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Merged
almaleksia merged 7 commits into from
Jan 5, 2026
+801 −261
Merged

Improvements to push_files tool #1676

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6d3051d
Fallback to default branch in get_file_contents when main doesn't exist
almaleksia Dec 22, 2025
fda28d2
Addressing review comments
almaleksia Dec 23, 2025
bf28276
Improvements to push_files tool
almaleksia Dec 23, 2025
7ea39cc
Fixed copilot comments
almaleksia Dec 23, 2025
fc993d4
Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server in…
almaleksia Jan 5, 2026
da49890
Addressing review comments
almaleksia Jan 5, 2026
61748ab
Remove debug statement
almaleksia Jan 5, 2026
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329 changes: 70 additions & 259 deletions pkg/github/repositories.go
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import (
ghErrors "github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/errors"
"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/inventory"
"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/octicons"
"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/raw"
"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/translations"
"github.com/github/github-mcp-server/pkg/utils"
"github.com/google/go-github/v79/github"
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1279,28 +1278,74 @@ func PushFiles(t translations.TranslationHelperFunc) inventory.ServerTool {
}

// Get the reference for the branch
var repositoryIsEmpty bool
var branchNotFound bool
ref, resp, err := client.Git.GetRef(ctx, owner, repo, "refs/heads/"+branch)
if err != nil {
return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx,
"failed to get branch reference",
resp,
err,
), nil, nil
ghErr, isGhErr := err.(*github.ErrorResponse)
if isGhErr {
if ghErr.Response.StatusCode == http.StatusConflict && ghErr.Message == "Git Repository is empty." {
repositoryIsEmpty = true
} else if ghErr.Response.StatusCode == http.StatusNotFound {
branchNotFound = true
}
}

if !repositoryIsEmpty && !branchNotFound {
return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx,
"failed to get branch reference",
resp,
err,
), nil, nil
}
}
// Only close resp if it's not nil and not an error case where resp might be nil
if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
}
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()

// Get the commit object that the branch points to
baseCommit, resp, err := client.Git.GetCommit(ctx, owner, repo, *ref.Object.SHA)
if err != nil {
return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx,
"failed to get base commit",
resp,
err,
), nil, nil
var baseCommit *github.Commit
if !repositoryIsEmpty {
if branchNotFound {
ref, err = createReferenceFromDefaultBranch(ctx, client, owner, repo, branch)
if err != nil {
return utils.NewToolResultError(fmt.Sprintf("failed to create branch from default: %v", err)), nil, nil
}
}

// Get the commit object that the branch points to
baseCommit, resp, err = client.Git.GetCommit(ctx, owner, repo, *ref.Object.SHA)
if err != nil {
return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx,
"failed to get base commit",
resp,
err,
), nil, nil
}
if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
}
} else {
var base *github.Commit
// Repository is empty, need to initialize it first
ref, base, err = initializeRepository(ctx, client, owner, repo)
if err != nil {
return utils.NewToolResultError(fmt.Sprintf("failed to initialize repository: %v", err)), nil, nil
}

defaultBranch := strings.TrimPrefix(*ref.Ref, "refs/heads/")
if branch != defaultBranch {
// Create the requested branch from the default branch
ref, err = createReferenceFromDefaultBranch(ctx, client, owner, repo, branch)
if err != nil {
return utils.NewToolResultError(fmt.Sprintf("failed to create branch from default: %v", err)), nil, nil
}
}

baseCommit = base
}
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()

// Create tree entries for all files
// Create tree entries for all files (or remaining files if empty repo)
var entries []*github.TreeEntry

for _, file := range filesObj {
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1328,7 +1373,7 @@ func PushFiles(t translations.TranslationHelperFunc) inventory.ServerTool {
})
}

// Create a new tree with the file entries
// Create a new tree with the file entries (baseCommit is now guaranteed to exist)
newTree, resp, err := client.Git.CreateTree(ctx, owner, repo, *baseCommit.Tree.SHA, entries)
if err != nil {
return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx,
Expand All @@ -1337,9 +1382,11 @@ func PushFiles(t translations.TranslationHelperFunc) inventory.ServerTool {
err,
), nil, nil
}
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
}

// Create a new commit
// Create a new commit (baseCommit always has a value now)
commit := github.Commit{
Message: github.Ptr(message),
Tree: newTree,
Expand All @@ -1353,7 +1400,9 @@ func PushFiles(t translations.TranslationHelperFunc) inventory.ServerTool {
err,
), nil, nil
}
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
}

// Update the reference to point to the new commit
ref.Object.SHA = newCommit.SHA
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1770,244 +1819,6 @@ func GetReleaseByTag(t translations.TranslationHelperFunc) inventory.ServerTool
)
}

// matchFiles searches for files in the Git tree that match the given path.
// It's used when GetContents fails or returns unexpected results.
func matchFiles(ctx context.Context, client *github.Client, owner, repo, ref, path string, rawOpts *raw.ContentOpts, rawAPIResponseCode int) (*mcp.CallToolResult, any, error) {
// Step 1: Get Git Tree recursively
tree, response, err := client.Git.GetTree(ctx, owner, repo, ref, true)
if err != nil {
return ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorResponse(ctx,
"failed to get git tree",
response,
err,
), nil, nil
}
defer func() { _ = response.Body.Close() }()

// Step 2: Filter tree for matching paths
const maxMatchingFiles = 3
matchingFiles := filterPaths(tree.Entries, path, maxMatchingFiles)
if len(matchingFiles) > 0 {
matchingFilesJSON, err := json.Marshal(matchingFiles)
if err != nil {
return utils.NewToolResultError(fmt.Sprintf("failed to marshal matching files: %s", err)), nil, nil
}
resolvedRefs, err := json.Marshal(rawOpts)
if err != nil {
return utils.NewToolResultError(fmt.Sprintf("failed to marshal resolved refs: %s", err)), nil, nil
}
if rawAPIResponseCode > 0 {
return utils.NewToolResultText(fmt.Sprintf("Resolved potential matches in the repository tree (resolved refs: %s, matching files: %s), but the content API returned an unexpected status code %d.", string(resolvedRefs), string(matchingFilesJSON), rawAPIResponseCode)), nil, nil
}
return utils.NewToolResultText(fmt.Sprintf("Resolved potential matches in the repository tree (resolved refs: %s, matching files: %s).", string(resolvedRefs), string(matchingFilesJSON))), nil, nil
}
return utils.NewToolResultError("Failed to get file contents. The path does not point to a file or directory, or the file does not exist in the repository."), nil, nil
}

// filterPaths filters the entries in a GitHub tree to find paths that
// match the given suffix.
// maxResults limits the number of results returned to first maxResults entries,
// a maxResults of -1 means no limit.
// It returns a slice of strings containing the matching paths.
// Directories are returned with a trailing slash.
func filterPaths(entries []*github.TreeEntry, path string, maxResults int) []string {
// Remove trailing slash for matching purposes, but flag whether we
// only want directories.
dirOnly := false
if strings.HasSuffix(path, "/") {
dirOnly = true
path = strings.TrimSuffix(path, "/")
}

matchedPaths := []string{}
for _, entry := range entries {
if len(matchedPaths) == maxResults {
break // Limit the number of results to maxResults
}
if dirOnly && entry.GetType() != "tree" {
continue // Skip non-directory entries if dirOnly is true
}
entryPath := entry.GetPath()
if entryPath == "" {
continue // Skip empty paths
}
if strings.HasSuffix(entryPath, path) {
if entry.GetType() == "tree" {
entryPath += "/" // Return directories with a trailing slash
}
matchedPaths = append(matchedPaths, entryPath)
}
}
return matchedPaths
}

// looksLikeSHA returns true if the string appears to be a Git commit SHA.
// A SHA is a 40-character hexadecimal string.
func looksLikeSHA(s string) bool {
if len(s) != 40 {
return false
}
for _, c := range s {
if (c < '0' || c > '9') && (c < 'a' || c > 'f') && (c < 'A' || c > 'F') {
return false
}
}
return true
}

// resolveGitReference takes a user-provided ref and sha and resolves them into a
// definitive commit SHA and its corresponding fully-qualified reference.
//
// The resolution logic follows a clear priority:
//
// 1. If a specific commit `sha` is provided, it takes precedence and is used directly,
// and all reference resolution is skipped.
//
// 1a. If `sha` is empty but `ref` looks like a commit SHA (40 hexadecimal characters),
// it is returned as-is without any API calls or reference resolution.
//
// 2. If no `sha` is provided and `ref` does not look like a SHA, the function resolves
// the `ref` string into a fully-qualified format (e.g., "refs/heads/main") by trying
// the following steps in order:
// a). **Empty Ref:** If `ref` is empty, the repository's default branch is used.
// b). **Fully-Qualified:** If `ref` already starts with "refs/", it's considered fully
// qualified and used as-is.
// c). **Partially-Qualified:** If `ref` starts with "heads/" or "tags/", it is
// prefixed with "refs/" to make it fully-qualified.
// d). **Short Name:** Otherwise, the `ref` is treated as a short name. The function
// first attempts to resolve it as a branch ("refs/heads/<ref>"). If that
// returns a 404 Not Found error, it then attempts to resolve it as a tag
// ("refs/tags/<ref>").
//
// 3. **Final Lookup:** Once a fully-qualified ref is determined, a final API call
// is made to fetch that reference's definitive commit SHA.
//
// Any unexpected (non-404) errors during the resolution process are returned
// immediately. All API errors are logged with rich context to aid diagnostics.
func resolveGitReference(ctx context.Context, githubClient *github.Client, owner, repo, ref, sha string) (*raw.ContentOpts, bool, error) {
// 1) If SHA explicitly provided, it's the highest priority.
if sha != "" {
return &raw.ContentOpts{Ref: "", SHA: sha}, false, nil
}

// 1a) If sha is empty but ref looks like a SHA, return it without changes
if looksLikeSHA(ref) {
return &raw.ContentOpts{Ref: "", SHA: ref}, false, nil
}

originalRef := ref // Keep original ref for clearer error messages down the line.

// 2) If no SHA is provided, we try to resolve the ref into a fully-qualified format.
var reference *github.Reference
var resp *github.Response
var err error
var fallbackUsed bool

switch {
case originalRef == "":
// 2a) If ref is empty, determine the default branch.
reference, err = resolveDefaultBranch(ctx, githubClient, owner, repo)
if err != nil {
return nil, false, err // Error is already wrapped in resolveDefaultBranch.
}
ref = reference.GetRef()
case strings.HasPrefix(originalRef, "refs/"):
// 2b) Already fully qualified. The reference will be fetched at the end.
case strings.HasPrefix(originalRef, "heads/") || strings.HasPrefix(originalRef, "tags/"):
// 2c) Partially qualified. Make it fully qualified.
ref = "refs/" + originalRef
default:
// 2d) It's a short name, so we try to resolve it to either a branch or a tag.
branchRef := "refs/heads/" + originalRef
reference, resp, err = githubClient.Git.GetRef(ctx, owner, repo, branchRef)

if err == nil {
ref = branchRef // It's a branch.
} else {
// The branch lookup failed. Check if it was a 404 Not Found error.
ghErr, isGhErr := err.(*github.ErrorResponse)
if isGhErr && ghErr.Response.StatusCode == http.StatusNotFound {
tagRef := "refs/tags/" + originalRef
reference, resp, err = githubClient.Git.GetRef(ctx, owner, repo, tagRef)
if err == nil {
ref = tagRef // It's a tag.
} else {
// The tag lookup also failed. Check if it was a 404 Not Found error.
ghErr2, isGhErr2 := err.(*github.ErrorResponse)
if isGhErr2 && ghErr2.Response.StatusCode == http.StatusNotFound {
if originalRef == "main" {
reference, err = resolveDefaultBranch(ctx, githubClient, owner, repo)
if err != nil {
return nil, false, err // Error is already wrapped in resolveDefaultBranch.
}
// Update ref to the actual default branch ref so the note can be generated
ref = reference.GetRef()
fallbackUsed = true
break
}
return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("could not resolve ref %q as a branch or a tag", originalRef)
}

// The tag lookup failed for a different reason.
_, _ = ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorToCtx(ctx, "failed to get reference (tag)", resp, err)
return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get reference for tag '%s': %w", originalRef, err)
}
} else {
// The branch lookup failed for a different reason.
_, _ = ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorToCtx(ctx, "failed to get reference (branch)", resp, err)
return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get reference for branch '%s': %w", originalRef, err)
}
}
}

if reference == nil {
reference, resp, err = githubClient.Git.GetRef(ctx, owner, repo, ref)
if err != nil {
if ref == "refs/heads/main" {
reference, err = resolveDefaultBranch(ctx, githubClient, owner, repo)
if err != nil {
return nil, false, err // Error is already wrapped in resolveDefaultBranch.
}
// Update ref to the actual default branch ref so the note can be generated
ref = reference.GetRef()
fallbackUsed = true
} else {
_, _ = ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorToCtx(ctx, "failed to get final reference", resp, err)
return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get final reference for %q: %w", ref, err)
}
}
}

sha = reference.GetObject().GetSHA()
return &raw.ContentOpts{Ref: ref, SHA: sha}, fallbackUsed, nil
}

func resolveDefaultBranch(ctx context.Context, githubClient *github.Client, owner, repo string) (*github.Reference, error) {
repoInfo, resp, err := githubClient.Repositories.Get(ctx, owner, repo)
if err != nil {
_, _ = ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorToCtx(ctx, "failed to get repository info", resp, err)
return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get repository info: %w", err)
}

if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
_ = resp.Body.Close()
}

defaultBranch := repoInfo.GetDefaultBranch()

defaultRef, resp, err := githubClient.Git.GetRef(ctx, owner, repo, "heads/"+defaultBranch)
if err != nil {
_, _ = ghErrors.NewGitHubAPIErrorToCtx(ctx, "failed to get default branch reference", resp, err)
return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get default branch reference: %w", err)
}

if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
}

return defaultRef, nil
}

// ListStarredRepositories creates a tool to list starred repositories for the authenticated user or a specified user.
func ListStarredRepositories(t translations.TranslationHelperFunc) inventory.ServerTool {
return NewTool(
Expand Down
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