GitHub Automation via Rube MCP

Automate GitHub repository management, issue tracking, pull request workflows, branch operations, and CI/CD through Composio's GitHub toolkit.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/github

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
Active GitHub connection via
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
github
```
Always call
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add

https://rube.app/mcp

as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
responds
Call
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
github
```
If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete GitHub OAuth
Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Create and Manage Issues

When to use: User wants to create, list, or manage GitHub issues

Tool sequence:

GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORIES_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER

- Find target repo if unknown [Prerequisite]

```
GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_ISSUES
```
- List existing issues (includes PRs) [Required]
```
GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ISSUE
```
- Create a new issue [Required]
```
GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ISSUE_COMMENT
```
- Add comments to an issue [Optional]
```
GITHUB_SEARCH_ISSUES_AND_PULL_REQUESTS
```
- Search across repos by keyword [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
owner
```
: Repository owner (username or org), case-insensitive
```
repo
```
: Repository name without .git extension
```
title
```
: Issue title (required for creation)
```
body
```
: Issue description (supports Markdown)
```
labels
```
: Array of label names
```
assignees
```
: Array of GitHub usernames
```
state
```
: 'open', 'closed', or 'all' for filtering

Pitfalls:

```
GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_ISSUES
```
returns both issues AND pull requests; check
```
pull_request
```
field to distinguish
Only users with push access can set assignees, labels, and milestones; they are silently dropped otherwise
Pagination:
```
per_page
```
max 100; iterate pages until empty

2. Manage Pull Requests

When to use: User wants to create, review, or merge pull requests

Tool sequence:

```
GITHUB_FIND_PULL_REQUESTS
```
- Search and filter PRs [Required]
```
GITHUB_GET_A_PULL_REQUEST
```
- Get detailed PR info including mergeable status [Required]
```
GITHUB_LIST_PULL_REQUESTS_FILES
```
- Review changed files [Optional]
```
GITHUB_CREATE_A_PULL_REQUEST
```
- Create a new PR [Required]
```
GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ISSUE_COMMENT
```
- Post review comments [Optional]
```
GITHUB_LIST_CHECK_RUNS_FOR_A_REF
```
- Verify CI status before merge [Optional]
```
GITHUB_MERGE_A_PULL_REQUEST
```
- Merge after explicit user approval [Required]

Key parameters:

```
head
```
: Source branch with changes (must exist; for cross-repo: 'username:branch')
```
base
```
: Target branch to merge into (e.g., 'main')
```
title
```
: PR title (required unless
```
issue
```
number provided)
```
merge_method
```
: 'merge', 'squash', or 'rebase'
```
state
```
: 'open', 'closed', or 'all'

Pitfalls:

```
GITHUB_CREATE_A_PULL_REQUEST
```
fails with 422 if base/head are invalid, identical, or already merged
```
GITHUB_MERGE_A_PULL_REQUEST
```
can be rejected if PR is draft, closed, or branch protection applies
Always verify mergeable status with
```
GITHUB_GET_A_PULL_REQUEST
```
immediately before merging
Require explicit user confirmation before calling MERGE

3. Manage Repositories and Branches

When to use: User wants to create repos, manage branches, or update repo settings

Tool sequence:

GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORIES_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER

- List user's repos [Required]

```
GITHUB_GET_A_REPOSITORY
```
- Get detailed repo info [Optional]

GITHUB_CREATE_A_REPOSITORY_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER

- Create personal repo [Required]

GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ORGANIZATION_REPOSITORY

- Create org repo [Alternative]

```
GITHUB_LIST_BRANCHES
```
- List branches [Required]
```
GITHUB_CREATE_A_REFERENCE
```
- Create new branch from SHA [Required]
```
GITHUB_UPDATE_A_REPOSITORY
```
- Update repo settings [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
name
```
: Repository name
```
private
```
: Boolean for visibility
```
ref
```
: Full reference path (e.g., 'refs/heads/new-branch')
```
sha
```
: Commit SHA to point the new reference to
```
default_branch
```
: Default branch name

Pitfalls:

GITHUB_CREATE_A_REFERENCE

only creates NEW references; use

GITHUB_UPDATE_A_REFERENCE

for existing ones

```
ref
```
must start with 'refs/' and contain at least two slashes
```
GITHUB_LIST_BRANCHES
```
paginates via
```
page
```
/
```
per_page
```
; iterate until empty page
```
GITHUB_DELETE_A_REPOSITORY
```
is permanent and irreversible; requires admin privileges

4. Search Code and Commits

When to use: User wants to find code, files, or commits across repositories

Tool sequence:

```
GITHUB_SEARCH_CODE
```
- Search file contents and paths [Required]
```
GITHUB_SEARCH_CODE_ALL_PAGES
```
- Multi-page code search [Alternative]
```
GITHUB_SEARCH_COMMITS_BY_AUTHOR
```
- Search commits by author/date/org [Required]
```
GITHUB_LIST_COMMITS
```
- List commits for a specific repo [Alternative]
```
GITHUB_GET_A_COMMIT
```
- Get detailed commit info [Optional]
```
GITHUB_GET_REPOSITORY_CONTENT
```
- Get file content [Optional]

Key parameters:

: Search query with qualifiers (

language:python

repo:owner/repo

extension:js

)

```
owner
```
/
```
repo
```
: For repo-specific commit listing
```
author
```
: Filter by commit author
```
since
```
/
```
until
```
: ISO 8601 date range for commits

Pitfalls:

Code search only indexes files under 384KB on default branch
Maximum 1000 results returned from code search
```
GITHUB_SEARCH_COMMITS_BY_AUTHOR
```
requires keywords in addition to qualifiers; qualifier-only queries are not allowed
```
GITHUB_LIST_COMMITS
```
returns 409 on empty repos

5. Manage CI/CD and Deployments

When to use: User wants to view workflows, check CI status, or manage deployments

Tool sequence:

```
GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_WORKFLOWS
```
- List GitHub Actions workflows [Required]
```
GITHUB_GET_A_WORKFLOW
```
- Get workflow details by ID or filename [Optional]
```
GITHUB_CREATE_A_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH_EVENT
```
- Manually trigger a workflow [Required]
```
GITHUB_LIST_CHECK_RUNS_FOR_A_REF
```
- Check CI status for a commit/branch [Required]
```
GITHUB_LIST_DEPLOYMENTS
```
- List deployments [Optional]
```
GITHUB_GET_A_DEPLOYMENT_STATUS
```
- Get deployment status [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
workflow_id
```
: Numeric ID or filename (e.g., 'ci.yml')
```
ref
```
: Git reference (branch/tag) for workflow dispatch
```
inputs
```
: JSON string of workflow inputs matching
```
on.workflow_dispatch.inputs
```
```
environment
```
: Filter deployments by environment name

Pitfalls:

GITHUB_CREATE_A_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH_EVENT

requires the workflow to have

workflow_dispatch

trigger configured

Full path
```
.github/workflows/main.yml
```
is auto-stripped to just
```
main.yml
```
Inputs max 10 key-value pairs; must match workflow's
```
on.workflow_dispatch.inputs
```
definitions

6. Manage Users and Permissions

When to use: User wants to check collaborators, permissions, or branch protection

Tool sequence:

```
GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_COLLABORATORS
```
- List repo collaborators [Required]

GITHUB_GET_REPOSITORY_PERMISSIONS_FOR_A_USER

- Check specific user's access [Optional]

```
GITHUB_GET_BRANCH_PROTECTION
```
- Inspect branch protection rules [Required]
```
GITHUB_UPDATE_BRANCH_PROTECTION
```
- Update protection settings [Optional]
```
GITHUB_ADD_A_REPOSITORY_COLLABORATOR
```
- Add/update collaborator [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
affiliation
```
: 'outside', 'direct', or 'all' for collaborator filtering
```
permission
```
: Filter by 'pull', 'triage', 'push', 'maintain', 'admin'
```
branch
```
: Branch name for protection rules
```
enforce_admins
```
: Whether protection applies to admins

Pitfalls:

```
GITHUB_GET_BRANCH_PROTECTION
```
returns 404 for unprotected branches; treat as no protection rules
Determine push ability from
```
permissions.push
```
or
```
role_name
```
, not display labels
```
GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_COLLABORATORS
```
paginates; iterate all pages

GITHUB_GET_REPOSITORY_PERMISSIONS_FOR_A_USER

may be inconclusive for non-collaborators

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Repo name -> owner/repo:

GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORIES_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER

PR number -> PR details:

GITHUB_FIND_PULL_REQUESTS

then

GITHUB_GET_A_PULL_REQUEST

Branch name -> SHA:
```
GITHUB_GET_A_BRANCH
```
Workflow name -> ID:
```
GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_WORKFLOWS
```

Pagination

All list endpoints use page-based pagination:

```
page
```
: Page number (starts at 1)
```
per_page
```
: Results per page (max 100)
Iterate until response returns fewer results than
```
per_page
```

Safety

Always verify PR mergeable status before merge
Require explicit user confirmation for destructive operations (merge, delete)
Check CI status with
```
GITHUB_LIST_CHECK_RUNS_FOR_A_REF
```
before merging

Known Pitfalls

Issues vs PRs:

GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_ISSUES

returns both; check

pull_request

field

Pagination limits:
```
per_page
```
max 100; always iterate pages until empty
Branch creation:
```
GITHUB_CREATE_A_REFERENCE
```
fails with 422 if reference already exists
Merge guards: Merge can fail due to branch protection, failing checks, or draft status
Code search limits: Only files <384KB on default branch; max 1000 results
Commit search: Requires search text keywords alongside qualifiers
Destructive actions: Repo deletion is irreversible; merge cannot be undone
Silent permission drops: Labels, assignees, milestones silently dropped without push access

Quick Reference

Task	Tool Slug	Key Params
List repos	`GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORIES_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER`	`type` , `sort` , `per_page`
Get repo	`GITHUB_GET_A_REPOSITORY`	`owner` , `repo`
Create issue	`GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ISSUE`	`owner` , `repo` , `title` , `body`
List issues	`GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_ISSUES`	`owner` , `repo` , `state`
Find PRs	`GITHUB_FIND_PULL_REQUESTS`	`repo` , `state` , `author`
Create PR	`GITHUB_CREATE_A_PULL_REQUEST`	`owner` , `repo` , `head` , `base` , `title`
Merge PR	`GITHUB_MERGE_A_PULL_REQUEST`	`owner` , `repo` , `pull_number` , `merge_method`
List branches	`GITHUB_LIST_BRANCHES`	`owner` , `repo`
Create branch	`GITHUB_CREATE_A_REFERENCE`	`owner` , `repo` , `ref` , `sha`
Search code	`GITHUB_SEARCH_CODE`	`q`
List commits	`GITHUB_LIST_COMMITS`	`owner` , `repo` , `author` , `since`
Search commits	`GITHUB_SEARCH_COMMITS_BY_AUTHOR`	`q`
List workflows	`GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_WORKFLOWS`	`owner` , `repo`
Trigger workflow	`GITHUB_CREATE_A_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH_EVENT`	`owner` , `repo` , `workflow_id` , `ref`
Check CI	`GITHUB_LIST_CHECK_RUNS_FOR_A_REF`	`owner` , `repo` , ref
List collaborators	`GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_COLLABORATORS`	`owner` , `repo`
Branch protection	`GITHUB_GET_BRANCH_PROTECTION`	`owner` , `repo` , `branch`

github-automation

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

GitHub Automation via Rube MCP

Prerequisites

Setup

Core Workflows

1. Create and Manage Issues

2. Manage Pull Requests

3. Manage Repositories and Branches

4. Search Code and Commits

5. Manage CI/CD and Deployments

6. Manage Users and Permissions

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Pagination

Safety

Known Pitfalls

Quick Reference