GitHub Enterprise MCP Server

MCP server for the GitHub Enterprise API. Use with Claude Desktop or any MCP client. Local/internal use only. No authentication info is included in the package.

Installation

npm install github-enterprise-mcp-server

Or run directly with npx (no install):

npx github-enterprise-mcp-server --endpoint https://your-ghe.example.com/api/v3 --token ghp_YOUR_TOKEN

MCP server configuration

To use this server from an MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.), you need the endpoint (HTTPS) and a Personal Access Token.

1. Claude Desktop

Config file location (by OS):

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Example 1 – npx with env vars (recommended; token not visible in process list):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-enterprise": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github-enterprise-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_ENDPOINT": "https://your-ghe.example.com/api/v3",
        "GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN": "ghp_YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Including -y in args makes npx run without prompting. Always use -y so Cursor does not time out waiting for the MCP server.

Example 2 – local build with args:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-enterprise": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/github-enterprise-mcp-server/dist/index.js",
        "--endpoint", "https://your-ghe.example.com/api/v3",
        "--token", "ghp_YOUR_TOKEN"
      ]
    }
  }
}

2. Cursor

Config file location:

• User global: ~/.cursor/mcp.json (macOS/Linux) or %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json (Windows)
• Per project: .cursor/mcp.json in the project root

Example – npx with env vars (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-enterprise": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github-enterprise-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_ENDPOINT": "https://your-ghe.example.com/api/v3",
        "GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN": "ghp_YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Without -y, npx may prompt for install confirmation and Cursor may fail to start the MCP server in time.

Example – run from a local clone of this repo:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-enterprise": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/github_ent_mcp_server/mcp-server/dist/index.js",
        "--endpoint", "https://your-ghe.example.com/api/v3",
        "--token", "ghp_YOUR_TOKEN"
      ]
    }
  }
}

After restarting Cursor, the MCP server list should show github-enterprise if configured correctly.

Troubleshooting: MCP not working in Cursor after npm install

• 1) Use -y with npx
  Set args to ["-y", "github-enterprise-mcp-server"]. Without -y, npx may prompt and the MCP connection can time out.

• 2) Env vars not passed
  Some clients may not pass env to the child process. In that case pass options on the command line (token will be visible in config and process list; use with care):

  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
    "-y", "github-enterprise-mcp-server",
    "--endpoint", "https://your-ghe.example.com/api/v3",
    "--token", "ghp_YOUR_TOKEN"
  ]

• 3) Test in terminal
  Run with the same config in a terminal to see errors (endpoint format, token format, HTTPS, etc.):

  GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_ENDPOINT="https://your-ghe.example.com/api/v3" GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN="ghp_..." npx -y github-enterprise-mcp-server

• 4) Config file location
  Cursor reads only the user global ~/.cursor/mcp.json or the project root .cursor/mcp.json. Check path and JSON syntax (commas, quotes).

• 5) Timeout exceeded / connection cancelled
  Cursor kills the MCP process if it does not start in time. Startup validation (GitHub API /user) has a default 60s timeout. To increase it, set e.g. GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_STARTUP_VALIDATION_TIMEOUT_MS=90000 (milliseconds) in env. If Cursor still times out, run the server via local install: npm install -g github-enterprise-mcp-server, then use command: "node", args: ["$(npm root -g)/github-enterprise-mcp-server/dist/index.js", ...].

3. Other MCP clients

Add an entry under mcpServers in the same shape:

• command: node or npx
• args: ["path-or-package-name", "--endpoint", "https://...", "--token", "ghp_..."]
  Or just the package name: ["github-enterprise-mcp-server"]
• env (recommended): Pass GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_ENDPOINT and GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN so the token is not on the command line.

Security: If the token is stored in a config file, add that file to .gitignore and do not commit it.

Security

• HTTPS only: HTTP endpoints are rejected.
• Token format: Tokens must match GitHub token format (ghp_, ghs_, etc.).
• Startup validation: The server validates endpoint and token before starting (calls /user). Default timeout for this call is 60s; set GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_STARTUP_VALIDATION_TIMEOUT_MS (milliseconds) to increase it.
• Recommended scopes: repo, read:org. The server runs even without these; it only prints a warning if scopes are missing. read:org is only needed for org-related APIs; for repos/issues/PRs, repo is enough. Set GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_SKIP_SCOPE_WARNING=1 or true to hide the warning.
• Self-signed certificates: Disabled by default. Enable with --allow-self-signed-cert or ALLOW_SELF_SIGNED_CERT=true (logs a security warning).
• Debug logs: Normal startup/shutdown messages are not written to stderr (so Cursor won’t show them as [error]). Set GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_DEBUG=1 or DEBUG=1 to see e.g. "Registered N tools", "running on stdio".

If your token is compromised

1. Revoke the token immediately in GitHub Enterprise (Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens).
2. Create a new token and update your config.
3. Check audit logs for unauthorized access.

Available tools

• Repositories: github-repo-get, github-repo-list, github-repo-create, github-repo-update, github-repo-delete
• Issues: github-issue-get, github-issue-list, github-issue-create, github-issue-update, github-issue-close, github-issue-comment
• Pull requests: github-pr-get, github-pr-list, github-pr-create, github-pr-merge, github-pr-review
• Branches: github-branch-list, github-branch-get, github-branch-create, github-branch-delete
• Commits: github-commit-get, github-commit-list, github-commit-compare
• Contents (repository files): github-contents-get, github-contents-create-or-update, github-contents-delete
• Git (low-level): github-commit-create, github-ref-update, github-tag-list, github-tag-create

Full tool list and GitHub API mapping: docs/tools-and-api.md.

Publishing to npm

How to publish the package to an npm registry.

Versioning

npm uses Semantic Versioning (SemVer): MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g. 1.0.0).

| Type | When to bump | Example | |---------|----------------|----------------| | MAJOR | Breaking changes (API removal/behavior change) | 1.0.0 → 2.0.0 | | MINOR | New backward-compatible features | 1.0.0 → 1.1.0 | | PATCH | Backward-compatible bug fixes | 1.0.0 → 1.0.1 |

Bumping version (updates version in package.json and Git tag):

# Patch (1.0.0 → 1.0.1) – bug fixes
npm version patch

# Minor (1.0.0 → 1.1.0) – new features
npm version minor

# Major (1.0.0 → 2.0.0) – breaking changes
npm version major

• Use -m "message" with npm version to set the Git commit message, e.g. npm version patch -m "Fix retry timeout".
• With a Git repo, npm version patch creates a commit and tag (e.g. v1.0.1). Use --no-git-tag-version to only update package.json without committing or tagging.

1. Pre-publish checklist

cd mcp-server
npm run build
npm run audit

• The files field in package.json includes only dist and README.md; source and tests are not published.
• On the public npm registry, the package name must be globally unique. If github-enterprise-mcp-server is already taken, use a scoped name like @your-org/github-enterprise-mcp-server.

2. Publish to the public npm (npmjs.com)

1. npm account: Sign up at https://www.npmjs.com/signup.

2. Log in (once per machine):

   npm login

   Enter username, password, email, and OTP if enabled.

3. Check name availability (optional):

   npm search github-enterprise-mcp-server

   If the name exists, change name in package.json or publish as a scoped package.

4. Publish:

   npm publish

   • Scoped packages (e.g. for an org): set "name": "@your-org/github-enterprise-mcp-server", then:
     • Private: npm publish --access restricted
     • Public: npm publish --access public

3. Private / internal registry

For an internal registry (e.g. Nexus, Verdaccio, GitHub Packages, Azure Artifacts):

1. Set registry URL:

   npm config set registry https://your-registry.company.com/npm/

   Or in package.json for this project only:

   "publishConfig": {
     "registry": "https://your-registry.company.com/npm/"
   }

2. Authentication (depends on the registry):

   • Configure token or credentials in .npmrc (see registry docs).
   • Example: //your-registry.company.com/npm/:_authToken=YOUR_TOKEN

3. Publish:

   npm publish

After publishing:

• Public npm: npm install github-enterprise-mcp-server or npx github-enterprise-mcp-server ...
• Internal registry: set registry and auth, then use npm install / npx as usual.

Build

npm run build

Data and retention

This server does not store any persistent data. All requests go to the GitHub Enterprise API using the credentials you provide.