---
title: "GitMCP: Docs and Code from Any GitHub Repo, No Install"
url: "https://mcpshelf.co/servers/gitmcp"
description: "GitMCP is a free hosted server that feeds an assistant the docs and code of any public GitHub repo. The two URL styles, the tools and when each one fits."
updated: "2026-10-27"
site: "MCP Shelf"
---

# GitMCP

> A hosted server that reads any public GitHub repo's docs and code on request.

## At a glance

GitMCP runs in the cloud, so there is nothing to install: you add a URL. Point it at one repository (gitmcp.io/owner/repo) and the assistant gets tools to fetch that project's documentation, search it and search its code. Use the generic address, gitmcp.io/docs, and the model picks the repository itself for each question.

It reads llms.txt first when a project has one, then the README. That makes it a light, free way to stop a model guessing at a library it knows badly, without any account.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Made by | The GitMCP project (idosal/git-mcp), free and open source |
| GitHub | https://github.com/idosal/git-mcp |
| GitHub stars | 8.5K |
| Downloads | 33 a week |
| Last commit | 8 May 2026 |
| Tools | 5 |
| Runs on | Hosted |
| Install check | Needs your setup first |
| Category | [Developer tools](https://mcpshelf.co/categories/developer-tools) |

**Our check:** It needs something our Linux test machine does not have (an account, a desktop app, a Mac or a running service), so on 27 Oct 2026 we read its tools from the source code instead of running this config. The npm package called "git-mcp" has no link to this project. GitMCP is a hosted service; the repository is its source, for anyone who wants to run their own copy.

## Tools

We listed 5 tools on 27 Oct 2026. Every one of them only reads.

| Tool | Kind | What it is for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `match_common_libs_owner_repo_mapping` | reads | Turns a library name, such as "three.js", into its GitHub owner and repository, when you have not named one. |
| `fetch_generic_documentation` | reads | Fetches a repository's main documentation: llms.txt if the project has one, otherwise its README. |
| `search_generic_documentation` | reads | Searches a repository's documentation for a question and returns the relevant passages instead of the whole thing. |
| `search_generic_code` | reads | Searches a repository's code through GitHub code search, 30 results a page. |
| `fetch_generic_url_content` | reads | Fetches a page that the documentation links to, respecting robots.txt. |

## Set it up

### Claude Desktop

Where: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector

```
https://gitmcp.io/docs
```

Paste the URL and sign in if asked. Custom connectors depend on your plan.

### Claude Code

Where: Your terminal, in the project folder

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http gitmcp https://gitmcp.io/docs
```

### Cursor

Where: ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json in a project

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitmcp": {
      "url": "https://gitmcp.io/docs"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

Where: .vscode/mcp.json in your project

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "gitmcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://gitmcp.io/docs"
    }
  }
}
```

### Windsurf

Where: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitmcp": {
      "serverUrl": "https://gitmcp.io/docs"
    }
  }
}
```

### ChatGPT

Where: Settings → Apps & Connectors → create a connector

```
https://gitmcp.io/docs
```

Paste the URL as the connector address and sign in if asked.

Swap /docs for /owner/repo (for example https://gitmcp.io/microsoft/playwright-mcp) to lock it to one project and get tools named after it.

## Settings

| Setting | Kind | Required | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `https://gitmcp.io/docs` | config | no | The generic address: one server for every public repository, with the model naming the owner and repository on each call. |
| `https://gitmcp.io/{owner}/{repo}` | config | no | Locks the server to one repository. The tools are then named after that repository, which makes the model more likely to pick them for questions about it. Example: `https://gitmcp.io/microsoft/playwright-mcp` |
| `https://{owner}.gitmcp.io/{repo}` | config | no | The same for a project's GitHub Pages documentation site. Example: `https://langchain-ai.gitmcp.io/langgraph` |
| `npx mcp-remote` | config | no | A stdio bridge for clients that cannot connect to a URL: use npx mcp-remote https://gitmcp.io/owner/repo as the command. |

## What it can touch

**It can read**

- Public GitHub repositories: their docs, README, llms.txt and code
- Web pages those docs link to

**It can change**

**Safer setup:** Everything it does is read-only. A repository-specific URL keeps the model from wandering to repositories you did not mean.

## Before you start

- Nothing: no account, key or install
- A client that can connect to a remote URL (or mcp-remote as a bridge)

## Good for

- Asking how to use a new or niche library from its own docs
- Finding how something is implemented in an open source project
- Giving a chat-only client grounded answers about a repo

## If it does not work

**The model picks the wrong repository**
Use the repository-specific address instead of /docs, or name owner/repo in your prompt.

**Answers are thin for a project**
GitMCP reads llms.txt first, then the README. Projects with little written documentation give it little to work with; search_generic_code can still find examples in the source.

**Private repositories do not work**
The hosted service only reads public repositories. For private code, use the GitHub MCP server with a token instead.

## Similar servers

| Server | Tools | Runs on | Stars |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [GhidraMCP](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/ghidra) | 30 | Your computer | 11.6K |
| [shadcn/ui MCP](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/shadcn-ui) | 10 | Your computer | 3.1K |
| [jCodeMunch](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/jcodemunch) | 6 | Your computer | 2.8K |
| [iOS Simulator MCP](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/ios-simulator) | 17 | Your computer | 2.2K |

## Questions

### Is GitMCP free?

Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and, according to its makers, does not store queries or personal data.

### How is it different from Context7?

Context7 serves a curated, indexed library catalogue. GitMCP works on any public repository straight from its own docs and code, with no index to wait for.

### Can I run my own copy?

Yes. The source is on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 licence and runs on Cloudflare Workers.

### Does it work with GitHub Pages docs sites?

Yes, through the owner.gitmcp.io/repo form of the address.

Full docs on GitHub: https://github.com/idosal/git-mcp

---

From [MCP Shelf](https://mcpshelf.co/): A short shelf of MCP servers that are worth installing. Index for agents: https://mcpshelf.co/llms.txt