Docs: Refresh docs to organize and standardize reference materials. (#18403)

2026-03-18 10:01:29 -07:00 · 2026-02-13 14:09:17 -08:00
parent f76e24c00f
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+# Set up an MCP server
+
+Connect Gemini CLI to your external databases and services. In this guide,
+you'll learn how to extend Gemini CLI's capabilities by installing the GitHub
+MCP server and using it to manage your repositories.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Gemini CLI installed.
+- **Docker:** Required for this specific example (many MCP servers run as Docker
+  containers).
+- **GitHub token:** A Personal Access Token (PAT) with repo permissions.
+
+## How to prepare your credentials
+
+Most MCP servers require authentication. For GitHub, you need a PAT.
+
+1.  Create a [fine-grained PAT](https://github.com/settings/tokens?type=beta).
+2.  Grant it **Read** access to **Metadata** and **Contents**, and
+    **Read/Write** access to **Issues** and **Pull Requests**.
+3.  Store it in your environment:
+
+```bash
+export GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="github_pat_..."
+```
+
+## How to configure Gemini CLI
+
+You tell Gemini about new servers by editing your `settings.json`.
+
+1.  Open `~/.gemini/settings.json` (or the project-specific
+    `.gemini/settings.json`).
+2.  Add the `mcpServers` block. This tells Gemini: "Run this docker container
+    and talk to it."
+
+```json
+{
+  "mcpServers": {
+    "github": {
+      "command": "docker",
+      "args": [
+        "run",
+        "-i",
+        "--rm",
+        "-e",
+        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
+        "ghcr.io/modelcontextprotocol/servers/github:latest"
+      ],
+      "env": {
+        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+> **Note:** The `command` is `docker`, and the rest are arguments passed to it.
+> We map the local environment variable into the container so your secret isn't
+> hardcoded in the config file.
+
+## How to verify the connection
+
+Restart Gemini CLI. It will automatically try to start the defined servers.
+
+**Command:** `/mcp list`
+
+You should see: `✓ github: docker ... - Connected`
+
+If you see `Disconnected` or an error, check that Docker is running and your API
+token is valid.
+
+## How to use the new tools
+
+Now that the server is running, the agent has new capabilities ("tools"). You
+don't need to learn special commands; just ask in natural language.
+
+### Scenario: Listing pull requests
+
+**Prompt:** `List the open PRs in the google/gemini-cli repository.`
+
+The agent will:
+
+1.  Recognize the request matches a GitHub tool.
+2.  Call `github_list_pull_requests`.
+3.  Present the data to you.
+
+### Scenario: Creating an issue
+
+**Prompt:**
+`Create an issue in my repo titled "Bug: Login fails" with the description "See logs".`
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+- **Server won't start?** Try running the docker command manually in your
+  terminal to see if it prints an error (e.g., "image not found").
+- **Tools not found?** Run `/mcp refresh` to force the CLI to re-query the
+  server for its capabilities.
+
+## Next steps
+
+- Explore the [MCP servers reference](../../tools/mcp-server.md) to learn about
+  SSE and HTTP transports for remote servers.
+- Browse the
+  [official MCP server list](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers) to
+  find connectors for Slack, Postgres, Google Drive, and more.