Github Actions

What is GitHub Actions MCP Server?

GitHub Actions MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed to enable AI assistants to manage and operate GitHub Actions workflows. It acts as an intermediary, allowing AI coding assistants like Claude Desktop, Codeium, and Windsurf to interact with the GitHub Actions API.

How to use GitHub Actions MCP Server?

To use the GitHub Actions MCP Server, you first need to build the project. For Unix/Linux/macOS, clone the repository, run npm install, and then npm run build. For Windows, use npm install and npm run build:win or the run-server.bat script. After building, configure your AI coding assistant (e.g., Claude Desktop, Codeium, Windsurf) by adding the server's command and arguments to their respective MCP configuration files. You will also need to provide a GitHub Personal Access Token for authentication.

Key Features of GitHub Actions MCP Server

• Complete Workflow Management: Provides functionalities to list, view, trigger, cancel, and rerun workflows.
• Workflow Run Analysis: Offers detailed information about workflow runs and their associated jobs.
• Comprehensive Error Handling: Delivers clear error messages with enhanced details for easier debugging.
• Flexible Type Validation: Incorporates robust type checking with graceful handling of variations in API responses.
• Security-Focused Design: Includes features like timeout handling, rate limiting, and strict URL validation for enhanced security.

Use Cases of GitHub Actions MCP Server

• AI-driven Workflow Automation: AI assistants can automate the management and operation of GitHub Actions workflows, such as triggering builds, cancelling erroneous runs, or rerunning failed jobs.
• Enhanced Developer Productivity: Developers can leverage AI tools integrated with this server to streamline their CI/CD processes directly from their coding environments.
• Monitoring and Troubleshooting: AI can be used to analyze workflow run details and jobs, aiding in monitoring and troubleshooting CI/CD pipelines.

FAQ from GitHub Actions MCP Server

Q: What are common authentication errors? A: Ensure your GitHub token has the correct permissions and is properly set as an environment variable.

Q: How does the server handle rate limiting? A: The server implements rate limiting to prevent hitting GitHub API limits. If you encounter rate limit errors, reduce the frequency of your requests.

Q: What if I encounter type validation errors? A: The server has flexible validation to handle most variations in GitHub API responses. If persistent errors occur, it is recommended to open an issue on the project's repository.

GitHub Actions MCP Server

⚠️ Archive Notice: This repository will be archived soon as the official GitHub MCP server is adding Actions support. See github/github-mcp-server#491 for details on the official implementation.

MCP Server for the GitHub Actions API, enabling AI assistants to manage and operate GitHub Actions workflows. Compatible with multiple AI coding assistants including Claude Desktop, Codeium, and Windsurf.

Features

• Complete Workflow Management: List, view, trigger, cancel, and rerun workflows
• Workflow Run Analysis: Get detailed information about workflow runs and their jobs
• Comprehensive Error Handling: Clear error messages with enhanced details
• Flexible Type Validation: Robust type checking with graceful handling of API variations
• Security-Focused Design: Timeout handling, rate limiting, and strict URL validation

Tools

1. list_workflows

   • List workflows in a GitHub repository
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • page (optional number): Page number for pagination
     • perPage (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
   • Returns: List of workflows in the repository

2. get_workflow

   • Get details of a specific workflow
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • workflowId (string or number): The ID of the workflow or filename
   • Returns: Detailed information about the workflow

3. get_workflow_usage

   • Get usage statistics of a workflow
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • workflowId (string or number): The ID of the workflow or filename
   • Returns: Usage statistics including billable minutes

4. list_workflow_runs

   • List all workflow runs for a repository or a specific workflow
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • workflowId (optional string or number): The ID of the workflow or filename
     • actor (optional string): Filter by user who triggered the workflow
     • branch (optional string): Filter by branch
     • event (optional string): Filter by event type
     • status (optional string): Filter by status
     • created (optional string): Filter by creation date (YYYY-MM-DD)
     • excludePullRequests (optional boolean): Exclude PR-triggered runs
     • checkSuiteId (optional number): Filter by check suite ID
     • page (optional number): Page number for pagination
     • perPage (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
   • Returns: List of workflow runs matching the criteria

5. get_workflow_run

   • Get details of a specific workflow run
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • runId (number): The ID of the workflow run
   • Returns: Detailed information about the specific workflow run

6. get_workflow_run_jobs

   • Get jobs for a specific workflow run
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • runId (number): The ID of the workflow run
     • filter (optional string): Filter jobs by completion status ('latest', 'all')
     • page (optional number): Page number for pagination
     • perPage (optional number): Results per page (max 100)
   • Returns: List of jobs in the workflow run

7. trigger_workflow

   • Trigger a workflow run
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • workflowId (string or number): The ID of the workflow or filename
     • ref (string): The reference to run the workflow on (branch, tag, or SHA)
     • inputs (optional object): Input parameters for the workflow
   • Returns: Information about the triggered workflow run

8. cancel_workflow_run

   • Cancel a workflow run
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • runId (number): The ID of the workflow run
   • Returns: Status of the cancellation operation

9. rerun_workflow

   • Re-run a workflow run
   • Inputs:
     • owner (string): Repository owner (username or organization)
     • repo (string): Repository name
     • runId (number): The ID of the workflow run
   • Returns: Status of the re-run operation

Usage with AI Coding Assistants

This MCP server is compatible with multiple AI coding assistants including Claude Desktop, Codeium, and Windsurf.

Claude Desktop

First, make sure you have built the project (see Build section below). Then, add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-actions": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "<path-to-mcp-server>/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codeium

Add the following configuration to your Codeium MCP config file (typically at ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json on Unix-based systems or %USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-actions": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "<path-to-mcp-server>/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Windsurf uses the same configuration format as Codeium. Add the server to your Windsurf MCP configuration as shown above for Codeium.

Build

Unix/Linux/macOS

Clone the repository and build:

git clone https://github.com/ko1ynnky/github-actions-mcp-server.git
cd github-actions-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

Windows

For Windows systems, use the Windows-specific build command:

git clone https://github.com/ko1ynnky/github-actions-mcp-server.git
cd github-actions-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build:win

Alternatively, you can use the included batch file:

run-server.bat [optional-github-token]

This will create the necessary files in the dist directory that you'll need to run the MCP server.

Windows-Specific Instructions

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm (v6 or higher)

Running the Server on Windows

1. Using the batch file (simplest method):

   run-server.bat [optional-github-token]
   

   This will check if the build exists, build if needed, and start the server.

2. Using npm directly:

   npm run start
   

Setting GitHub Personal Access Token on Windows

For full functionality and to avoid rate limiting, you need to set your GitHub Personal Access Token.

Options:

1. Pass it as a parameter to the batch file:

   run-server.bat your_github_token_here
   

2. Set it as an environment variable:

   set GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_github_token_here
   npm run start
   

Troubleshooting Windows Issues

If you encounter issues:

1. Build errors: Make sure TypeScript is installed correctly.

   npm install -g typescript
   

2. Permission issues: Ensure you're running the commands in a command prompt with appropriate permissions.

3. Node.js errors: Verify you're using a compatible Node.js version.

   node --version
   

Usage Examples

List workflows in a repository:

const result = await listWorkflows({
  owner: "your-username",
  repo: "your-repository"
});

Trigger a workflow:

const result = await triggerWorkflow({
  owner: "your-username",
  repo: "your-repository",
  workflowId: "ci.yml",
  ref: "main",
  inputs: {
    environment: "production"
  }
});

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Authentication Errors:

   • Ensure your GitHub token has the correct permissions
   • Check that the token is correctly set as an environment variable

2. Rate Limiting:

   • The server implements rate limiting to avoid hitting GitHub API limits
   • If you encounter rate limit errors, reduce the frequency of requests

3. Type Validation Errors:

   • GitHub API responses might sometimes differ from expected schemas
   • The server implements flexible validation to handle most variations
   • If you encounter persistent errors, please open an issue

License

This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License.