GitHub Repo Explainer

An MCP server that gives AI assistants like GitHub Copilot and Cursor live access to any GitHub repository — without cloning it first.

Ask your AI questions like:

• "What does this repo do?"
• "What changed in the last 7 days?"
• "Are any dependencies outdated?"
• "Explain this specific file"

And get answers backed by real-time GitHub data, not stale training data.

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Why this is different from Cursor or Copilot alone

	Cursor / Copilot alone	This MCP server
Explain code	✅ Local files only	✅ Any repo, anywhere
Live GitHub data	❌	✅ Stars, forks, activity
Recent commits & PRs	❌	✅ Last N days
Dependency audit	❌	✅ Checks PyPI live
Private repos	❌	✅ With your token
No cloning needed	❌	✅

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Tools

Tool	What it does
summarize_repo	Summarizes a repo's purpose, structure, language, and key files
explain_file	Fetches and explains a specific file in any repo
ask_repo	Answers any freeform question about a repo
recent_changes	Shows commits and merged PRs from the last N days
analyze_dependencies	Lists dependencies and flags outdated packages via PyPI

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Quickstart

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/Pranavvr/Repo_Explainer_MCP.git
cd Repo_Explainer_MCP

2. Create a virtual environment and install dependencies

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up your GitHub token

Create a .env file in the project root:

cp .env.example .env

Then open .env and add your token:

GITHUB_TOKEN=your_github_token_here

Get a token at github.com/settings/tokens. Only repo read scope needed.

4. Connect to VS Code

Open your MCP config file:

Cmd + Shift + P → MCP: Open User MCP Configuration

Add this:

{
  "servers": {
    "github-repo-explainer": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your_github_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the path with your actual path. Get it by running pwd in your project folder.

5. Restart VS Code and start asking questions

Open GitHub Copilot chat and try:

What does fastapi/fastapi do?

What changed in vercel/next.js in the last 7 days?

Are the dependencies in YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO outdated?

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Testing with MCP Inspector

To test your tools without an AI client:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector python3 server.py

Opens a browser UI where you can call each tool manually.

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Project structure

github-repo-explainer-mcp/
├── server.py          # MCP server — defines and exposes the 5 tools
├── github_client.py   # GitHub API wrapper — all data fetching logic
├── .env               # Your GitHub token (never committed)
├── .env.example       # Token template for others
├── requirements.txt   # Dependencies
└── README.md

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Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• GitHub Personal Access Token (free, read-only scope)
• VS Code 1.99+ with GitHub Copilot, or any MCP-compatible client

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Built with

• MCP Python SDK — MCP server framework
• PyGithub — GitHub API client
• python-dotenv — environment variable management

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License

MIT