GitHub MCP Server vs Jenkins MCP Server Plugin

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	Jenkins MCP Server Plugin Official Jenkins plugin that turns your controller into an MCP server — agents query jobs, trigger builds, read logs. Unverified HTTP (remote) API key Java
Category	DevOps & Cloud	DevOps & Cloud
Language	Go	Java
Transport	stdio (local)	HTTP (remote)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	31k	95
Last commit	2 months ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server`	`claude mcp add jenkins http://jenkins-host/mcp-server/mcp --transport http --header "Authorization: Basic <user:token base64>"`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick GitHub MCP Server if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Pick Jenkins MCP Server Plugin if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install, and 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 Jenkins MCP Server Plugin

Install / run

claude mcp add jenkins http://jenkins-host/mcp-server/mcp --transport http --header "Authorization: Basic <user:token base64>"

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jenkins-mcp-server-plugin": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://<your-jenkins-host>/mcp-server/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Basic <base64 of username:api-token>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

FAQ

GitHub MCP Server or Jenkins MCP Server Plugin — which is better?

Pick GitHub MCP Server if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine. Pick Jenkins MCP Server Plugin if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both GitHub MCP Server and Jenkins MCP Server Plugin?

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 Jenkins MCP Server Plugin 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 Jenkins MCP Server Plugin →More comparisons →