Configuring the GitHub MCP Server for GitHub Enterprise

Learn how to configure the GitHub Model Context Protocol (MCP) server to work with GitHub Enterprise Server or GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency.

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In this article

The GitHub MCP server can be configured to work with GitHub Enterprise Server and GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency. The configuration steps differ depending on whether you are using the remote or local MCP server.

About enterprise MCP server configuration

The GitHub MCP server supports two enterprise deployment types:

Important

GitHub Enterprise Server does not support remote MCP server hosting. If you are using GitHub Enterprise Server, you must use the local MCP server configuration described in Configuring the local MCP server for enterprise. Skip the remote MCP server configuration section below.

Prerequisites

  • A GitHub Enterprise Server instance or GitHub Enterprise Cloud account with data residency
  • The GitHub MCP server configured in your editor. See Setting up the GitHub MCP Server.

Configuring the remote MCP server for GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency

Note

This section applies only to GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency. If you are using GitHub Enterprise Server, skip to Configuring the local MCP server for enterprise.

GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency can use the remote MCP server. To configure it, you need to update the MCP server URL to point to your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance.

For example, if your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance is https://octocorp.ghe.com, the MCP server URL would be https://copilot-api.octocorp.ghe.com/mcp.

  1. In Visual Studio Code, open the command palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) / Command+Shift+P (Mac).

  2. Type and select MCP: Open User Configuration.

  3. In the settings file, locate the servers section. If you have already configured the GitHub MCP server, you will see a github entry.

  4. Update the url field to point to your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance.

    Option A: With PAT authentication

    JSON
    {
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://copilot-api.SUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:github_mcp_pat}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_mcp_pat",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

    Option B: With OAuth authentication

    JSON
    {
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://copilot-api.SUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

    Replace SUBDOMAIN.ghe.com with your GHE.com subdomain.

  5. Save the file.

  6. When using OAuth with GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency, configure your VS Code settings to point to your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance. Add the following to your VS Code user settings:

    {
  "github-enterprise.uri": "https://copilot-api.SUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/mcp"
}

  7. Restart Visual Studio Code or reload the window for the changes to take effect.

GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency can use the remote MCP server. To configure it, you need to update the MCP server URL to point to your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance.

For example, if your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance is https://octocorp.ghe.com, the MCP server URL would be https://copilot-api.octocorp.ghe.com/mcp.

  1. In the Visual Studio menu bar, click View, then click GitHub Copilot Chat.
  2. At the bottom of the chat panel, select Agent from the mode dropdown.
  3. In the Copilot Chat window, click the tools icon, then click the plus icon in the tool picker window.
  4. In the "Configure MCP server" pop-up window, fill out the fields.
    1. For "Server ID", type github.
    2. For "Type", select "HTTP/SSE" from the dropdown.
    3. For "URL", type https://copilot-api.YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/mcp, replacing YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain.
    4. Add a new header under "Headers", called "Authorization" and set to the value Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT, replacing "YOUR_GITHUB_PAT" with your personal access token.
  5. Click Save.

GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency can use the remote MCP server. To configure it, you need to update the MCP server URL to point to your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance.

For example, if your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance is https://octocorp.ghe.com, the MCP server URL would be https://copilot-api.octocorp.ghe.com/mcp.

  1. In the lower right corner, click .

  2. From the menu, select "Open Chat", make sure you are in Agent mode, then click the tools icon (called "Configure your MCP server") at the bottom of the chat window.

  3. Click Add MCP Tools.

  4. In the mcp.json file, add the following configuration, replacing YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain and YOUR_GITHUB_PAT with your personal access token:

    JSON
    {
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "url": "https://copilot-api.YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/mcp",
      "requestInit": {
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency can use the remote MCP server. To configure it, you need to update the MCP server URL to point to your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance.

For example, if your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance is https://octocorp.ghe.com, the MCP server URL would be https://copilot-api.octocorp.ghe.com/mcp.

  1. Open the GitHub Copilot for Xcode extension and go to "Settings".

    • Alternatively, in an active Xcode workspace, you can find the settings by clicking Editor in the menu bar, selecting GitHub Copilot, then clicking Open GitHub Copilot for Xcode Settings.

  2. Select the MCP tab, then click Edit Config.

  3. Add the following configuration, replacing YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain and YOUR_GITHUB_PAT with your personal access token:

    JSON
    {
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "url": "https://copilot-api.YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/mcp",
      "requestInit": {
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency can use the remote MCP server. To configure it, you need to update the MCP server URL to point to your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance.

For example, if your GitHub Enterprise Cloud instance is https://octocorp.ghe.com, the MCP server URL would be https://copilot-api.octocorp.ghe.com/mcp.

  1. Click the Copilot icon () in the status bar at the bottom of Eclipse.

  2. From the menu, select Open Chat and, in the chat window, click the "Configure Tools..." icon.

    • Alternatively, you can select Edit preferences, then in the left pane, expand GitHub Copilot and click MCP.

  3. Add the following configuration under "Server Configurations", replacing YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain and YOUR_GITHUB_PAT with your personal access token:

    JSON
    {
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "url": "https://copilot-api.YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com/mcp",
      "requestInit": {
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

  4. Click Apply.

Configuring the local MCP server for enterprise

Both GitHub Enterprise Server and GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency support the local MCP server. You can configure the local server using either the GITHUB_HOST environment variable or the --gh-host command-line flag.

Important considerations

  • For GitHub Enterprise Server: Prefix the hostname with the https:// URI scheme, as it otherwise defaults to http://, which GitHub Enterprise Server does not support.
  • For GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency: Use https://YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com as the hostname.

Configuration with Docker

To configure the local MCP server with Docker in Visual Studio Code:

  1. In Visual Studio Code, open the command palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) / Command+Shift+P (Mac).

  2. Type and select MCP: Open User Configuration.

  3. In the settings file, locate the servers section or create it if it doesn't exist.

  4. Add the following configuration:

    For GitHub Enterprise Server:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME with your GitHub Enterprise Server hostname (for example, https://github.example.com).

    For GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain.

  5. Save the file.

  6. Restart Visual Studio Code or reload the window for the changes to take effect.

To configure the local MCP server with Docker in Visual Studio, you need to manually edit the mcp.json file.

  1. Open the mcp.json file in Visual Studio. The file is typically located in your user profile directory.

  2. Add the following configuration:

    For GitHub Enterprise Server:

    JSON
    {
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "github_token",
        "description": "GitHub PAT",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "github": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "-i",
          "--rm",
          "-e",
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
          "-e",
          "GITHUB_HOST",
          "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
        ],
        "env": {
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
          "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME with your GitHub Enterprise Server hostname (for example, https://github.example.com).

    For GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency:

    JSON
    {
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "github_token",
        "description": "GitHub PAT",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "github": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "-i",
          "--rm",
          "-e",
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
          "-e",
          "GITHUB_HOST",
          "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
        ],
        "env": {
          "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
          "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain.

  3. Save the file.

To configure the local MCP server with Docker in JetBrains IDEs:

  1. In the lower right corner, click .

  2. From the menu, select "Open Chat", make sure you are in Agent mode, then click the tools icon (called "Configure your MCP server") at the bottom of the chat window.

  3. Click Add MCP Tools.

  4. Add the following configuration:

    For GitHub Enterprise Server:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME with your GitHub Enterprise Server hostname (for example, https://github.example.com).

    For GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain.

To configure the local MCP server with Docker in Xcode:

  1. Open the GitHub Copilot for Xcode extension and go to "Settings".

    • Alternatively, in an active Xcode workspace, you can find the settings by clicking Editor in the menu bar, selecting GitHub Copilot, then clicking Open GitHub Copilot for Xcode Settings.

  2. Select the MCP tab, then click Edit Config.

  3. Add the following configuration:

    For GitHub Enterprise Server:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME with your GitHub Enterprise Server hostname (for example, https://github.example.com).

    For GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain.

To configure the local MCP server with Docker in Eclipse:

  1. Click the Copilot icon () in the status bar at the bottom of Eclipse.

  2. From the menu, select Open Chat and, in the chat window, click the "Configure Tools..." icon.

    • Alternatively, you can select Edit preferences, then in the left pane, expand GitHub Copilot and click MCP.

  3. Add the following configuration under "Server Configurations":

    For GitHub Enterprise Server:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOUR_GHES_HOSTNAME with your GitHub Enterprise Server hostname (for example, https://github.example.com).

    For GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency:

    JSON
    {
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "github_token",
      "description": "GitHub PAT",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_HOST",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${input:github_token}",
        "GITHUB_HOST": "https://YOURSUBDOMAIN.ghe.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

    Replace YOURSUBDOMAIN with your GitHub Enterprise Cloud subdomain.

  4. Click Apply.

Configuration when building from source

If you are building the MCP server from source instead of using Docker, you can set the GITHUB_HOST environment variable or use the --gh-host command-line flag:

Using environment variable:

export GITHUB_HOST="https://YOUR_GHES_OR_GHEC_HOSTNAME"
./github-mcp-server stdio

Using command-line flag:

./github-mcp-server --gh-host \
  "https://YOUR_GHES_OR_GHEC_HOSTNAME" stdio

Replace YOUR_GHES_OR_GHEC_HOSTNAME with your GitHub Enterprise Server hostname (for example, https://github.example.com) or GitHub Enterprise Cloud hostname (for example, https://octocorp.ghe.com).

Next steps