GitHub MCP Tools Usage

CRITICAL: Always use GitHub MCP tools for all GitHub repository operations. Never use curl, gh CLI, or manual API calls.

Available Tools

The GitHub MCP server provides these tools:

• mcp_github_github_list_releases - List all releases in repository
• mcp_github_github_get_release_by_tag - Get specific release by tag name
• mcp_github_github_get_latest_release - Get the latest published release
• mcp_github_github_list_tags - List all tags in repository
• mcp_github_github_list_branches - List all branches
• mcp_github_github_create_branch - Create a new branch
• mcp_github_github_create_or_update_file - Create or update files
• mcp_github_github_push_files - Push multiple files in single commit

Common Use Cases

Checking Docker Image Availability

✅ CORRECT: Use MCP tools

const release = await mcp_github_github_get_release_by_tag({
  owner: 'ffmathy',
  repo: 'hey-jarvis',
  tag: 'home-assistant-addon-v0.2.2'
});

❌ INCORRECT: Don't use curl or manual API calls

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/ffmathy/hey-jarvis/releases/tags/home-assistant-addon-v0.2.2

Listing Available Versions

const releases = await mcp_github_github_list_releases({
  owner: 'ffmathy',
  repo: 'hey-jarvis',
  perPage: 20
});

// Filter for specific project
const addonReleases = releases.filter(r => 
  r.tag_name.startsWith('home-assistant-addon-v')
);

Creating Release Branches

await mcp_github_github_create_branch({
  owner: 'ffmathy',
  repo: 'hey-jarvis',
  branch: 'release/v0.3.0',
  from_branch: 'main'
});

Updating Files

await mcp_github_github_create_or_update_file({
  owner: 'ffmathy',
  repo: 'hey-jarvis',
  path: 'config.json',
  content: JSON.stringify(config, null, 2),
  message: 'chore: update configuration',
  branch: 'main'
});

Why Use MCP Tools?

• Type Safety: Full TypeScript types for requests/responses
• Error Handling: Consistent error handling
• Authentication: Automatic token management
• Rate Limiting: Built-in rate limit handling
• Documentation: Self-documenting with schemas

GitHub Container Registry (GHCR)

When working with Docker images:

1. Always verify release exists before updating image references
2. Check deployment logs in GitHub Actions
3. Use semantic versioning (e.g., home-assistant-addon-v0.2.2)
4. Ensure multi-arch images for Home Assistant compatibility

What NOT to Do

❌ Never use curl for GitHub API calls ❌ Never use gh CLI commands ❌ Never construct API URLs manually ❌ Never handle authentication manually