fix: fall back when get_check_runs lacks Checks API access

Hosted MCP tokens often lack checks:read even when other PR read
methods succeed. Retry via workflow runs and commit statuses on 403,
and return clearer permission guidance when all sources are denied.

Closes #2381

Author: root

pkg/github/check_runs.go

@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@
+package github
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/google/go-github/v87/github"
+	"github.com/modelcontextprotocol/go-sdk/mcp"
+
+	ghErrors "github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/errors"
+	"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/utils"
+)
+
+const (
+	checkRunsSourceChecksAPI       = "checks_api"
+	checkRunsSourceWorkflowRuns    = "workflow_runs"
+	checkRunsSourceCommitStatuses  = "commit_statuses"
+)
+
+func isAccessDenied(resp *github.Response) bool {
+	return resp != nil && resp.StatusCode == http.StatusForbidden
+}
+
+func checkRunsAccessErrMsg(base, owner, repo string) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s. Check runs require the Checks API (checks:read for GitHub Apps, repo scope for classic PATs). "+
+		"When using hosted MCP, the GitHub App installation must include Checks: Read permission. "+
+		"Fallbacks using workflow runs and commit statuses were also unavailable for %s/%s.",
+		base, owner, repo)
+}
+
+func GetPullRequestCheckRuns(ctx context.Context, client *github.Client, owner, repo string, pullNumber int, pagination PaginationParams) (*mcp.CallToolResult, error) {
+	headSHA, errResult, err := getPullRequestHeadSHA(ctx, client, owner, repo, pullNumber)
+	if errResult != nil || err != nil {
+		return errResult, err
+	}
+
+	result, resp, err := fetchCheckRunsFromChecksAPI(ctx, client, owner, repo, headSHA, pagination)
+	if err == nil {
+		return marshalCheckRunsResult(result)
+	}
+	if !isAccessDenied(resp) {
+		return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx, "failed to get check runs", resp, err), nil
+	}
+
+	// Checks API is unavailable (common on hosted MCP without checks:read). Try fallbacks.
+	if fallback, fbResp, fbErr := fetchCheckRunsFromWorkflowRuns(ctx, client, owner, repo, headSHA, pagination); fbErr == nil {
+		return marshalCheckRunsResult(fallback)
+	} else if fbResp != nil && !isAccessDenied(fbResp) {
+		_ = fbResp.Body.Close()
+	}
+
+	if fallback, fbResp, fbErr := fetchCheckRunsFromCommitStatuses(ctx, client, owner, repo, headSHA, pagination); fbErr == nil {
+		return marshalCheckRunsResult(fallback)
+	} else if fbResp != nil {
+		_ = fbResp.Body.Close()
+	}
+
+	return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx,
+		checkRunsAccessErrMsg("failed to get check runs", owner, repo),
+		resp,
+		err,
+	), nil
+}
+
+func getPullRequestHeadSHA(ctx context.Context, client *github.Client, owner, repo string, pullNumber int) (string, *mcp.CallToolResult, error) {
+	pr, resp, err := client.PullRequests.Get(ctx, owner, repo, pullNumber)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx, "failed to get pull request", resp, err), nil
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		body, readErr := readResponseBody(resp)
+		if readErr != nil {
+			return "", nil, readErr
+		}
+		return "", ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIStatusErrorResponse(ctx, "failed to get pull request", resp, body), nil
+	}
+
+	return pr.GetHead().GetSHA(), nil, nil
+}
+
+func fetchCheckRunsFromChecksAPI(ctx context.Context, client *github.Client, owner, repo, headSHA string, pagination PaginationParams) (MinimalCheckRunsResult, *github.Response, error) {
+	opts := &github.ListCheckRunsOptions{
+		ListOptions: github.ListOptions{
+			PerPage: pagination.PerPage,
+			Page:    pagination.Page,
+		},
+	}
+
+	checkRuns, resp, err := client.Checks.ListCheckRunsForRef(ctx, owner, repo, headSHA, opts)
+	if err != nil {
+		return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, err
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		body, readErr := readResponseBody(resp)
+		if readErr != nil {
+			return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, readErr
+		}
+		return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, fmt.Errorf("unexpected status code: %d, body: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(body))
+	}
+
+	minimalCheckRuns := make([]MinimalCheckRun, 0, len(checkRuns.CheckRuns))
+	for _, checkRun := range checkRuns.CheckRuns {
+		minimalCheckRuns = append(minimalCheckRuns, convertToMinimalCheckRun(checkRun))
+	}
+
+	return MinimalCheckRunsResult{
+		TotalCount: checkRuns.GetTotal(),
+		CheckRuns:  minimalCheckRuns,
+		Source:     checkRunsSourceChecksAPI,
+	}, resp, nil
+}
+
+func fetchCheckRunsFromWorkflowRuns(ctx context.Context, client *github.Client, owner, repo, headSHA string, pagination PaginationParams) (MinimalCheckRunsResult, *github.Response, error) {
+	opts := &github.ListWorkflowRunsOptions{
+		HeadSHA: headSHA,
+		ListOptions: github.ListOptions{
+			PerPage: pagination.PerPage,
+			Page:    pagination.Page,
+		},
+	}
+
+	runs, resp, err := client.Actions.ListRepositoryWorkflowRuns(ctx, owner, repo, opts)
+	if err != nil {
+		return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, err
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		body, readErr := readResponseBody(resp)
+		if readErr != nil {
+			return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, readErr
+		}
+		return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, fmt.Errorf("unexpected status code: %d, body: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(body))
+	}
+
+	minimalCheckRuns := make([]MinimalCheckRun, 0, len(runs.WorkflowRuns))
+	for _, run := range runs.WorkflowRuns {
+		minimalCheckRuns = append(minimalCheckRuns, convertWorkflowRunToMinimalCheckRun(run))
+	}
+
+	return MinimalCheckRunsResult{
+		TotalCount: runs.GetTotalCount(),
+		CheckRuns:  minimalCheckRuns,
+		Source:     checkRunsSourceWorkflowRuns,
+	}, resp, nil
+}
+
+func fetchCheckRunsFromCommitStatuses(ctx context.Context, client *github.Client, owner, repo, headSHA string, pagination PaginationParams) (MinimalCheckRunsResult, *github.Response, error) {
+	opts := &github.ListOptions{
+		PerPage: pagination.PerPage,
+		Page:    pagination.Page,
+	}
+
+	statuses, resp, err := client.Repositories.ListStatuses(ctx, owner, repo, headSHA, opts)
+	if err != nil {
+		return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, err
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		body, readErr := readResponseBody(resp)
+		if readErr != nil {
+			return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, readErr
+		}
+		return MinimalCheckRunsResult{}, resp, fmt.Errorf("unexpected status code: %d, body: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(body))
+	}
+
+	minimalCheckRuns := make([]MinimalCheckRun, 0, len(statuses))
+	for _, status := range statuses {
+		minimalCheckRuns = append(minimalCheckRuns, convertCommitStatusToMinimalCheckRun(status))
+	}
+
+	return MinimalCheckRunsResult{
+		TotalCount: len(minimalCheckRuns),
+		CheckRuns:  minimalCheckRuns,
+		Source:     checkRunsSourceCommitStatuses,
+	}, resp, nil
+}
+
+func marshalCheckRunsResult(result MinimalCheckRunsResult) (*mcp.CallToolResult, error) {
+	r, err := json.Marshal(result)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal response: %w", err)
+	}
+	return utils.NewToolResultText(string(r)), nil
+}
+
+func readResponseBody(resp *github.Response) ([]byte, error) {
+	body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read response body: %w", err)
+	}
+	return body, nil
+}

pkg/github/check_runs_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+package github
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/go-github/v87/github"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func Test_convertWorkflowRunToMinimalCheckRun(t *testing.T) {
+	startedAt := time.Date(2026, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 0, time.UTC)
+	updatedAt := time.Date(2026, 1, 2, 3, 10, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+	run := &github.WorkflowRun{
+		ID:            github.Ptr(int64(42)),
+		Name:          github.Ptr("CI"),
+		Status:        github.Ptr("completed"),
+		Conclusion:    github.Ptr("failure"),
+		HTMLURL:       github.Ptr("https://github.com/o/r/actions/runs/42"),
+		RunStartedAt:  &github.Timestamp{Time: startedAt},
+		UpdatedAt:     &github.Timestamp{Time: updatedAt},
+	}
+
+	result := convertWorkflowRunToMinimalCheckRun(run)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(42), result.ID)
+	assert.Equal(t, "CI", result.Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "completed", result.Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, "failure", result.Conclusion)
+	assert.Equal(t, "https://github.com/o/r/actions/runs/42", result.HTMLURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, "2026-01-02T03:04:05Z", result.StartedAt)
+	assert.Equal(t, "2026-01-02T03:10:00Z", result.CompletedAt)
+}
+
+func Test_convertCommitStatusToMinimalCheckRun(t *testing.T) {
+	createdAt := time.Date(2026, 2, 1, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	updatedAt := time.Date(2026, 2, 1, 12, 5, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+	status := &github.RepoStatus{
+		ID:        github.Ptr(int64(9)),
+		Context:   github.Ptr("ci/build"),
+		State:     github.Ptr("success"),
+		TargetURL: github.Ptr("https://ci.example.com/build/9"),
+		CreatedAt: &github.Timestamp{Time: createdAt},
+		UpdatedAt: &github.Timestamp{Time: updatedAt},
+	}
+
+	result := convertCommitStatusToMinimalCheckRun(status)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(9), result.ID)
+	assert.Equal(t, "ci/build", result.Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "completed", result.Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, "success", result.Conclusion)
+	assert.Equal(t, "https://ci.example.com/build/9", result.DetailsURL)
+}
+
+func Test_convertCommitStatusToMinimalCheckRun_pending(t *testing.T) {
+	status := &github.RepoStatus{
+		ID:      github.Ptr(int64(1)),
+		Context: github.Ptr("ci/build"),
+		State:   github.Ptr("pending"),
+	}
+
+	result := convertCommitStatusToMinimalCheckRun(status)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "in_progress", result.Status)
+	assert.Empty(t, result.Conclusion)
+}

pkg/github/minimal_types.go

@@ -1665,6 +1665,8 @@ type MinimalCheckRun struct {
 type MinimalCheckRunsResult struct {
 	TotalCount int               `json:"total_count"`
 	CheckRuns  []MinimalCheckRun `json:"check_runs"`
+	// Source indicates which API provided the data: "checks_api", "workflow_runs", or "commit_statuses".
+	Source string `json:"source,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // convertToMinimalCheckRun converts a GitHub API CheckRun to MinimalCheckRun
@@ -1688,6 +1690,56 @@ func convertToMinimalCheckRun(checkRun *github.CheckRun) MinimalCheckRun {
 	return minimalCheckRun
 }
 
+func convertWorkflowRunToMinimalCheckRun(run *github.WorkflowRun) MinimalCheckRun {
+	status := run.GetStatus()
+	conclusion := run.GetConclusion()
+
+	minimalCheckRun := MinimalCheckRun{
+		ID:         run.GetID(),
+		Name:       run.GetName(),
+		Status:     status,
+		Conclusion: conclusion,
+		HTMLURL:    run.GetHTMLURL(),
+		DetailsURL: run.GetHTMLURL(),
+	}
+
+	if run.RunStartedAt != nil {
+		minimalCheckRun.StartedAt = run.RunStartedAt.Format("2006-01-02T15:04:05Z")
+	}
+	if run.UpdatedAt != nil && status == "completed" {
+		minimalCheckRun.CompletedAt = run.UpdatedAt.Format("2006-01-02T15:04:05Z")
+	}
+
+	return minimalCheckRun
+}
+
+func convertCommitStatusToMinimalCheckRun(status *github.RepoStatus) MinimalCheckRun {
+	state := status.GetState()
+	conclusion := state
+	checkStatus := "completed"
+	if state == "pending" {
+		checkStatus = "in_progress"
+		conclusion = ""
+	}
+
+	minimalCheckRun := MinimalCheckRun{
+		ID:         status.GetID(),
+		Name:       status.GetContext(),
+		Status:     checkStatus,
+		Conclusion: conclusion,
+		DetailsURL: status.GetTargetURL(),
+	}
+
+	if status.CreatedAt != nil {
+		minimalCheckRun.StartedAt = status.CreatedAt.Format("2006-01-02T15:04:05Z")
+	}
+	if status.UpdatedAt != nil {
+		minimalCheckRun.CompletedAt = status.UpdatedAt.Format("2006-01-02T15:04:05Z")
+	}
+
+	return minimalCheckRun
+}
+
 func convertToMinimalReviewThreadsResponse(query reviewThreadsQuery) MinimalReviewThreadsResponse {
 	threads := query.Repository.PullRequest.ReviewThreads