GitHub MCP server in Continue.dev one YAML block away.
Continue.dev reads MCP servers from config.yaml. Point it at GitHub's hosted MCP endpoint and your Continue agent can manage issues, PRs, and workflows without leaving the editor.
Continue.dev configures everything — models, rules, and MCP servers — through YAML, which makes adding GitHub's official MCP server (github/github-mcp-server, 30.6k stars) a short edit rather than a wizard. The server is hosted by GitHub, so Continue connects to a URL; there is no binary to run.
Below: the exact YAML, where it goes, how the token works, and the reload step people forget.
What you get in Continue
GitHub's MCP server turns the GitHub API into agent tools: search repositories, read and comment on issues, open pull requests, inspect Actions runs. In Continue's agent mode that means you can stay in a refactoring session and say "open a PR with these changes and link issue #42" — the agent handles the GitHub side through tool calls.
Before configuring, you can inspect the server's full probed tool list on its Loomal listing: https://loomal.ai/marketplace/github.
Two places the YAML can live
Continue gives you a choice. For a personal, always-on setup, add an mcpServers block to ~/.continue/config.yaml. For a per-project setup you can commit to the repo, drop a standalone YAML file in .continue/mcpServers/ instead — Continue merges every file in that folder.
Either way, the block for the remote GitHub endpoint looks like this:
mcpServers:
- name: github
type: streamable-http
url: https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/
requestOptions:
headers:
Authorization: Bearer ghp_YOUR_GITHUB_PATToken notes
The Authorization header carries a GitHub personal access token. Use a fine-grained PAT scoped to the repos you want the agent touching, with permissions matching the work — contents and pull requests for code tasks, issues if you want triage. Rotating the token later means editing one line of YAML.
Avoid committing a project-scoped YAML file with a raw token in it; keep tokens in the global config.yaml and only put the URL-level config in the repo.
Reload, then verify
Continue does not always hot-reload MCP config. After saving, reload the Continue extension (or run Developer: Reload Window in VS Code). Open the agent mode tool picker — the github server should appear with its tools enumerated.
Quick smoke test: ask the agent for the five most recently updated issues in a repo your PAT can read. A real list back means the transport and the token are both good.
When it doesn't show up
YAML indentation is the usual culprit — mcpServers is a top-level list, and each server is a list item starting with a dash. A mis-indented url line silently breaks the entry.
If the server appears but every call returns an auth error, the header is malformed: the value must be the literal word Bearer, a space, then the token. If you put the YAML in .continue/mcpServers/, confirm the file has a .yaml extension — Continue ignores other files in that directory.
FAQ
How do I add the GitHub MCP server to Continue.dev?
Add an mcpServers list entry to ~/.continue/config.yaml with type streamable-http, the URL https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/, and an Authorization header containing your PAT. Reload the Continue extension and the server's tools appear in agent mode.
Should I use config.yaml or a file in .continue/mcpServers/?
Use ~/.continue/config.yaml for personal setups, especially when the entry contains a token. The .continue/mcpServers/ folder is for project-scoped servers you might share with a team — good for the config shape, bad for secrets.
Does this need anything installed locally?
No. GitHub hosts the MCP server itself, and Continue speaks streamable HTTP to it directly. There is no npx command, no Docker container, and no PATH issue to debug — connectivity problems are always either YAML syntax or the token.
The server is configured but tools never load — what now?
Reload the extension first; Continue reads MCP config at startup. Then check indentation on the mcpServers block and confirm the URL has no trailing typo. If the entry lives in .continue/mcpServers/, make sure it's a valid standalone YAML file, not a fragment.
More MCP servers for Continue.dev.
Every Loomal listing shows the server's real tool list before you install.