GitHub MCP in Chat in GitHub (#56802)

Co-authored-by: Jules Porter <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Sophie <[email protected]>

Author: 3 people

content/copilot/concepts/chat.md

@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@ For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/customizing-copilot/adding-reposi
 
 {% data reusables.copilot.change-the-ai-model %}
 
-## Extending {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}
+## Extending {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %}
+
+{% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} can be extended in a variety of ways to enhance its functionality and integrate it with other tools and services. This can include using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to provide context-aware AI assistance, or connecting third-party tools to leverage {% data variables.product.github %}’s AI capabilities.
+
+### Extending {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} with MCP
+
+MCP is an open standard that defines how applications share context with large language models (LLMs). MCP provides a standardized way to connect AI models to different data sources and tools, enabling them to work together more effectively.
+
+You can configure MCP servers to provide context to {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} in various IDEs, such as {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} and JetBrains IDEs. For {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}, the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server is automatically configured, enabling {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to perform a limited set of tasks, at your request, such as creating branches or merging pull requests. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/how-tos/context/model-context-protocol/extending-copilot-chat-with-mcp) and [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/how-tos/context/model-context-protocol/using-the-github-mcp-server).
+
+### Extending {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} with external tools
 
 {% data reusables.copilot.copilot-extensions.extending-copilot-chat %}

content/copilot/how-tos/provide-context/use-mcp/use-the-github-mcp-server.md

@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ contentType: how-tos
 
 {% vscode %}
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.mcp-ide-preview-note %}
+
 {% data reusables.copilot.mcp.about-github-mcp-server %}
 
 ## Prerequisites
@@ -209,10 +211,14 @@ The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server enables you to perform a wide
     * In the {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} box, you may be asked to give additional permissions or provide more information to complete the action.
 1. Follow the prompts to complete the action.
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.troubleshooting-mcp-server %}
+
 {% endvscode %}
 
 {% jetbrains %}
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.mcp-ide-preview-note %}
+
 {% data reusables.copilot.mcp.about-github-mcp-server %}
 
 ## Prerequisites
@@ -285,10 +291,14 @@ The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server enables you to perform a wide
     * In the {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} box, you may be asked to give additional permissions or provide more information to complete the action.
 1. Follow the prompts to complete the action.
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.troubleshooting-mcp-server %}
+
 {% endjetbrains %}
 
 {% xcode %}
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.mcp-ide-preview-note %}
+
 {% data reusables.copilot.mcp.about-github-mcp-server %}
 
 ## Prerequisites
@@ -356,10 +366,14 @@ The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server enables you to perform a wide
     * In the {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} box, you may be asked to give additional permissions or provide more information to complete the action.
 1. Follow the prompts to complete the action.
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.troubleshooting-mcp-server %}
+
 {% endxcode %}
 
 {% eclipse %}
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.mcp-ide-preview-note %}
+
 {% data reusables.copilot.mcp.about-github-mcp-server %}
 
 ## Prerequisites
@@ -428,9 +442,42 @@ The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server enables you to perform a wide
     * In the {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} box, you may be asked to give additional permissions or provide more information to complete the action.
 1. Follow the prompts to complete the action.
 
+{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.troubleshooting-mcp-server %}
+
 {% endeclipse %}
 
-{% data reusables.copilot.mcp.troubleshooting-mcp-server %}
+{% webui %}
+
+>[!NOTE] MCP in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %} is currently in {% data variables.release-phases.public_preview %} and subject to change.
+
+## About MCP in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}
+
+The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server provided and maintained by {% data variables.product.github %}. MCP allows you to integrate AI capabilities with other tools and services, enhancing your development experience by providing context-aware AI assistance.
+
+For more information on MCP, see [the official MCP documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction).
+
+Within {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}, the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server is automatically configured, with a limited set of skills available. This allows you to instruct {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to perform tasks such as creating branches or merging pull requests on your behalf. For a full list of available skills, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/reference/github-copilot-chat-cheat-sheet#mcp-skills).
+
+## Using the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}
+
+The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server is automatically configured in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}. You can start using it immediately without any additional setup.
+
+{% data reusables.copilot.immersive-mode-instructions %}
+1. In the prompt box, type a request related to the skill you want {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to perform, and press **Enter**.
+
+    Some examples of requests you can make are:
+    * `Create a new branch called [BRANCH-NAME] in the repository [USERNAME/REPO-NAME].`
+    * `Create a new branch called [BRANCH-NAME] in the repository [USERNAME/REPO-NAME].`
+    * `Merge the pull request [PULL-REQUEST-NUMBER] in the repository [USERNAME/REPO-NAME].`
+
+1. {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} will ask you to confirm that you want to proceed with the action. Click **Allow** to confirm.
+1. {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} will use the relevant skill from the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server to perform the action you requested. {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} will show you the result of the action in the chat interface.
+
+## Limitations
+
+The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %} is currently limited to a set of predefined skills. If you ask {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to perform an action that is not supported by the MCP server, it will still attempt to provide a helpful response, but it may not be able to perform the action as expected. For example, if you ask {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to create a new issue, it may provide you with a draft issue template, but you will still need to manually create the issue.
+
+{% endwebui %}
 
 ## Further reading
 

content/copilot/how-tos/use-chat/use-chat-in-github.md

@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ redirect_from:
 contentType: how-tos
 ---
 
+## Introduction
+
+This guide describes how to use {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to ask questions about software development in {% data variables.product.github %}. You can ask general questions about software development, or specific questions about the issues or code in a repository. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/concepts/about-github-copilot-chat).
+
 ## Submitting a question to {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %}
 
 You can open {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} from any page on {% data variables.product.github %}. Certain questions may require you to be in a specific context, such as a repository, issue, or pull request. The following procedure describes how to ask a general software related question, and demonstrates the core functionality of {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} on {% data variables.product.github %}. For more information on other scenarios, see [Asking {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} questions in different contexts](/copilot/using-github-copilot/asking-github-copilot-questions-in-github#asking-copilot-chat-questions-in-different-contexts).

content/copilot/how-tos/use-chat/use-chat-in-ide.md

@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ shortTitle: Use Chat in IDE
 contentType: how-tos
 ---
 
+## Introduction
+
+This guide describes how to use {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to ask questions about software development in your IDE. You can ask general questions about software development, or specific questions about the code in your project. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/concepts/about-github-copilot-chat).
+
 {% vscode %}
 
 ## Prerequisites

content/copilot/how-tos/use-chat/use-chat-in-mobile.md

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ contentType: how-tos
 
 ## Overview
 
-{% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat %} is a chat interface that lets you ask and receive answers to coding-related questions in {% data variables.product.prodname_mobile %}. You can also use {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat %} on either {% data variables.product.github %} or within a supported IDE. For information on using {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat %} in an IDE, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/github-copilot-chat/copilot-chat-in-ides/using-github-copilot-chat-in-your-ide).
+{% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat %} is a chat interface that lets you ask and receive answers to coding-related questions in {% data variables.product.prodname_mobile %}. You can also use {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat %} on either {% data variables.product.github %} or within a supported IDE. For information about {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat %}, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/concepts/about-github-copilot-chat).
 
 {% data variables.copilot.copilot_mobile_short %} can help you with a variety of coding-related tasks, like offering you code suggestions, providing natural language descriptions of a piece of code's functionality and purpose, generating unit tests for your code, and proposing fixes for bugs in your code. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/github-copilot-chat/copilot-chat-in-github-mobile/about-github-copilot-chat-in-github-mobile).
 

content/copilot/reference/cheat-sheet.md

@@ -44,6 +44,22 @@ Available slash commands may vary, depending on your environment and the context
 | `/new` | Start a new conversation |
 | `/rename` | Rename a conversation. |
 
+## MCP skills
+
+Below is a list of the MCP skills that are currently available in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}, and example prompts you can use to invoke them. You do not need to use the MCP skill name in your prompt; you can simply ask {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %} to perform the task.
+
+| Skill | Example prompt |
+| --- | --- |
+| `create_branch`             | Create a new branch called [BRANCH-NAME] in the repository [USERNAME/REPO-NAME].                                                                 |
+| `create_or_update_file`     | Add a new file named `hello-world.md` to my [BRANCH-NAME] of [USERNAME/REPO-NAME] with the content: "Hello, world! This file was created from {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_dotcom_short %}!"         |
+| `push_files`                | Push the files `test.md` with the content "This is a test file" and `test-again.md` with the content "This is another test file" to the [BRANCH-NAME] in [USERNAME/REPO-NAME] |
+| `update_pull_request_branch`| Update the branch for pull request [PR-number] in [USERNAME/REPO-NAME] with the latest changes from the base branch.                                          |
+| `merge_pull_request`        | Merge pull request [PR-Number] in [USERNAME/REPO-NAME]                                                                                                                      |
+| `get_me`                    | Tell me about myself.                                                                                                                                 |
+| `search_users`              | Search for users with the name "Mona Octocat"                                                                                       |
+
+For more information about using MCP skills in {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %}, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/how-tos/context/model-context-protocol/using-the-github-mcp-server).
+
 {% endwebui %}
 
 {% vscode %}

data/reusables/copilot/mcp/mcp-ide-preview-note.md

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+>[!NOTE]
+> The remote {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server is currently in {% data variables.release-phases.public_preview %} and subject to change; use of the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server locally is generally available (GA).
+>
+> While in {% data variables.release-phases.public_preview %}, access to the remote {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server through OAuth in {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} is governed by the {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} **Editor preview features** policy at the organization or enterprise level. PAT access to the server is managed by PAT policies.