GitHub Kanban MCP server

The GitHub Kanban MCP Server helps manage GitHub issues in a kanban board format, making task management more efficient for LLM (Large Language Models) through the Model Context Protocol.

Installation Requirements

Before installing, ensure you have:

• Node.js 18.x or higher
• npm 9.x or higher
• GitHub CLI (gh)

Installation Steps

Install the package using npm:

npm install @sunwood-ai-labs/github-kanban-mcp-server

Set up GitHub CLI authentication:

gh auth login

Configuration

Add the following to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-kanban": {
      "command": "github-kanban-mcp-server"
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Listing Issues

The list_issues tool retrieves a list of issues from your kanban board.

Parameters:

• repo: GitHub repository name (required)
• state: Issue state ('open', 'closed', 'all')
• labels: Array of labels to filter by

Example usage:

{
  "name": "list_issues",
  "parameters": {
    "repo": "username/repository",
    "state": "open",
    "labels": ["bug", "high-priority"]
  }
}

Creating Issues

The create_issue tool creates a new issue in your repository.

Parameters:

• repo: GitHub repository name (required)
• title: Issue title (required)
• emoji: Emoji to add at the beginning of the title
• body: Issue description
• labels: Array of labels
• assignees: Array of users to assign

Example usage:

{
  "name": "create_issue",
  "parameters": {
    "repo": "username/repository",
    "title": "Fix login button",
    "emoji": "🐛",
    "body": "The login button is not working correctly on mobile devices",
    "labels": ["bug", "frontend"],
    "assignees": ["developer1"]
  }
}

Updating Issues

The update_issue tool modifies existing issues.

Parameters:

• repo: GitHub repository name (required)
• issue_number: Issue number (required)
• title: New title
• emoji: Emoji to add at the beginning of the title
• body: New description
• state: New state ('open', 'closed')
• labels: New array of labels
• assignees: New array of assignees

Example usage:

{
  "name": "update_issue",
  "parameters": {
    "repo": "username/repository",
    "issue_number": 42,
    "state": "closed",
    "labels": ["fixed"]
  }
}

Adding Comments

The add_comment tool adds comments to issues.

Parameters:

• repo: GitHub repository name (required)
• issue_number: Issue ID (required)
• body: Comment content (supports Markdown) (required)
• state: Optional issue state change when commenting ('open', 'closed')

Example usage:

{
  "name": "add_comment",
  "parameters": {
    "repo": "username/repository",
    "issue_number": 42,
    "body": "This issue is fixed in the latest release.",
    "state": "closed"
  }
}

Practical Usage Examples

Setting Up a Workflow

Here's an example workflow for managing issues:

1. List all open issues with a specific label:

   {
     "name": "list_issues",
     "parameters": {
       "repo": "myteam/project",
       "state": "open",
       "labels": ["needs-attention"]
     }
   }
   

2. Create a new task:

   {
     "name": "create_issue",
     "parameters": {
       "repo": "myteam/project",
       "title": "Implement new authentication flow",
       "emoji": "✨",
       "body": "## Description\nImplement OAuth2 authentication\n\n## Acceptance Criteria\n- Support Google login\n- Support GitHub login",
       "labels": ["enhancement", "authentication"],
       "assignees": ["developer1", "developer2"]
     }
   }
   

3. Update a task's status:

   {
     "name": "update_issue",
     "parameters": {
       "repo": "myteam/project",
       "issue_number": 15,
       "labels": ["in-progress"],
       "assignees": ["developer1"]
     }
   }
   

4. Add progress updates:

   {
     "name": "add_comment",
     "parameters": {
       "repo": "myteam/project",
       "issue_number": 15,
       "body": "Progress update: Google login implementation is complete. Working on GitHub login now."
     }
   }
   

5. Close a completed task:

   {
     "name": "update_issue",
     "parameters": {
       "repo": "myteam/project",
       "issue_number": 15,
       "state": "closed",
       "labels": ["completed"]
     }
   }
   

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.