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MIT

io.github.Dave-London/pare-github MCP Server

io.github.Dave-London/pare-github

Structured GitHub operations (PRs, issues, actions) as typed JSON for AI agents.

What is the io.github.Dave-London/pare-github MCP server?

The Pare GitHub MCP server wraps GitHub CLI operations and returns clean, schema-validated JSON instead of raw terminal text. It provides typed data for pull requests, issues, and GitHub Actions workflows that agents can process directly without brittle string parsing.

Pare GitHub eliminates parsing fragile CLI output by returning structured JSON for GitHub operations. Instead of dealing with ANSI escape codes and locale-specific formatting, agents get consistent, typed data for managing PRs, issues, and actions—reducing token usage and improving reliability.

How to install io.github.Dave-London/pare-github

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio
Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pare-github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@paretools/github"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

  • pull_request_list — List pull requests with filtering and sorting
  • pull_request_create — Create a new pull request
  • pull_request_update — Update an existing pull request
  • pull_request_merge — Merge a pull request
  • issue_list — List issues with filtering and sorting
  • issue_create — Create a new issue
  • issue_update — Update an existing issue
  • issue_close — Close an issue
  • action_list — List GitHub Actions workflows and runs
  • action_run — Trigger a GitHub Actions workflow

Use cases

  • Automate PR reviews and merging by querying PR status and metadata
  • Create and manage issues programmatically with structured data
  • Monitor GitHub Actions workflow runs and their results
  • Batch update multiple PRs or issues with consistent formatting
  • Query repository state without parsing terminal output

io.github.Dave-London/pare-github MCP server FAQ

What is the Pare GitHub server?

Pare GitHub is an MCP server that wraps GitHub CLI operations and returns structured, schema-validated JSON instead of raw terminal text. It provides typed data for pull requests, issues, and GitHub Actions workflows.

Is Pare free?

Yes, Pare is open source under the MIT license. It wraps free GitHub CLI tools and requires only Node.js >= 20.

How do I install it in Cursor or Claude?

Install via npm: `npm install @paretools/github`. Then configure your MCP client (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) to run `npx @paretools/github`. See setup guides at https://github.com/Dave-London/Pare/tree/main/docs/setup for your specific client.

Do I need authentication?

Yes, you need GitHub CLI (`gh`) installed and authenticated. Run `gh auth login` to set up credentials before using the server.

Can I limit which tools are available?

Yes, use environment variables to filter tools. Set `PARE_GITHUB_TOOLS=pull_request_list,issue_list` to expose only specific tools, or use `PARE_TOOLS` for universal filtering across all servers.

How much do tokens reduce compared to raw GitHub CLI output?

Pare typically reduces token usage by 80–95% on verbose commands by eliminating ANSI codes, decorative headers, and platform-specific formatting while preserving all essential data.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

<h1><img src="assets/logo.png" alt="" width="80" valign="middle" />&nbsp;&nbsp;Pare</h1>

CI codecov npm Downloads TypeScript License: MIT Node.js >= 20 OpenSSF Scorecard OpenSSF Best Practices

Reliable, structured CLI output for AI agents — no more parsing fragile terminal text.

Pare provides MCP servers that wrap common developer tools (git, npm, docker, test runners, etc.) and return clean, schema-validated JSON instead of raw terminal text. Agents get typed data they can act on directly, without brittle string parsing.

The Problem

Parsing CLI output is fragile. Raw terminal text includes ANSI escape codes, decorative headers, progress bars, locale-specific formatting, and platform differences that break agent workflows in subtle ways. An agent that works fine with git status on macOS may fail on Windows because the output format changed. A test runner's summary line might shift between versions, silently breaking a regex.

Pare eliminates this entire class of errors by returning schema-validated JSON with consistent field names, regardless of platform, tool version, or locale. As a bonus, structured output is significantly smaller — agents use fewer tokens per tool call:

Tool CommandRaw TokensPare TokensReduction
docker build (multi-stage, 11 steps)3732095%
git log --stat (5 commits, verbose)4,99238292%
npm install (487 packages, warnings)2414183%
vitest run (28 tests, all pass)1963980%
cargo build (2 errors, help text)43613868%
pip install (9 packages, progress bars)28810165%
cargo test (12 tests, 2 failures)35119046%
npm audit (4 vulnerabilities)28718536%

Token estimates use ~4 chars/token. The biggest savings appear on verbose commands (builds, installs, tests). For simpler tools like eslint or tsc, the main advantage is reliable structured data — agents can use typed JSON directly rather than parsing strings.

How It Works

Each Pare tool returns two outputs:

  • content — human-readable text, for MCP clients that display it
  • structuredContent — typed, schema-validated JSON, ready for agents to process

This uses MCP's structuredContent and outputSchema features to provide type-safe, validated data that agents can rely on without custom parsing.

Example: git status

Raw git output (~118 tokens):

On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 2 commits.
  (use "git push" to publish your local commits)

Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
        modified:   src/index.ts
        new file:   src/utils.ts

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
        modified:   README.md

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        temp.log

Pare structured output (~59 tokens):

{
  "branch": "main",
  "upstream": "origin/main",
  "ahead": 2,
  "staged": [
    { "file": "src/index.ts", "status": "modified" },
    { "file": "src/utils.ts", "status": "added" }
  ],
  "modified": ["README.md"],
  "deleted": [],
  "untracked": ["temp.log"],
  "conflicts": [],
  "clean": false
}

50% fewer tokens. Zero information lost. Fully typed. Savings scale with output verbosity — test runners and build logs see 80–92% reduction.

Available Servers (28 packages, 240 tools)

Install only the servers relevant to your stack — most projects need just 2–4. The full catalog covers a wide range of ecosystems so Pare works wherever you do.

CategoryServersToolsWraps
Version Controlgit, github55git, gh
Languages & Packagesnpm, python, cargo, go, deno, bun, nix, dotnet, ruby, swift, jvm101npm, pip, cargo, go, deno, bun, nix, dotnet, gem, swift, gradle, maven
Build, Lint & Testbuild, lint, test, cmake, bazel23tsc, esbuild, vite, webpack, eslint, prettier, biome, vitest, pytest, jest
Infrastructuredocker, k8s, infra, security, remote40docker, kubectl, helm, terraform, ansible, trivy, ssh
Utilitiessearch, http, make, process, db21ripgrep, fd, curl, make, just, psql, mysql, redis, mongosh

Tool Schemas — detailed response examples and field descriptions for every tool. See also Tool Response Examples for quick JSON samples.

Quick Setup

# 1. Configure MCP servers (non-interactive)
npx @paretools/init --client claude-code --preset web

# 2. Add agent rules to your project
#    (append to existing CLAUDE.md, or copy if new)
cat node_modules/@paretools/init/rules/CLAUDE.md >> CLAUDE.md

# 3. Restart your client session

# 4. Validate
npx @paretools/init doctor

Available presets: web, python, rust, go, jvm, dotnet, ruby, swift, mobile, devops, full

Setup Guides by Client

Claude CodeClaude DesktopCursor
VS Code / CopilotWindsurfCline / Roo Code
OpenAI CodexGemini CLIZed
Continue.dev

Full Quickstart Guide — presets, ecosystem mapping, validation

Manual Configuration — config paths and formats for all clients

Agent Integration Guide — rule files, hooks, CLI-to-MCP mapping

Configuration

Tool Selection

By default, every Pare server registers all of its tools. If a server exposes tools you don't need — or you want to limit which tools are available to an agent — you can filter them with environment variables.

Per-server filter — restrict a single server's tools:

# Only register status and log in the git server
PARE_GIT_TOOLS=status,log npx @paretools/git

Universal filter — restrict tools across all servers:

# Only register these specific tools across any server
PARE_TOOLS=git:status,git:log,npm:install npx @paretools/git

Disable all tools — set the env var to an empty string:

PARE_GIT_TOOLS= npx @paretools/git   # no tools registered
Env VarScopeFormatExample
PARE_TOOLSAll serversserver:tool,...git:status,npm:install
PARE_{SERVER}_TOOLSOne servertool,...status,log,diff

Rules:

  • No env var = all tools enabled (default)
  • PARE_TOOLS (universal) takes precedence over per-server vars
  • Server names use uppercase with hyphens replaced by underscores (e.g., PARE_MY_SERVER_TOOLS)
  • Whitespace around commas is ignored

Common patterns:

# Read-only git (no push, commit, add, checkout)
PARE_GIT_TOOLS=status,log,diff,branch,show

# Minimal npm
PARE_NPM_TOOLS=install,test,run

# Only specific tools across all servers
PARE_TOOLS=git:status,git:diff,npm:install,test:run

In JSON MCP config, set via the env key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pare-git": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@paretools/git"],
      "env": {
        "PARE_GIT_TOOLS": "status,log,diff,show"
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
npx not found / ENOENT on WindowsUse cmd /c npx wrapper (see your client's setup guide)
Slow first startRun npx -y @paretools/git once to cache, or install globally: npm i -g @paretools/git
Node.js version errorPare requires Node.js >= 20
NVM/fnm PATH issuesUse absolute path to npx: e.g., ~/.nvm/versions/node/v22/bin/npx
MCP connection timeoutSet MCP_TIMEOUT=30000 for Claude Code, or increase initTimeout in client config
Too many tools filling contextUse tool selection env vars to limit tools, or only install the servers you need

Contributing

Each server is a self-contained package. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full guide.

License

MIT

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