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Create a least-privilege fine-grained GitHub token, add the GitHub MCP server to Claude Code safely, choose the right scope, and verify the connection.

Let us connect Claude Code to GitHub through GitHub's official MCP server. It needs two things: a token that proves who you are, and the server configuration in Claude Code.

Check what is already connected

/mcp

This lists your MCP servers and their status. In the video, two connectors (Gmail and Google Calendar) were already listed but needed authentication. If you do not use them, disable or remove them.

Step 1: Create a fine-grained personal access token

GitHub offers two kinds of personal access tokens (PAT):

Type	Access	Use it?
Classic tokens	Broad scopes across all your repositories	Avoid for this
Fine-grained tokens	Specific repositories, specific permissions, expiry date	Yes

If a token ever leaks, a fine-grained token limits the damage to exactly what you allowed.

Open token settings

GitHub → your avatar → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Fine-grained tokens → Generate new token. Or go directly to github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens.

Name, description and expiry

For example: name claude-code-demo, description "Experiment with Claude Code MCP", expiry 30 days. Short expiry is safer. You can always create a new token.

Repository access

Choose Only select repositories and pick content-tracker. Do not choose "All repositories".

Permissions

Grant only what this workflow needs:

Permission	Access	Why
Contents	Read and write	Read files and branches
Issues	Read and write	List and create issues
Pull requests	Read and write	Open pull requests
Metadata	Read-only	Added automatically, required by GitHub

Generate and copy

Click Generate token and copy it. GitHub shows it only once.

Treat the token like a password

Do not share it, do not commit it, do not paste it into a Claude prompt, and do not show it on screen while recording. If it is exposed, revoke it immediately in the same settings page. In the video the token was briefly visible and was deleted after recording.

Step 2: Add the GitHub MCP server

The command, from the official Claude Code docs:

claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"

Part	Meaning
`claude mcp add`	Register a new MCP server
`--transport http`	It is a remote server reached over HTTP
`github`	The name you give the server inside Claude Code
`https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/`	GitHub's hosted MCP server endpoint
`--header "Authorization: Bearer ..."`	Sends your token with every request

Run it in a separate terminal

Run this command in a normal terminal, not as a prompt inside Claude Code. If you type it into the Claude Code prompt, the token becomes part of the conversation. That is exactly what we want to avoid.

On Windows PowerShell, put it on one line (or use a backtick for line continuation instead of \).

Where is it saved? Scopes

Scope	Flag	Stored in	Shared?
Local (default)	none, or `--scope local`	`~/.claude.json`, under this project	Only you, only this project
Project	`--scope project`	`.mcp.json` in the project root	Yes, through git
User	`--scope user`	`~/.claude.json`	Only you, all projects

We used the default local scope, which is right for a personal token. If you want to share the server with your team through .mcp.json, never put the token in the file itself. Use environment variable expansion instead:

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${GITHUB_PAT}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Each teammate sets GITHUB_PAT in their own environment.

Step 3: Verify the connection

A running session does not pick up servers added from another terminal. Start a new Claude Code session and run:

/mcp

You should see github with the status connected. You can also check from any terminal:

claude mcp list
claude mcp get github

If the status says it failed to connect, the most common causes are a mistyped token, an expired token, or missing permissions.

Command	Purpose
`claude mcp list`	List all servers and their health
`claude mcp get github`	Details and status of one server
`claude mcp remove github`	Remove the server
`/mcp` (inside Claude Code)	Manage, enable, disable, reconnect or authenticate servers

Official references

Written By: Shramik Masti

Configuring the GitHub MCP Server