Adding default toolset grouping (#1159)

* adding default toolset group, splitting up stargazers from repos

* adding structs for toolset group metadata

* update readme

* refactor the readme

* fix lint

---------

Co-authored-by: Ksenia Bobrova <[email protected]>

Author: tonytrg

README.md

@@ -86,7 +86,17 @@ Alternatively, to manually configure VS Code, choose the appropriate JSON block
 > **Note:** Each MCP host application needs to configure a GitHub App or OAuth App to support remote access via OAuth. Any host application that supports remote MCP servers should support the remote GitHub server with PAT authentication. Configuration details and support levels vary by host. Make sure to refer to the host application's documentation for more info.
 
 ### Configuration
-See [Remote Server Documentation](/docs/remote-server.md) on how to pass additional configuration settings to the remote GitHub MCP Server.
+
+#### Default toolset configuration
+
+The default configuration is:
+- context
+- repos
+- issues
+- pull_requests
+- users
+
+See [Remote Server Documentation](docs/remote-server.md) for full details on remote server configuration, toolsets, headers, and advanced usage. This file provides comprehensive instructions and examples for connecting, customizing, and installing the remote GitHub MCP Server in VS Code and other MCP hosts.
 
 ---
 
@@ -271,6 +281,50 @@ The GitHub MCP Server supports enabling or disabling specific groups of function
 
 _Toolsets are not limited to Tools. Relevant MCP Resources and Prompts are also included where applicable._
 
+The Local GitHub MCP Server follows the same [default toolset configuration](#default-toolset-configuration) as the remote version.
+
+#### Specifying Toolsets
+
+To specify toolsets you want available to the LLM, you can pass an allow-list in two ways:
+
+1. **Using Command Line Argument**:
+
+   ```bash
+   github-mcp-server --toolsets repos,issues,pull_requests,actions,code_security
+   ```
+
+2. **Using Environment Variable**:
+   ```bash
+   GITHUB_TOOLSETS="repos,issues,pull_requests,actions,code_security" ./github-mcp-server
+   ```
+
+The environment variable `GITHUB_TOOLSETS` takes precedence over the command line argument if both are provided.
+
+### Using Toolsets With Docker
+
+When using Docker, you can pass the toolsets as environment variables:
+
+```bash
+docker run -i --rm \
+  -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=<your-token> \
+  -e GITHUB_TOOLSETS="repos,issues,pull_requests,actions,code_security,experiments" \
+  ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server
+```
+
+### The "all" Toolset
+
+The special toolset `all` can be provided to enable all available toolsets regardless of any other configuration:
+
+```bash
+./github-mcp-server --toolsets all
+```
+
+Or using the environment variable:
+
+```bash
+GITHUB_TOOLSETS="all" ./github-mcp-server
+```
+
 ### Available Toolsets
 
 The following sets of tools are available (all are on by default):
@@ -293,12 +347,12 @@ The following sets of tools are available (all are on by default):
 | `repos` | GitHub Repository related tools |
 | `secret_protection` | Secret protection related tools, such as GitHub Secret Scanning |
 | `security_advisories` | Security advisories related tools |
+| `stargazers` | GitHub Stargazers related tools |
 | `users` | GitHub User related tools |
 <!-- END AUTOMATED TOOLSETS -->
 
 ## Tools
 
-
 <!-- START AUTOMATED TOOLS -->
 <details>
 
@@ -933,13 +987,6 @@ The following sets of tools are available (all are on by default):
   - `perPage`: Results per page for pagination (min 1, max 100) (number, optional)
   - `repo`: Repository name (string, required)
 
-- **list_starred_repositories** - List starred repositories
-  - `direction`: The direction to sort the results by. (string, optional)
-  - `page`: Page number for pagination (min 1) (number, optional)
-  - `perPage`: Results per page for pagination (min 1, max 100) (number, optional)
-  - `sort`: How to sort the results. Can be either 'created' (when the repository was starred) or 'updated' (when the repository was last pushed to). (string, optional)
-  - `username`: Username to list starred repositories for. Defaults to the authenticated user. (string, optional)
-
 - **list_tags** - List tags
   - `owner`: Repository owner (string, required)
   - `page`: Page number for pagination (min 1) (number, optional)
@@ -966,14 +1013,6 @@ The following sets of tools are available (all are on by default):
   - `perPage`: Results per page for pagination (min 1, max 100) (number, optional)
   - `query`: Repository search query. Examples: 'machine learning in:name stars:>1000 language:python', 'topic:react', 'user:facebook'. Supports advanced search syntax for precise filtering. (string, required)
 
-- **star_repository** - Star repository
-  - `owner`: Repository owner (string, required)
-  - `repo`: Repository name (string, required)
-
-- **unstar_repository** - Unstar repository
-  - `owner`: Repository owner (string, required)
-  - `repo`: Repository name (string, required)
-
 </details>
 
 <details>
@@ -1031,6 +1070,27 @@ The following sets of tools are available (all are on by default):
 
 <details>
 
+<summary>Stargazers</summary>
+
+- **list_starred_repositories** - List starred repositories
+  - `direction`: The direction to sort the results by. (string, optional)
+  - `page`: Page number for pagination (min 1) (number, optional)
+  - `perPage`: Results per page for pagination (min 1, max 100) (number, optional)
+  - `sort`: How to sort the results. Can be either 'created' (when the repository was starred) or 'updated' (when the repository was last pushed to). (string, optional)
+  - `username`: Username to list starred repositories for. Defaults to the authenticated user. (string, optional)
+
+- **star_repository** - Star repository
+  - `owner`: Repository owner (string, required)
+  - `repo`: Repository name (string, required)
+
+- **unstar_repository** - Unstar repository
+  - `owner`: Repository owner (string, required)
+  - `repo`: Repository name (string, required)
+
+</details>
+
+<details>
+
 <summary>Users</summary>
 
 - **search_users** - Search users
@@ -1069,48 +1129,6 @@ The following sets of tools are available (all are on by default):
 -   **list_copilot_spaces** - List Copilot Spaces
 </details>
 
-#### Specifying Toolsets
-
-To specify toolsets you want available to the LLM, you can pass an allow-list in two ways:
-
-1. **Using Command Line Argument**:
-
-   ```bash
-   github-mcp-server --toolsets repos,issues,pull_requests,actions,code_security
-   ```
-
-2. **Using Environment Variable**:
-   ```bash
-   GITHUB_TOOLSETS="repos,issues,pull_requests,actions,code_security" ./github-mcp-server
-   ```
-
-The environment variable `GITHUB_TOOLSETS` takes precedence over the command line argument if both are provided.
-
-### Using Toolsets With Docker
-
-When using Docker, you can pass the toolsets as environment variables:
-
-```bash
-docker run -i --rm \
-  -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=<your-token> \
-  -e GITHUB_TOOLSETS="repos,issues,pull_requests,actions,code_security,experiments" \
-  ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server
-```
-
-### The "all" Toolset
-
-The special toolset `all` can be provided to enable all available toolsets regardless of any other configuration:
-
-```bash
-./github-mcp-server --toolsets all
-```
-
-Or using the environment variable:
-
-```bash
-GITHUB_TOOLSETS="all" ./github-mcp-server
-```
-
 ## Dynamic Tool Discovery
 
 **Note**: This feature is currently in beta and may not be available in all environments. Please test it out and let us know if you encounter any issues.

cmd/github-mcp-server/main.go

@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ var (
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal toolsets: %w", err)
 			}
 
+			if len(enabledToolsets) == 0 {
+				enabledToolsets = github.GetDefaultToolsetIDs()
+			}
+
 			stdioServerConfig := ghmcp.StdioServerConfig{
 				Version:              version,
 				Host:                 viper.GetString("host"),
@@ -69,7 +73,7 @@ func init() {
 	rootCmd.SetVersionTemplate("{{.Short}}\n{{.Version}}\n")
 
 	// Add global flags that will be shared by all commands
-	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringSlice("toolsets", github.DefaultTools, "An optional comma separated list of groups of tools to allow, defaults to enabling all")
+	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringSlice("toolsets", nil, github.GenerateToolsetsHelp())
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().Bool("dynamic-toolsets", false, "Enable dynamic toolsets")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().Bool("read-only", false, "Restrict the server to read-only operations")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().String("log-file", "", "Path to log file")

docs/remote-server.md

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ Below is a table of available toolsets for the remote GitHub MCP Server. Each to
 | Repositories   | GitHub Repository related tools                  | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/repos             | [Install](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-repos&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Frepos%22%7D)                             | [read-only](https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/repos/readonly)                                                | [Install read-only](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-repos&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Frepos%2Freadonly%22%7D)                                                                              |
 | Secret Protection | Secret protection related tools, such as GitHub Secret Scanning | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/secret_protection | [Install](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-secret_protection&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fsecret_protection%22%7D)     | [read-only](https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/secret_protection/readonly)                                    | [Install read-only](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-secret_protection&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fsecret_protection%2Freadonly%22%7D)                                                      |
 | Security Advisories | Security advisories related tools                | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/security_advisories | [Install](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-security_advisories&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fsecurity_advisories%22%7D) | [read-only](https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/security_advisories/readonly)                                  | [Install read-only](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-security_advisories&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fsecurity_advisories%2Freadonly%22%7D)                                                  |
+| Stargazers     | GitHub Stargazers related tools                  | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/stargazers        | [Install](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-stargazers&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fstargazers%22%7D)                   | [read-only](https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/stargazers/readonly)                                           | [Install read-only](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-stargazers&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fstargazers%2Freadonly%22%7D)                                                                    |
 | Users          | GitHub User related tools                        | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/users             | [Install](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-users&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fusers%22%7D)                             | [read-only](https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/x/users/readonly)                                                | [Install read-only](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gh-users&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.githubcopilot.com%2Fmcp%2Fx%2Fusers%2Freadonly%22%7D)                                                                              |
 
 <!-- END AUTOMATED TOOLSETS -->