MCP Tips

🚀 Model Context Protocol (MCP) Prompt and Best Practices Guide

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables AI models to communicate with their development environments and tools, facilitating efficient and secure interactions.

🚀 Quick Start

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a protocol that enables AI models to communicate with their development environments and tools. It allows AI assistants to gather context information, execute commands, and make modifications to codebases in a structured and secure manner. The MCP server acts as an intermediary between the AI model and the development environment, providing a standardized interface for interaction.

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• Docker installed on your system
• A valid GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT)
• Visual Studio Code (VS Code) installed with necessary extensions

Basic Setup Steps

1. Environment Configuration

   • Set your GitHub token as an environment variable:

     export GITHUB_TOKEN=your_token_here
     

2. Docker Image

   • The MCP server runs in a Docker container.
   • The official Docker image is available at: ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server

3. VS Code Setup

   • Configure the MCP server in your VS Code settings.json file.
   • Here is a basic configuration example:

     {
       "mcp": {
         "servers": {
           "github": {
             "command": "docker",
             "args": [
               "run",
               "-i",
               "--rm",
               "-e",
               "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=${env:GITHUB_TOKEN}",
               "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
             ],
             "env": {
               "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "$GITHUB_TOKEN"
             }
           }
         }
       }
     }
     

✨ Features

Configuration Tips

Best Practices

1. Token Security

   • Never commit your GitHub token to version control.
   • Store sensitive information using environment variables.
   • Regularly rotate your Personal Access Token.

2. Docker Configuration

   • Use the --rm flag to automatically remove stopped containers.
   • Consider using volumes for persistent data.
   • Keep your Docker images up - to - date.

3. VS Code Integration

   • Ensure that you update VS Code and its extensions.
   • Configure the logging level appropriately.
   • Use workspace - specific settings when necessary.

📚 Documentation

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Connection Issues

   • Verify that Docker is running.
   • Check if your GitHub token is valid and correctly set.
   • Ensure that your network connection to GitHub is working.

2. Authentication Issues

   • Verify that your PAT has the required permission scope.
   • Check your environment variable configuration.
   • Make sure your token has not expired.

3. Docker - Related Issues

   • If you encounter image issues, clean the Docker cache.
   • Check the Docker logs for detailed error information.
   • Ensure that Docker has sufficient system resources.

4. VS Code Integration Issues

   • Reset VS Code settings to default if necessary.
   • Check the logs of VS Code extensions.
   • Verify the syntax of the MCP configuration in settings.json.

Debugging Tips

• Enable verbose logging in VS Code.
• Check the Docker container logs.
• Verify the availability of environment variables.
• Monitor system resource usage.

Advanced Configuration

Custom Server Configuration

• Configure multiple MCP servers.
• Set custom environment variables.
• Configure resource limits.

Performance Optimization

• Configure cache settings.
• Optimize Docker container resources.
• Set appropriate timeout values.

📄 Additional Resources

• GitHub MCP Server Documentation
• VS Code Documentation
• Docker Documentation