github

Original source / Raw SKILL.md

---
name: github
description: GitHub API operations - repositories, issues, pull requests, actions, code security, discussions, gists, and more. Use for GitHub-related tasks like managing PRs, issues, searching code, and monitoring workflows.
allowed-tools: read, write, bash
---

# GitHub Skill

## Overview

This skill provides access to the official GitHub MCP server with progressive disclosure for optimal context usage.

**Context Savings**: ~95% reduction
- **MCP Mode**: ~50,000 tokens always loaded (80+ tools)
- **Skill Mode**: ~500 tokens metadata + on-demand loading

## Requirements

- Docker installed and running
- `GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN` environment variable set

## Toolsets

The server provides 80+ tools across 19 toolsets:

| Toolset | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `actions` | Workflow management, runs, jobs, artifacts |
| `code_security` | Scanning alerts, code analysis |
| `discussions` | Forum interactions |
| `gists` | Code snippets management |
| `issues` | Issue creation, updates, commenting |
| `labels` | Label management and filtering |
| `projects` | GitHub Projects board management |
| `pull_requests` | PR creation, review, merging |
| `repos` | Code search, commits, releases, branches |
| `users` | User search and management |
| `orgs` | Organization and team management |
| `notifications` | Notification management |
| `secret_scanning` | Secret scanning alerts |
| `context` | Context about the user |

## Quick Reference

```bash
# List available tools
python executor.py --list

# Get repository info
python executor.py --tool get_repository --args '{"owner": "anthropics", "repo": "claude-code"}'

# List issues
python executor.py --tool list_issues --args '{"owner": "anthropics", "repo": "claude-code"}'

# Search code
python executor.py --tool search_code --args '{"query": "language:python MCP"}'

# Create issue
python executor.py --tool create_issue --args '{"owner": "me", "repo": "myrepo", "title": "Bug", "body": "Description"}'

# List pull requests
python executor.py --tool list_pull_requests --args '{"owner": "anthropics", "repo": "claude-code"}'
```

## Common Tools (Default Toolsets: 40 tools)

### Repository Operations
- `search_repositories` - Search for repositories
- `create_repository` - Create a new repository
- `fork_repository` - Fork a repository
- `list_commits` - List repository commits
- `get_commit` - Get commit details
- `get_file_contents` - Get file contents from a repository
- `create_or_update_file` - Create or update a file
- `delete_file` - Delete a file
- `push_files` - Push multiple files
- `search_code` - Search for code across GitHub
- `list_branches` - List repository branches
- `create_branch` - Create a new branch
- `list_tags` - List repository tags
- `get_tag` - Get tag details
- `list_releases` - List releases
- `get_latest_release` - Get latest release
- `get_release_by_tag` - Get release by tag

### Issue Operations
- `list_issues` - List repository issues
- `issue_read` - Read issue details
- `issue_write` - Create/update issues
- `add_issue_comment` - Add a comment to an issue
- `search_issues` - Search for issues
- `list_issue_types` - List issue types (for organizations)
- `get_label` - Get label details
- `sub_issue_write` - Manage sub-issues
- `assign_copilot_to_issue` - Assign Copilot to an issue

### Pull Request Operations
- `list_pull_requests` - List repository pull requests
- `pull_request_read` - Read PR details
- `create_pull_request` - Create a new PR
- `update_pull_request` - Update a PR
- `update_pull_request_branch` - Update PR branch
- `merge_pull_request` - Merge a PR
- `search_pull_requests` - Search for pull requests
- `pull_request_review_write` - Create/submit PR reviews
- `add_comment_to_pending_review` - Add comments to pending review
- `request_copilot_review` - Request Copilot review

### User & Team Operations
- `get_me` - Get current authenticated user
- `search_users` - Search for users
- `get_teams` - Get organization teams
- `get_team_members` - Get team members

## Configuration

The skill uses Docker to run the official GitHub MCP server:
- **Image**: `ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server`
- **Auth**: `GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN` environment variable

### Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description |
|----------|----------|-------------|
| `GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN` | Yes | GitHub PAT for authentication |
| `GITHUB_HOST` | No | For GitHub Enterprise (default: github.com) |
| `GITHUB_TOOLSETS` | No | Comma-separated toolsets to enable |
| `GITHUB_READ_ONLY` | No | Set to 1 for read-only mode |

### Limiting Toolsets

To reduce context and improve tool selection, enable only needed toolsets:

```bash
# Only repos and issues
GITHUB_TOOLSETS=repos,issues python executor.py --list

# Only pull requests and code security
GITHUB_TOOLSETS=pull_requests,code_security python executor.py --list
```

## Error Handling

If tool execution fails:
1. Verify Docker is running: `docker ps`
2. Check GitHub token is set: `echo $GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN`
3. Ensure token has required permissions for the operation
4. Review executor.py output for details

## Related

- Official GitHub MCP Server: https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server
- GitHub API Documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/rest