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IntermediatePhase 7 12 hours(broken down below)

GitHub MCP Server

Build an MCP server that exposes GitHub repositories, issues, and PRs as tools for AI agents.

TypeScriptMCP SDKGitHub API

Project walkthrough

GitHub MCP Server

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Project Goal

Expose GitHub as agent-callable tools via the Model Context Protocol.

  • →Build MCP server in TypeScript
  • →Register repo, issue, PR, and search tools
  • →Secure auth with PAT and repo allowlist
  • →Use from Cursor or Claude Desktop

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Time breakdown (12h)

Each phase maps to the estimated hours — follow in order for a realistic build schedule.

MCP scaffold & auth

3h
  • •TypeScript MCP server with stdio transport
  • •Octokit client with PAT from env var
  • •Rate-limit detection and exponential backoff

Repo & search tools

3h
  • •list_repos, get_file_contents, list_branches
  • •search_code with query syntax validation
  • •Repo allowlist enforcement

Issue & PR tools

3h
  • •create_issue, list_issues, add_comment
  • •get_pull_request, list_pr_files, create_review_comment
  • •Structured error messages for 404/403

Testing & packaging

3h
  • •Integration tests with mocked GitHub API
  • •README with Cursor MCP config JSON
  • •npm publish or local npx entry point

Architecture

The MCP server registers GitHub API operations as typed tools that AI clients discover at connection time. An Octokit wrapper handles authentication, pagination, and rate-limit backoff, while input validation ensures agents cannot access repos outside the configured allowlist.

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Prerequisites

  • TypeScript and Node.js 20+
  • GitHub personal access token with repo scope
  • Understanding of MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool schema
  • @modelcontextprotocol/sdk basics
  • Familiarity with GitHub REST API endpoints

Setup steps

  1. Initialize TypeScript project with @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
  2. Create GitHub PAT with repo, read:org, and read:user scopes
  3. Scaffold MCP server with stdio transport
  4. Implement Octokit client with token auth and rate-limit headers
  5. Register tools: list_repos, get_file, search_code, create_issue
  6. Test with Cursor or Claude Desktop MCP config

Features to build

  • Repository browsing
  • Issue management
  • PR review tools
  • Code search

Expected result

Connect the MCP server to Cursor, ask the agent to 'list open issues in my repo and summarize the top 3', and watch it call your tools to fetch real GitHub data and respond with accurate issue summaries.

Resume bullet points

  • →Developed MCP server exposing GitHub API as agent tools
  • →Implemented secure authentication and rate limiting

Interview questions

What is MCP and why build a GitHub MCP server?
Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI clients discover and invoke external tools. A GitHub MCP server lets any MCP-compatible agent browse repos, manage issues, and review PRs without custom integrations per client.
How do you handle GitHub API rate limits in an MCP server?
Read X-RateLimit-Remaining headers, implement exponential backoff, cache read-heavy responses, and use conditional requests (ETag). Surface clear errors to the agent when limits are hit.
How do you secure an MCP server with broad repo access?
Scope PAT to minimum permissions, enforce repo allowlist in tool handlers, never log tokens, run server locally (stdio), and validate all agent inputs before forwarding to GitHub API.