Claude Desktop ↔ GitHub (MCP)

Connect Claude Desktop to GitHub using GitHub's official MCP server, running locally in Docker and authenticated with a Personal Access Token (PAT).

This repository is a practical, honest setup guide — it documents a configuration that actually works on Windows, and just as importantly, the dead ends encountered on the way (the built-in GitHub Copilot endpoint that refuses automatic auth, the missing “Configure” button, the dynamic client registration error). The troubleshooting notes are the most useful part for anyone hitting the same walls.

Tested on Windows 11 with Docker Desktop 29.x and Claude Desktop, June 2026. No GitHub Copilot subscription required.

Why this exists

• The bundled GitHub connector did not work in our setup: it points to the GitHub Copilot MCP endpoint (api.githubcopilot.com/mcp), which requires a Copilot subscription and an OAuth flow that fails with Incompatible auth server: does not support dynamic client registration.
• The official, self-hosted GitHub MCP server does work — it runs in Docker, authenticates with a plain Personal Access Token, and needs no Copilot subscription.
• One config, every conversation. Because it lives in claude_desktop_config.json, the server loads at app startup and is available in all chats.

What it does

Adds a github MCP server to Claude Desktop so Claude can, on your behalf and with your token's permissions:

• create and manage repositories,
• read, analyze and edit code,
• open and triage issues,
• create, review and merge pull requests,
• search code, commits, users and repos.

Quickstart

# 1. Pull the official image (Docker Desktop must be running)
docker pull ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:latest

# 2. Add the github server to your Claude config
#    Copy the block from config/github-mcp.snippet.json into
#    %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (inside "mcpServers")

# 3. Replace the placeholder with your GitHub PAT, then fully restart Claude Desktop

Full walkthrough: docs/SETUP.md.

Repository layout

config/
  claude_desktop_config.example.json   # a complete example config with the github server
  github-mcp.snippet.json              # just the "github" block to paste into your config
scripts/
  setup-windows.ps1                    # pull image, patch config, validate JSON
  test-connection.ps1                  # check Docker + image availability
docs/
  SETUP.md                             # step-by-step: token -> config -> restart
  TROUBLESHOOTING.md                   # the real dead ends and how they were resolved
  SECURITY.md                          # token scopes, expiry, never commit secrets
examples/
  prompts.md                           # example requests once connected

Requirements

• Windows with Claude Desktop installed.
• Docker Desktop installed and running.
• A GitHub account and a Personal Access Token (classic or fine-grained).

Security

Your token grants access to your GitHub account — treat it like a password. This repository contains only placeholders, never a real token, and the .gitignore blocks common secret files. See docs/SECURITY.md.

License & attribution

Apache 2.0 (see LICENSE). Uses the official github/github-mcp-server. This repository is independent documentation and is not affiliated with or endorsed by GitHub or Anthropic.