2. Configuration

The GitHub Repo MCP server can use a GitHub token for higher rate limits when accessing the GitHub API.

Environment Variables

Setting Up a GitHub Token (Optional)