get_file_contents — GitHub MCP Tool Read-only

get_file_contents (get file contents) is one of 10 tools on the GitHub MCP server. Connect the server and your client discovers it on the handshake.

by client

How to call get_file_contents from your client

Claude Code GitHub get_file_contents run in your project directory
Claude Desktop GitHub get_file_contents ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Cursor GitHub get_file_contents ~/.cursor/mcp.json
VS Code GitHub get_file_contents .vscode/mcp.json
Zed GitHub get_file_contents ~/.config/zed/settings.json
Windsurf GitHub get_file_contents ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Fastest route

claude mcp add --transport http github-mcp-server https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/

Other tools on this server

get_me
search_repositories
list_issues
create_issue
list_pull_requests
create_pull_request
get_pull_request_diff
search_code
list_commits

Mutating and Read-only are read off each tool's name, not its schema — a hint, not a guarantee. The registry stores tool names only; connect the server for its live schemas.

GitHub MCP server