Bitovi Git MCP Server (Docker Edition)

Run the @cyanheads/git-mcp-server in Docker with HTTP transport and enhanced logging!

Note: This is a Docker-optimized version of the excellent @cyanheads/git-mcp-server. For complete documentation, features, and usage details, please refer to the original README.

This Docker edition provides an easy way to run the Git MCP Server in a containerized environment with HTTP transport and enhanced console logging for Docker Desktop.

🐳 Quick Start with Docker

Prerequisites

Docker installed and running
Optional: ngrok for HTTPS tunneling

Running the Container

Build the Docker image:
```
docker build -t bitovi/git-mcp-server .
```
Run in HTTP mode with console logging:
```
docker run -d --name git-mcp-server \
  -p 3010:3010 \
  -v /path/to/your/repos:/workspace \
  -e MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http \
  -e MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 \
  -e MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug \
  -e MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true \
  bitovi/git-mcp-server
```
Using .env file (Recommended for multiple variables):

Copy the example environment file and customize it:
```
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your actual values
```
Example .env file contents:
```
# .env file
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http
MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0
MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010
MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug
MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true
GIT_TOKEN=ghp_your_personal_access_token_here
GIT_USERNAME=your_github_username
```
Then run Docker with the --env-file flag:
```
docker run -d --name git-mcp-server \
  -p 3010:3010 \
  -v /path/to/your/repos:/workspace \
  --env-file .env \
  bitovi/git-mcp-server
```
Volume Options:
- Local directory: -v /Users/yourname/git-repos:/workspace (macOS/Linux)
- Windows: -v C:\git-repos:/workspace
- Docker volume: -v git-repos-volume:/workspace
Volume Syntax Explained: The -v flag uses the format HOST_PATH:CONTAINER_PATH:
- Left side (/path/to/your/repos): Directory on your host machine
- Colon (:): Separator between host and container paths
- Right side (/workspace): Directory inside the Docker container
Example: -v /Users/john/my-repos:/workspace means:
- Host directory: /Users/john/my-repos (on your computer)
- Container directory: /workspace (inside Docker)
- Files in both locations are synchronized
Set the working directory via MCP:
- Use the git_set_working_dir tool to set /workspace as your base directory
- All Git operations will then be relative to /workspace
- Your cloned repositories will persist in the mounted volume
Access the server:
- Local: http://localhost:3010/mcp
- With ngrok: ngrok http 3010 then use the HTTPS URL
View logs in Docker Desktop:
- Open Docker Desktop
- Navigate to Containers
- Click on git-mcp-server
- View the "Logs" tab for real-time HTTP request logging

Working with Git Repositories

When you mount a volume, all Git operations can be performed within that persistent space:

# Example workflow using the MCP API:
# 1. Set working directory to the mounted volume
POST /mcp - git_set_working_dir tool with path="/workspace"

# 2. Clone a repository
POST /mcp - git_clone tool with url="https://github.com/user/repo.git"

# 3. The repo will be cloned to /workspace/repo (persisted on your host)

Benefits of using volumes:

Persistence: Repositories survive container restarts
Host access: Edit files directly on your host system
Performance: Better I/O performance than container filesystem
Backup: Easy to backup by copying the host directory

Git Authentication

By default, the Docker container does not have access to your host's Git credentials. For private repositories or push operations, you'll need to provide authentication:

Option 1: Personal Access Token (Recommended for HTTPS)

Create a GitHub Personal Access Token and configure Git credentials:

Method A: Using GIT_TOKEN environment variable (Easiest)

docker run -d --name git-mcp-server \
  -p 3010:3010 \
  -v /path/to/your/repos:/workspace \
  -e MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http \
  -e MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 \
  -e MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug \
  -e MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true \
  -e GIT_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here \
  -e GIT_USERNAME=your_github_username \
  bitovi/git-mcp-server

Method A (Alternative): Using .env file Create a .env file with your credentials:

# .env file
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http
MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0
MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010
MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug
MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true
GIT_TOKEN=ghp_your_personal_access_token_here
GIT_USERNAME=your_github_username

Then run with --env-file:

docker run -d --name git-mcp-server \
  -p 3010:3010 \
  -v /path/to/your/repos:/workspace \
  --env-file .env \
  bitovi/git-mcp-server

The container will automatically create a .git-credentials file and configure Git to use your token.

Method B: Using Git credential store (Manual)

# First, create a credential file on your host
echo "https://your_username:[email protected]" > ~/.git-credentials

# Then mount it into the container
docker run -d --name git-mcp-server \
  -p 3010:3010 \
  -v /path/to/your/repos:/workspace \
  -v ~/.git-credentials:/home/appuser/.git-credentials:ro \
  -e MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http \
  -e MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 \
  -e MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug \
  -e MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true \
  bitovi/git-mcp-server

Method C: Using repository URLs with embedded tokens For one-time operations, include the token directly in the repository URL:

https://your_username:[email protected]/user/repo.git

Option 2: SSH Keys (For SSH-based repositories)

Mount your SSH keys into the container:

docker run -d --name git-mcp-server \
  -p 3010:3010 \
  -v /path/to/your/repos:/workspace \
  -v ~/.ssh:/home/appuser/.ssh:ro \
  -e MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http \
  -e MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 \
  -e MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug \
  -e MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true \
  bitovi/git-mcp-server

Option 3: Git Config + Credentials

Mount your Git configuration and credential files:

docker run -d --name git-mcp-server \
  -p 3010:3010 \
  -v /path/to/your/repos:/workspace \
  -v ~/.gitconfig:/home/appuser/.gitconfig:ro \
  -v ~/.git-credentials:/home/appuser/.git-credentials:ro \
  -e MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http \
  -e MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 \
  -e MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug \
  -e MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true \
  bitovi/git-mcp-server

Security Notes:

Personal Access Tokens are recommended for HTTPS repositories
Mount credential files as read-only (:ro) when possible
Never include credentials directly in the Docker image
Consider using Docker secrets for production deployments
Important: Add .env to your .gitignore file to avoid committing secrets to version control
For production, consider using Docker secrets or external secret management systems

Authentication Troubleshooting:

If authentication fails, verify your token has the necessary permissions (repo, read:org, etc.)
For private repositories, ensure the token or SSH key has access to the specific repository
Test authentication outside the container first: git clone https://username:[email protected]/user/repo.git

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE`	Set to `http` for Docker deployment	`stdio`
`MCP_HTTP_HOST`	Host address (use `0.0.0.0` for Docker)	`127.0.0.1`
`MCP_HTTP_PORT`	Port for the HTTP server	`3010`
`MCP_LOG_LEVEL`	Logging level (`debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`)	`info`
`MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING`	Force logs to stdout/stderr for Docker visibility	`false`
`GIT_TOKEN`	GitHub Personal Access Token for authentication	`none`
`GIT_USERNAME`	GitHub username (defaults to "token" if not set)	`token`

Example HTTP Request

curl -X POST http://localhost:3010/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "initialize",
    "params": {
      "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
      "capabilities": {},
      "clientInfo": {"name": "test-client", "version": "1.0.0"}
    },
    "id": 1
  }'

📖 Original Documentation

For complete feature documentation, API reference, and detailed usage instructions, please visit the original repository:

👉 Complete Documentation - @cyanheads/git-mcp-server

The original README includes:

Complete list of available Git tools and commands
Detailed configuration options
Development setup instructions
API documentation and examples
Contributing guidelines

� Docker Configuration Details

Container Features

This Docker edition includes several enhancements for containerized deployment:

HTTP Transport: Configured for HTTP-based MCP communication instead of stdio
Enhanced Logging: Console logging forced to stdout/stderr for Docker Desktop visibility
Port Binding: Exposed on port 3010 for external access
Multi-stage Build: Optimized Docker image with minimal footprint
Security: Runs as non-root user with proper permissions

Troubleshooting

Container not accessible: Ensure MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 (not 127.0.0.1)
No logs in Docker Desktop: Verify MCP_FORCE_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true is set
Port conflicts: Change the external port mapping (-p 3011:3010)
HTTPS required: Use ngrok or configure reverse proxy with SSL
Volume permissions: Ensure the host directory has proper read/write permissions
Git operations fail: Use git_set_working_dir to set /workspace before Git operations
Files not persisting: Verify the volume mount path matches the working directory set via MCP

Development

For local development with the original stdio transport:

npm install
npm run build
npm run start:server

Refer to the original repository for complete development setup instructions.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.

Based on the original work by @cyanheads/git-mcp-server.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 146 Commits
.github		.github
docs		docs
scripts		scripts
src		src
.clinerules		.clinerules
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
.ncurc.json		.ncurc.json
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
docker-entrypoint.sh		docker-entrypoint.sh
mcp.json		mcp.json
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
repomix.config.json		repomix.config.json
smithery.yaml		smithery.yaml
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
tsconfig.vitest.json		tsconfig.vitest.json
vitest.config.ts		vitest.config.ts

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Bitovi Git MCP Server (Docker Edition)

🐳 Quick Start with Docker

Prerequisites

Running the Container

Working with Git Repositories

Git Authentication

Option 1: Personal Access Token (Recommended for HTTPS)

Option 2: SSH Keys (For SSH-based repositories)

Option 3: Git Config + Credentials

Environment Variables

Example HTTP Request

📖 Original Documentation

� Docker Configuration Details

Container Features

Troubleshooting

Development

📜 License

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Bitovi Git MCP Server (Docker Edition)

🐳 Quick Start with Docker

Prerequisites

Running the Container

Working with Git Repositories

Git Authentication

Option 1: Personal Access Token (Recommended for HTTPS)

Option 2: SSH Keys (For SSH-based repositories)

Option 3: Git Config + Credentials

Environment Variables

Example HTTP Request

📖 Original Documentation

� Docker Configuration Details

Container Features

Troubleshooting

Development

📜 License

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