Supercharge Your Development: Setting Up Cursor with GitHub MCP Server

GitHub's Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server is a powerful tool that allows you to interact with GitHub directly from your Cursor IDE. This integration enables you to create repositories, push files, search code, manage issues, and perform many other GitHub operations without leaving your editor. In this guide, I'll walk you through the setup process and demonstrate some of the powerful features of using Cursor with GitHub MCP Server.

What is GitHub MCP Server?

GitHub MCP Server is an official implementation of the Model Context Protocol that provides a bridge between Cursor's AI capabilities and GitHub's API. It allows the AI assistant in Cursor to perform GitHub operations on your behalf, making your development workflow more efficient. By connecting Cursor with GitHub MCP Server, you can automate many routine GitHub tasks directly from your IDE.

Prerequisites for Cursor with GitHub MCP Server

Before we begin setting up Cursor with GitHub MCP Server, make sure you have:

1. Cursor IDE installed (latest version)
2. A GitHub account
3. Docker installed (we'll be using a Docker container)
4. A GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT)

Creating a GitHub Personal Access Token for MCP Server

To use Cursor with GitHub MCP Server, you'll need a Personal Access Token with the appropriate permissions:

1. Go to your GitHub account settings
2. Navigate to Developer Settings > Personal Access Tokens > Classic Tokens
3. Click "Generate new token" and select "Classic"
4. Name your token (e.g., "Cursor MCP")
5. Set an expiration date
6. Important: Select the "repo" scope to give the token access to your repositories
7. Generate and copy your token (you'll only see it once!)

Setting Up GitHub MCP Server in Cursor

There are two ways to set up Cursor with GitHub MCP Server:

Method 1: Global MCP Server Setup in Cursor

1. Open Cursor IDE
2. Go to Settings > Features > MCP
3. Click the "+ Add New MCP Server" button
4. Configure the server:
   • Name: GitHub
   • Type: Command
   • Command: docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="your_token_here" ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server
   • Replace your_token_here with your actual GitHub Personal Access Token

Method 2: Project-Specific Setup for Cursor with GitHub MCP

For a project-specific setup, create a .cursor/mcp.json file in the root of your project:

1. Create a .cursor directory in your project root if it doesn't exist
2. Create an mcp.json file inside the .cursor directory with the following content:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your_token_here with your actual GitHub Personal Access Token.

Verifying Your Cursor with GitHub MCP Server Setup

After setting up Cursor with GitHub MCP Server, you should verify that it's working correctly:

1. Open Cursor's Agent mode
2. Ask the agent to list the available MCP tools
3. You should see a list of GitHub-related tools like create_repository, push_files, etc.

Using GitHub MCP Features in Cursor

Now that your Cursor with GitHub MCP Server integration is set up, let's explore some of the powerful features you can use directly from Cursor:

Creating a Repository from Cursor

You can create a new GitHub repository by simply asking the Cursor agent:

Create a new repository called "test-repo" with a description "Testing GitHub MCP"

The agent will use the create_repository tool to create the repository for you.

Adding Files to a Repository from Cursor

Once you've created a repository, you can add files to it directly from Cursor:

Add an index.html file to test-repo with a simple greeting message

The agent will use the push_files tool to add the file to your repository.

Searching GitHub from Cursor

You can search for repositories, code, issues, and users on GitHub without leaving Cursor:

Search for repositories related to "machine learning"

The agent will use the search_repositories tool to find relevant repositories.

Managing Issues with Cursor and GitHub MCP

You can create, list, and update issues in your repositories directly from Cursor:

Create an issue in my test-repo titled "Add documentation" with a description "We need to add better documentation"

The agent will use the create_issue tool to create the issue.

Working with Pull Requests in Cursor

You can create and manage pull requests from within Cursor:

Create a pull request from my feature-branch to main in test-repo with the title "New feature implementation"

The agent will use the create_pull_request tool to create the PR.

Advanced Features of Cursor with GitHub MCP Server

The Cursor with GitHub MCP Server integration also offers more advanced features:

Code Scanning from Cursor

You can list and get details about code scanning alerts directly in Cursor:

List code scanning alerts for my repository

Secret Scanning from Cursor

You can list and get details about secret scanning alerts without leaving Cursor:

List secret scanning alerts for my repository

Repository Content Access in Cursor

You can access repository content at specific paths, branches, commits, tags, or pull requests directly from Cursor:

Show me the content of the README.md file in the main branch

Troubleshooting Cursor with GitHub MCP Server

If you encounter issues with your Cursor with GitHub MCP Server integration:

1. Authentication Issues: Make sure your Personal Access Token has the correct permissions and hasn't expired
2. Docker Issues: Ensure Docker is running and you have the necessary permissions
3. Connection Issues: Check your internet connection and GitHub's status page
4. Token Visibility: Never share your Personal Access Token; if you suspect it's been compromised, revoke it and create a new one

Conclusion: The Power of Cursor with GitHub MCP Server

The Cursor with GitHub MCP Server integration provides a seamless way to interact with GitHub without leaving your editor. By automating common GitHub tasks, you can stay focused on your code and improve your development workflow.

With this setup, you're now ready to leverage the full power of GitHub directly from Cursor. The combination of Cursor's AI capabilities with GitHub MCP Server creates a powerful development environment that can significantly boost your productivity.

Real-World Applications

Want to see how teams are using this integration in production? Check out our detailed use case study that shows how a development team managing a complex open-source project achieved:

• 40% reduction in PR review time
• 60% faster response to critical issues
• 30% improvement in documentation accuracy
• 25% reduction in bugs reaching production

Resources for Cursor with GitHub MCP Server

• GitHub MCP Server Repository
• Cursor Documentation
• GitHub API Documentation
• Real-World Use Case Study