Heroku MCP Server vs GitHub MCP Server

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

	Heroku MCP Server Manage Heroku apps, dynos, add-ons, pipelines, and Postgres from your AI agent via the official Heroku CLI. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	GitHub MCP Server GitHub's official server for repos, issues, PRs, and Actions — local Docker or hosted remote. Verified stdio (local) API key Go
Category	DevOps & Cloud	DevOps & Cloud
Language	TypeScript	Go
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	78	31k
Last commit	3 days ago	20 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @heroku/mcp-server`	`docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Heroku MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick GitHub MCP Server if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

Add Heroku MCP Server

Install / run

npx -y @heroku/mcp-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "heroku-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@heroku/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "HEROKU_API_KEY": "<your-heroku-auth-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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.

FAQ

Heroku MCP Server or GitHub MCP Server — which is better?

Pick Heroku MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick GitHub MCP Server if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

Can I use both Heroku MCP Server and GitHub MCP Server?

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 Heroku MCP Server and GitHub MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Heroku MCP Server →View GitHub MCP Server →More comparisons →