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Opening Pull Requests via GitHub MCP Extension

  • This guide explains how to create and manage pull requests using the GitHub Model Context Protocol (MCP).
  • MCP allows you to create PRs using natural language commands.

Prerequisites

  • Visual Studio Code installed
  • GitHub Copilot MCP extension installed and configured (Including Authentication)
  • Proper authentication setup with GitHub
  • Your feature branch has been pushed to the remote repository

1. Install and Setup MCP

  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
  4. Verify the installation by checking if the extension appears in the list of installed extensions

2. Authentication

  1. After installation, you may be prompted to sign in to your GitHub account
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete authentication
  3. Verify the MCP server by opening GitHub Copilot chat and checking the server status

3. Create PR from Prompt

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

Prompt to create PR using GitHub Copilot MCP

Using GitHub Copilot MCP
Create a new pull request from “git-labs-branch” to “main”
Title: “Add user authentication feature”
Description: “This PR is auto generated using MCP”
Add reviewers: @me
Add labels: mcp, bugfix, high-priority
Assign to: @me

  • You can customize the prompt to include details like description, visibility (public/private).license, and more. Here are some example prompts:

    Create PR - MCP

4. Updating Existing PRs Examples

Prompt to update PR using GitHub Copilot MCP

### 1. Update title
Update my pull request title to "Improved user authentication feature"

### 2. Add reviewers
Add reviewers alice.cooper and @backend-team to pull request #123 

### 3. Update description
Update PR #456 description to include:
"## Changes
- Fixed validation bug
- Added unit tests
- Updated documentation"

### 4. Add commits
Ive made some changes to my feature branch. 
Please update pull request #123 with these new commits.

### 5. Add comment
Add a comment to my current pull request explaining that I've addressed the review feedback and added unit tests.

5. Viewing PR Information

  • Keep working with the MCP to find out details about your pull requests

  • You can ask for information about your pull requests, such as:

6. AI MCP PR prompts Suggestion

Create PR from Templates

Create a pull request using our standard template:
- Branch: feature/payment-integration
- Title: Implement Stripe payment integration
- Type: New feature
- Include testing checklist
- Add backend team as reviewers

Create PR for all my bug-fix

Create pull requests for all my feature branches that start with "bugs"
Use template: "Authentication improvements"
Add security team as reviewers

Update PR

"Update my PR title"
"Add reviewers to PR #123"
"Change PR description"
"Convert draft to ready for review"
"Add labels to my pull request"

Automation Workflows

# Automated PR creation for releases
"Create release PR from develop to main, title 'Release v2.1.0', add all team leads as reviewers"

# Hotfix workflows
"Create hotfix PR, title 'Critical security patch', add security team, mark as urgent"

Best Practices for GitHub MCP

Workflow Integration

  1. Consistent Naming: Use consistent branch and PR naming conventions
  2. Template Usage: Develop standard prompts for your team
  3. Context Awareness: Provide relevant context in your requests
  4. Verification: Always review MCP suggestions before confirming

Additional Resources