feat: Add MCPB bundle for Claude Desktop installation by bryankthompson · Pull Request #1837 · github/github-mcp-server

bryankthompson · 2026-01-18T15:39:33Z

Summary

Adds Model Context Protocol Bundle (MCPB) support enabling single-click installation in Claude Desktop and other MCP hosts.

Addresses #1470

Changes

Added manifest.json with server configuration
Added icon.png for display in Claude Desktop
Added .mcpbignore for build exclusions
Added pre-built github-mcp-server-0.28.1.mcpb bundle (31.4MB)

What is MCPB?

MCPB (MCP Bundle) is a packaging format that enables easy distribution of MCP servers. Similar to browser extensions (.crx) or VS Code extensions (.vsix), users can install the server with a single click.

Bundle Details

Size: 31.4MB (compressed), 89.3MB (unpacked)

Platform support: All 6 variants included:

darwin-arm64, darwin-x64
linux-arm64, linux-x64
win32-arm64, win32-x64

User-configurable options (via Claude Desktop installation dialog):

GitHub Personal Access Token (required, sensitive)
Toolsets selection (repos, issues, pull_requests, actions, etc.)
GitHub Enterprise host (for self-hosted GitHub)
Read-only mode
Dynamic toolsets

Testing

Bundle validates successfully (mcpb validate)
Bundle packs successfully (mcpb pack)
Tested installation in Claude Desktop (Windows)
All tools functional

Installation

Download the .mcpb file and double-click to install in Claude Desktop.

Building the Bundle

If you prefer to build from source:

npx @anthropic-ai/mcpb validate manifest.json
npx @anthropic-ai/mcpb pack .

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Add Model Context Protocol Bundle (MCPB) support enabling single-click installation in Claude Desktop and other MCP hosts. Changes: - Add manifest.json with server configuration and user_config for all env vars - Add icon.png for display in Claude Desktop - Add .mcpbignore for build exclusions - Add pre-built github-mcp-server-0.28.1.mcpb bundle (31.4MB) Includes binaries for all 6 platform/architecture variants: - darwin-arm64, darwin-x64 - linux-arm64, linux-x64 - win32-arm64, win32-x64 User-configurable options exposed: - GitHub Personal Access Token (required) - Toolsets selection - GitHub Enterprise host - Read-only mode - Dynamic toolsets Addresses github#1470 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR adds MCPB (Model Context Protocol Bundle) packaging to enable single-click installation of the GitHub MCP Server in Claude Desktop and other MCP hosts. The bundle format is similar to browser or VS Code extensions, packaging the server binaries and configuration into a single distributable file.

Changes:

Added manifest.json with MCPB metadata, server configuration, and user-configurable options
Added icon.png for visual display in Claude Desktop
Added .mcpbignore to exclude unnecessary files from the bundle
Added pre-built github-mcp-server-0.28.1.mcpb bundle (31.4MB)

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.

File	Description
manifest.json	MCPB manifest defining server metadata, binary paths, platform support, environment variables, and user configuration schema
icon.png	PNG icon image for display in MCP host applications
.mcpbignore	Build exclusion rules specifying which files to omit from the bundle (source code, docs, CI configs, etc.)

Copilot · 2026-01-18T15:43:15Z

manifest.json

+    "entry_point": "bin/darwin-x64/github-mcp-server",
+    "mcp_config": {
+      "command": "${__dirname}/bin/darwin-x64/github-mcp-server",
+      "args": ["stdio"],
+      "env": {
+        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${user_config.github_token}",
+        "GITHUB_TOOLSETS": "${user_config.github_toolsets}",
+        "GITHUB_HOST": "${user_config.github_host}",
+        "GITHUB_READ_ONLY": "${user_config.github_read_only}",
+        "GITHUB_DYNAMIC_TOOLSETS": "${user_config.github_dynamic_toolsets}"
+      },
+      "platform_overrides": {
+        "win32": {
+          "command": "${__dirname}/bin/win32-x64/github-mcp-server.exe"
+        },
+        "linux": {
+          "command": "${__dirname}/bin/linux-x64/github-mcp-server"
+        }
+      }


The platform_overrides configuration only handles x64 architectures but the PR description claims "All 6 variants included" (darwin-arm64, darwin-x64, linux-arm64, linux-x64, win32-arm64, win32-x64). The current configuration will fail on ARM64 systems because:

The default entry_point (line 23) and command (line 25) point to darwin-x64

platform_overrides only specify win32 and linux without architecture variants

No overrides exist for ARM64 architectures on any platform

This means ARM64 users will either get an error or the wrong binary will be executed. You need to add architecture-specific overrides or use a more sophisticated platform detection mechanism that handles both OS and architecture combinations.

Copilot · 2026-01-18T15:43:16Z

manifest.json

+{
+  "manifest_version": "0.3",
+  "name": "GitHub MCP Server",
+  "version": "0.28.1",


The version "0.28.1" appears to be hardcoded and may not match the actual release version. The project uses GoReleaser with version templating (see .goreleaser.yaml line 12 which sets version via ldflags), and server.json uses a VERSION template variable. Consider whether this version should be dynamically set during the build process to ensure consistency across all release artifacts, or document how this version should be maintained when new releases are created.

Suggested change

"version": "0.28.1",

"version": "VERSION",

Copilot · 2026-01-18T15:43:16Z

manifest.json

+  "tools": [
+    {"name": "get_me", "description": "Get current authenticated user"},
+    {"name": "search_repositories", "description": "Search GitHub repositories"},
+    {"name": "get_repository", "description": "Get repository details"},
+    {"name": "list_issues", "description": "List issues in a repository"},
+    {"name": "create_issue", "description": "Create a new issue"},
+    {"name": "list_pull_requests", "description": "List pull requests"},
+    {"name": "create_pull_request", "description": "Create a pull request"}
+  ]


The tools list only includes 7 sample tools, which is incomplete. According to the project documentation, the GitHub MCP Server provides many more tools across multiple toolsets (repos, issues, pull_requests, users, actions, code_security, etc.). While this might be intentional to show representative examples, it creates a discrepancy between what users see in the manifest and what's actually available. Consider either including all tools or clarifying in the description that this is a partial list.

Copilot · 2026-01-18T15:43:16Z

manifest.json

+    "github_host": {
+      "type": "string",
+      "title": "GitHub Host",
+      "description": "For GitHub Enterprise Server (e.g., github.mycompany.com). Leave empty for github.com",


The description for the GitHub Host configuration could be more specific. The format shown "github.mycompany.com" is missing the required "https://" prefix that the actual server code expects (as documented in the environment variables section). The description should specify the full format: "https://github.mycompany.com" to prevent user configuration errors.

Suggested change

"description": "For GitHub Enterprise Server (e.g., github.mycompany.com). Leave empty for github.com",

"description": "For GitHub Enterprise Server (must include \"https://\", e.g., https://github.mycompany.com). Leave empty for github.com",

Copilot · 2026-01-18T15:43:16Z

manifest.json

+    "github_token": {
+      "type": "string",
+      "title": "GitHub Personal Access Token",
+      "description": "Create at github.com/settings/tokens with repo scope",


The GitHub Personal Access Token description "Create at github.com/settings/tokens with repo scope" is incomplete. It doesn't mention that different scopes may be required depending on which toolsets are enabled. For example, the actions toolset requires "actions" scope, code_security requires "security_events" scope, etc. Consider providing a link to comprehensive documentation or listing the common scopes needed.

Suggested change

"description": "Create at github.com/settings/tokens with repo scope",

"description": "Create at github.com/settings/tokens. At minimum use the repo scope; additional scopes may be required for some toolsets (e.g., actions, security_events). See the README for full scope requirements.",

SamMorrowDrums · 2026-01-18T16:15:09Z

#1470

Until it works cross platform not certain we're going to run with it, but thank you for taking a look.

bryankthompson · 2026-01-18T19:12:07Z

Thanks for the feedback @SamMorrowDrums!

I saw issue #63 and understand the interest in alternative approaches for binary distribution. The current MCPB spec uses platform_overrides which selects binaries by OS (process.platform) rather than architecture. This bundle works within that constraint:

How it handles architecture:

Bundles x64 binaries for darwin/win32/linux
macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon): x64 runs via Rosetta 2 ✅
Windows ARM64: x64 runs via WoW64 ✅
Linux x64: runs natively ✅
Linux ARM64: unsupported (no built-in emulator, but extremely rare for Claude Desktop)

Testing:

Tested on macOS Apple Silicon - works well
Tested on Windows - works well

Bundle size: ~31MB (includes all platform variants)

Let me know if you'd like to move forward with this, or if you'd prefer to hold off. Happy to address the other review feedback either way.

SamMorrowDrums · 2026-01-18T19:34:22Z

@triepod-ai thanks for breaking it down, I mean that's probably tolerable. I do want to see spec improvements, but we can reasonably consider adding this to release artefacts.

I'll take a look during the week.

bryankthompson requested a review from a team as a code owner January 18, 2026 15:39

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings January 18, 2026 15:39

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of bryankthompson January 18, 2026 15:40 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Jan 18, 2026

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feat: Add MCPB bundle for Claude Desktop installation#1837

feat: Add MCPB bundle for Claude Desktop installation#1837
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	"description": "For GitHub Enterprise Server (e.g., github.mycompany.com). Leave empty for github.com",
	"description": "For GitHub Enterprise Server (must include \"https://\", e.g., https://github.mycompany.com). Leave empty for github.com",

	"description": "Create at github.com/settings/tokens with repo scope",
	"description": "Create at github.com/settings/tokens. At minimum use the repo scope; additional scopes may be required for some toolsets (e.g., actions, security_events). See the README for full scope requirements.",

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bryankthompson commented Jan 18, 2026

Summary

Changes

What is MCPB?

Bundle Details

Testing

Installation

Building the Bundle

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SamMorrowDrums commented Jan 18, 2026

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