Connecting Github to Claude

When Claude finds a fix for something in your codebase, it can do more than just recommend the change — it can open a pull request with the fix already written, ready for you to review and merge. A pull request is GitHub's standard way to propose a code change and have it reviewed before it goes live.

For that, Claude needs access to the GitHub repository that holds your code.

Estimated time: about 10 minutes.

Before you start

You'll need:

• A GitHub account with access to the repository you want Claude to read from

• A Claude plan with access to connectors

• On Team or Enterprise plans, an Owner or Primary Owner must add the connector at the organization level first (covered below)

How the connection works

The connection has two separate layers, and you need to complete both:

1. Authorization — proves your identity. This happens when you add the GitHub connector in Claude and approve the prompt. After this step, Claude can see your profile, but not your repository contents.

2. App installation — grants access to repository contents. You install the Claude GitHub MCP Connector app on the account or organization that owns the repository, and select which repositories Claude can access.

Identity alone is not enough to read repository contents — you need both layers: authorize your identity, then install the app with the repository selected.

Step 1: Add the GitHub connector in Claude

In Claude, add the GitHub connector as a custom connector and approve the prompt with the GitHub account that owns — or has access to — the repository.

• On Pro or Max plans: go to Settings → Connectors, click the + button next to Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. Name it, paste https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp as the remote MCP server URL, and click Add.

• On Team or Enterprise plans: an Owner or Primary Owner adds the connector at the organization level first, under Organization Settings → Connectors → Add. After that, individual members connect to it themselves: go to Customize → Connectors, find the custom connector in the list (it will have a Custom label), and click Connect to authenticate.

Step 2: Install the Claude GitHub MCP Connector app

1. Install the Claude GitHub MCP Connector app from github.com/apps/claude-github-mcp-connector on the account or organization that owns the repository.

2. On the installation screen, grant access to the specific repository (or to all repositories, if you prefer).

3. Back in Claude, confirm the connection by asking it to open the repository — for example, "check you can see owner/repo-name."

With GitHub connected, Claude can package a fix as a pull request instead of just describing it. You review the proposed change in GitHub and merge it when you're satisfied.

If more than one person needs this

Repository access alone does not connect Claude for a teammate — everyone who wants to use the connector must complete the authorization and app steps above themselves, with their own GitHub account. The app installation (step 2) only needs to happen once, on the account or organization that owns the repository; each person after that still has to connect their own Claude.

Troubleshooting

• Claude reports a 404 Not Found on a private repository. A 404 — rather than a "permission denied" error — usually means you haven't granted access, which points to a missing app installation (step 2) or a repository you didn't include in it. Check GitHub Settings → Applications → Installed GitHub Apps. If the Claude app isn't listed, install it from the link above.

• Repository search returns nothing at all. Same cause: with no app installation, the connector has access to zero repositories.

• You use different email addresses across tools. This isn't a problem — GitHub authenticates by account, not by email. Just make sure both the authorization and the app installation are done on the account that actually owns the repository.

• You granted access, but Claude still can't see the repository. Re-authorize the connector in Claude to refresh its token. Access changes sometimes don't take effect until you reconnect, and it can take a second attempt.

• The repository is owned by an organization. The app must be installed on the organization, not your personal account, and an organization admin may need to approve it.