GitHub MCP Server vs GitLab MCP Server (zereight)

A side-by-side comparison of two DevOps & Cloud servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	GitHub MCP Server GitHub's official server for repos, issues, PRs, and Actions — local Docker or hosted remote. Verified stdio (local) API key Go	GitLab MCP Server (zereight) Popular community GitLab MCP server for projects, MRs, issues, pipelines, wikis and releases. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	DevOps & Cloud	Developer Tools
Language	Go	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	31k	1.7k
Last commit	3 days ago	26 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server`	`npx -y @zereight/mcp-gitlab`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick GitHub MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick GitLab MCP Server (zereight) if you need the broadest set of tools.

Add GitHub MCP Server

Install / run

docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp-server": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<your-github-pat>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires Docker to be installed and running.

Add GitLab MCP Server (zereight)

Install / run

npx -y @zereight/mcp-gitlab

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab-mcp-server-zereight": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4",
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<your-gitlab-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

GitHub MCP Server or GitLab MCP Server (zereight) — which is better?

Pick GitHub MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick GitLab MCP Server (zereight) if you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both GitHub MCP Server and GitLab MCP Server (zereight)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do GitHub MCP Server and GitLab MCP Server (zereight) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View GitHub MCP Server →View GitLab MCP Server (zereight) →More comparisons →