docs/remote-server.md
Easily connect to the GitHub MCP Server using the hosted version – no local setup or runtime required.
URL: https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/
The remote GitHub MCP server is built using this repository as a library, and binding it into GitHub server infrastructure with an internal repository. You can open issues and propose changes in this repository, and we regularly update the remote server to include the latest version of this code.
The remote server has additional tools that are not available in the local MCP server, such as the create_pull_request_with_copilot tool for invoking Copilot coding agent.
Below is a table of available toolsets for the remote GitHub MCP Server. Each toolset is provided as a distinct URL so you can mix and match to create the perfect combination of tools for your use-case. Add /readonly to the end of any URL to restrict the tools in the toolset to only those that enable read access. We also provide the option to use headers instead.
| Name | Description | API URL | 1-Click Install (VS Code) | Read-only Link | 1-Click Read-only Install (VS Code) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/apps-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/apps-light.png"></picture> | |||||
all | All available GitHub MCP tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/workflow-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/workflow-light.png"></picture> | |||||
actions | GitHub Actions workflows and CI/CD operations | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/actions | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/codescan-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/codescan-light.png"></picture> | |||||
code_security | Code security related tools, such as GitHub Code Scanning | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/code_security | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/copilot-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/copilot-light.png"></picture> | |||||
copilot | Copilot related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/copilot | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/dependabot-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/dependabot-light.png"></picture> | |||||
dependabot | Dependabot tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/dependabot | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/comment-discussion-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/comment-discussion-light.png"></picture> | |||||
discussions | GitHub Discussions related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/discussions | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/logo-gist-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/logo-gist-light.png"></picture> | |||||
gists | GitHub Gist related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/gists | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/git-branch-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/git-branch-light.png"></picture> | |||||
git | GitHub Git API related tools for low-level Git operations | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/git | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/issue-opened-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/issue-opened-light.png"></picture> | |||||
issues | GitHub Issues related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/issues | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/tag-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/tag-light.png"></picture> | |||||
labels | GitHub Labels related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/labels | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/bell-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/bell-light.png"></picture> | |||||
notifications | GitHub Notifications related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/notifications | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/organization-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/organization-light.png"></picture> | |||||
orgs | GitHub Organization related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/orgs | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/project-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/project-light.png"></picture> | |||||
projects | GitHub Projects related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/projects | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/git-pull-request-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/git-pull-request-light.png"></picture> | |||||
pull_requests | GitHub Pull Request related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/pull_requests | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/repo-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/repo-light.png"></picture> | |||||
repos | GitHub Repository related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/repos | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/shield-lock-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/shield-lock-light.png"></picture> | |||||
secret_protection | Secret protection related tools, such as GitHub Secret Scanning | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/secret_protection | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/shield-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/shield-light.png"></picture> | |||||
security_advisories | Security advisories related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/security_advisories | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/star-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/star-light.png"></picture> | |||||
stargazers | GitHub Stargazers related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/stargazers | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/people-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/people-light.png"></picture> | |||||
users | GitHub User related tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/users | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
These toolsets are only available in the remote GitHub MCP Server and are not included in the local MCP server.
<!-- START AUTOMATED REMOTE TOOLSETS -->| Name | Description | API URL | 1-Click Install (VS Code) | Read-only Link | 1-Click Read-only Install (VS Code) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/copilot-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/copilot-light.png"></picture> | |||||
copilot_spaces | Copilot Spaces tools | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/copilot_spaces | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
| <picture><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/book-dark.png"><source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="../pkg/octicons/icons/book-light.png"></picture> | |||||
github_support_docs_search | Retrieve documentation to answer GitHub product and support questions. Topics include: GitHub Actions Workflows, Authentication, ... | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/github_support_docs_search | Install | read-only | Install read-only |
The Remote GitHub MCP server has optional headers equivalent to the Local server env vars or flags:
X-MCP-Toolsets: Comma-separated list of toolsets to enable. E.g. "repos,issues".
GITHUB_TOOLSETS env var or --toolsets flag for Local server.X-MCP-Tools: Comma-separated list of tools to enable. E.g. "get_file_contents,issue_read,pull_request_read".
GITHUB_TOOLS env var or --tools flag for Local server.X-MCP-Readonly: Enables only "read" tools.
GITHUB_READ_ONLY env var for Local server.X-MCP-Lockdown: Enables lockdown mode, hiding public issue details created by users without push access.
GITHUB_LOCKDOWN_MODE env var for Local server.X-MCP-Insiders: Enables insiders mode for early access to new features.
GITHUB_INSIDERS env var or --insiders flag for Local server.Looking for examples? See the Server Configuration Guide for common recipes like minimal setups, read-only mode, and combining tools with toolsets.
Example:
{
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
"headers": {
"X-MCP-Toolsets": "repos,issues",
"X-MCP-Readonly": "true",
"X-MCP-Lockdown": "false"
}
}
The remote GitHub MCP Server offers an insiders version with early access to new features and experimental tools. You can enable insiders mode in two ways:
Via URL path - Append /insiders to the URL:
{
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/insiders"
}
Via header - Set the X-MCP-Insiders header to true:
{
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
"headers": {
"X-MCP-Insiders": "true"
}
}
Both methods can be combined with other path modifiers (like /readonly) and headers.
The Remote GitHub MCP server supports the following URL path patterns:
/ - Default toolset (see "default" toolset)/readonly - Default toolset in read-only mode/insiders - Default toolset with insiders mode enabled/readonly/insiders - Default toolset in read-only mode with insiders mode enabled/x/all - All available toolsets/x/all/readonly - All available toolsets in read-only mode/x/all/insiders - All available toolsets with insiders mode enabled/x/all/readonly/insiders - All available toolsets in read-only mode with insiders mode enabled/x/{toolset} - Single specific toolset/x/{toolset}/readonly - Single specific toolset in read-only mode/x/{toolset}/insiders - Single specific toolset with insiders mode enabled/x/{toolset}/readonly/insiders - Single specific toolset in read-only mode with insiders mode enabledNote: {toolset} can only be a single toolset, not a comma-separated list. To combine multiple toolsets, use the X-MCP-Toolsets header instead. Path modifiers like /readonly and /insiders can be combined with the X-MCP-Insiders or X-MCP-Readonly headers.
Example:
{
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/issues/readonly"
}