GitHub MCP Server now with server instructions, better tools, and more (github.blog)

GitHub’s MCP Server now supports server instructions (a Model Context Protocol feature that acts like a system prompt) and consolidates many single-purpose tools into fewer, multifunctional ones — plus easier configuration via a new default keyword. Server instructions let operators bake workflow policies and tool interdependencies into the server (for example, “always call tool A before tool B” or “review PRs by running A → B → C”), so models can follow precise, multi-tool procedures for tasks like pull request review, issue triage, and discussion management. Combined with a smaller footprint from tool consolidation, these changes improve model reliability, reasoning about tool use, and operational performance. Key technical changes: several PR and issue APIs were merged into unified tools that accept a method parameter. Examples: pull_request_review_write (methods: create, submit_pending, delete_pending); issue_read (get, get_comments, get_labels, get_sub_issues); issue_write (create, update); sub_issue_write (add, reprioritize, remove). Configuration is simplified with the default keyword — e.g., X-MCP-Toolsets:"default,code_security" for remote servers or --toolsets default,code_security locally — where default includes context, repos, issues, pull_requests, and users. These updates make MCP deployments leaner, easier to configure, and enable more deterministic model-driven workflows for developer tooling and automation.