install-gemini-cli.md

Install GitHub MCP Server in Google Gemini CLI

Prerequisites

1. Google Gemini CLI installed (see official Gemini CLI documentation)
2. GitHub Personal Access Token with appropriate scopes
3. For local installation: Docker installed and running

Storing Your PAT Securely

For security, avoid hardcoding your token. Create or update ~/.gemini/.env (where ~ is your home or project directory) with your PAT:

# ~/.gemini/.env
GITHUB_PAT=your_token_here

GitHub MCP Server Configuration

MCP servers for Gemini CLI are configured in its settings JSON under an mcpServers key.

• Global configuration: ~/.gemini/settings.json where ~ is your home directory
• Project-specific: .gemini/settings.json in your project directory

After securely storing your PAT, you can add the GitHub MCP server configuration to your settings file using one of the methods below. You may need to restart the Gemini CLI for changes to take effect.

Note: For the most up-to-date configuration options, see the main README.md.

Method 1: Remote Server (Recommended)

The simplest way is to use GitHub's hosted MCP server:

// ~/.gemini/settings.json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "github": {
            "httpUrl": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
            "trust": true,
            "headers": {
                "Authorization": "Bearer $GITHUB_PAT"
            }
        }
    }
}

Method 2: Local Docker

With docker running, you can run the GitHub MCP server in a container:

// ~/.gemini/settings.json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "github": {
            "command": "docker",
            "args": [
                "run",
                "-i",
                "--rm",
                "-e",
                "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
                "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
            ],
            "env": {
                "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "$GITHUB_PAT"
            }
        }
    }
}

Method 3: Binary

You can download the latest binary release from the GitHub releases page or build it from source by running go build -o github-mcp-server ./cmd/github-mcp-server.

Then, replacing /path/to/binary with the actual path to your binary, configure Gemini CLI with:

// ~/.gemini/settings.json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "github": {
            "command": "/path/to/binary",
            "args": ["stdio"],
            "env": {
                "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "$GITHUB_PAT"
            }
        }
    }
}

Verification

To verify that the GitHub MCP server has been configured, start Gemini CLI in your terminal with gemini, then:

1. Check MCP server status:

   /mcp list
   

   ℹConfigured MCP servers:
   
   🟢 github - Ready (96 tools, 2 prompts)
       Tools:
       - github__add_comment_to_pending_review
       - github__add_issue_comment
       - github__add_sub_issue
       ...
   

2. Test with a prompt

   List my GitHub repositories
   

Troubleshooting

Local Server Issues

• Docker errors: Ensure Docker Desktop is running

  docker --version

• Image pull failures: Try docker logout ghcr.io then retry
• Docker not found: Install Docker Desktop and ensure it's running

Authentication Issues

• Invalid PAT: Verify your GitHub PAT has correct scopes:
  • repo - Repository operations
  • read:packages - Docker image access (if using Docker)
• Token expired: Generate a new GitHub PAT

Configuration Issues

• Invalid JSON: Validate your configuration:

  cat ~/.gemini/settings.json | jq .

• MCP connection issues: Check logs for connection errors:

  gemini --debug "test command"

References

• Gemini CLI Docs > MCP Configuration Structure