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Creating a GitHub Repository Using GitHub MCP

⚙️ This guide explains in detail how to create a new GitHub repository using the GitHub Copilot Model Context Protocol (MCP) extension installed in Visual Studio Code.
⚙️ The MCP extension allows you to automate repository management tasks, including repository creation, directly from the VS Code interface using natural language prompts.

Prerequisites

  • A GitHub account (Sign up here if you don’t have one)
  • GitHub account with permission to create repositories
  • A web browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
  • Visual Studio Code installed on your computer
  • The GitHub Copilot MCP extension installed in VS Code

Task: Create a new GitHub repository

1. Install (MCP Extension)

  1. Open Visual Studio Code.
  2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac).
  3. Search for GitHub Copilot MCP and click Install, or go to https://code.visualstudio.com/mcp
  4. Verify the installation by checking if the extension appears in the list of installed extensions.
  5. Verify the MCP server by opening GitHub Copilot chat, clicking on the settings icon, and ensuring the server status is “Running”.

2. Authenticate with GitHub

  1. After installation, you may be prompted to sign in to your GitHub account.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete authentication.

3. Open the Copilot Chat

  • Click on the Copilot icon in the sidebar or open the Copilot Chat panel from the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P > “Copilot: Chat”)
  • Verify that the MCP is enabled.

Verify MCP srver

MCP tool Check MCP tool Check

4. Create repo from Prompt

  • In the Copilot Chat panel, enter a prompt such as:

Prompt to create GitHub repository using GitHub Copilot MCP

Using GitHub Copilot MCP
Create a new GitHub repository named "GitLab-MCP-Repo"
Make it public and add a README and a Python .gitignore
Add policy to protect the 'main' branch
  • You can customize the prompt to include details like description, visibility (public/private).license, and more. Here are some example prompts:

5. Verify (VsCode)

  • In the VsCode Github Copilot Chat panel, you should see something like:

VsCode Github Copilot Chat

6. Verify (GitHub)

  • Navigate to your GitHub account and go to the “Repositories” tab.
  • You should see the newly created repository “GitLab-MCP-Repo” listed there.
  • Click on the repository to view its contents and verify that the README and .gitignore files have been created.

VsCode Github Copilot Chat

References