MCP connector: GitHub

The GitHub MCP connector is a pre-built integration that uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to give Claude direct, authenticated access to GitHub repositories and project data. Rather than copying and pasting code or issue text into a chat window, you connect Claude to GitHub once, and it can then read files, list issues, inspect pull requests, view commit history, and—when configured with the right permissions—create branches, commit changes, and open pull requests on your behalf. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standardized protocol Anthropic launched in November 2024 that lets Claude communicate with external services through a consistent interface. The GitHub connector follows this standard, which means the tools Claude uses to query GitHub (list_issues, create_pull_request, read_file, etc.) work the same way whether you set up the connector in the claude.ai web interface or configure a local MCP server in Claude Code or Claude Desktop. There are two distinct GitHub integrations worth distinguishing. The MCP connector described here is available across Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans and gives Claude tool-based, programmatic access to GitHub. A separate native GitHub integration was released in beta for Enterprise users in October 2025 and syncs repositories more directly into Claude's context. This document covers the MCP connector approach.