github-automation

GitHub Automation via Rube MCP

Automate GitHub repository management, issue tracking, pull request workflows, branch operations, and CI/CD through Composio's GitHub toolkit.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/github

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
• Active GitHub connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit github
• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

1. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
2. Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit github
3. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete GitHub OAuth
4. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Create and Manage Issues

When to use: User wants to create, list, or manage GitHub issues

Tool sequence:

1. GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORIES_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER - Find target repo if unknown [Prerequisite]
2. GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_ISSUES - List existing issues (includes PRs) [Required]
3. GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ISSUE - Create a new issue [Required]
4. GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ISSUE_COMMENT - Add comments to an issue [Optional]
5. GITHUB_SEARCH_ISSUES_AND_PULL_REQUESTS - Search across repos by keyword [Optional]

Key parameters:

• owner: Repository owner (username or org), case-insensitive
• repo: Repository name without .git extension
• title: Issue title (required for creation)
• body: Issue description (supports Markdown)
• labels: Array of label names
• assignees: Array of GitHub usernames
• state: 'open', 'closed', or 'all' for filtering

Pitfalls:

• GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_ISSUES returns both issues AND pull requests; check pull_request field to distinguish
• Only users with push access can set assignees, labels, and milestones; they are silently dropped otherwise
• Pagination: per_page max 100; iterate pages until empty

2. Manage Pull Requests

When to use: User wants to create, review, or merge pull requests

Tool sequence:

1. GITHUB_FIND_PULL_REQUESTS - Search and filter PRs [Required]
2. GITHUB_GET_A_PULL_REQUEST - Get detailed PR info including mergeable status [Required]
3. GITHUB_LIST_PULL_REQUESTS_FILES - Review changed files [Optional]
4. GITHUB_CREATE_A_PULL_REQUEST - Create a new PR [Required]
5. GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ISSUE_COMMENT - Post review comments [Optional]
6. GITHUB_LIST_CHECK_RUNS_FOR_A_REF - Verify CI status before merge [Optional]
7. GITHUB_MERGE_A_PULL_REQUEST - Merge after explicit user approval [Required]

Key parameters:

• head: Source branch with changes (must exist; for cross-repo: 'username:branch')
• base: Target branch to merge into (e.g., 'main')
• title: PR title (required unless issue number provided)
• merge_method: 'merge', 'squash', or 'rebase'
• state: 'open', 'closed', or 'all'

Pitfalls:

• GITHUB_CREATE_A_PULL_REQUEST fails with 422 if base/head are invalid, identical, or already merged
• GITHUB_MERGE_A_PULL_REQUEST can be rejected if PR is draft, closed, or branch protection applies
• Always verify mergeable status with GITHUB_GET_A_PULL_REQUEST immediately before merging
• Require explicit user confirmation before calling MERGE

3. Manage Repositories and Branches

When to use: User wants to create repos, manage branches, or update repo settings

Tool sequence:

1. GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORIES_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER - List user's repos [Required]
2. GITHUB_GET_A_REPOSITORY - Get detailed repo info [Optional]
3. GITHUB_CREATE_A_REPOSITORY_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER - Create personal repo [Required]
4. GITHUB_CREATE_AN_ORGANIZATION_REPOSITORY - Create org repo [Alternative]
5. GITHUB_LIST_BRANCHES - List branches [Required]
6. GITHUB_CREATE_A_REFERENCE - Create new branch from SHA [Required]
7. GITHUB_UPDATE_A_REPOSITORY - Update repo settings [Optional]

Key parameters:

• name: Repository name
• private: Boolean for visibility
• ref: Full reference path (e.g., 'refs/heads/new-branch')
• sha: Commit SHA to point the new reference to
• default_branch: Default branch name

Pitfalls:

• GITHUB_CREATE_A_REFERENCE only creates NEW references; use GITHUB_UPDATE_A_REFERENCE for existing ones
• ref must start with 'refs/' and contain at least two slashes
• GITHUB_LIST_BRANCHES paginates via page/per_page; iterate until empty page
• GITHUB_DELETE_A_REPOSITORY is permanent and irreversible; requires admin privileges

4. Search Code and Commits

When to use: User wants to find code, files, or commits across repositories

Tool sequence:

1. GITHUB_SEARCH_CODE - Search file contents and paths [Required]
2. GITHUB_SEARCH_CODE_ALL_PAGES - Multi-page code search [Alternative]
3. GITHUB_SEARCH_COMMITS_BY_AUTHOR - Search commits by author/date/org [Required]
4. GITHUB_LIST_COMMITS - List commits for a specific repo [Alternative]
5. GITHUB_GET_A_COMMIT - Get detailed commit info [Optional]
6. GITHUB_GET_REPOSITORY_CONTENT - Get file content [Optional]

Key parameters:

• q: Search query with qualifiers (language:python, repo:owner/repo, extension:js)
• owner/repo: For repo-specific commit listing
• author: Filter by commit author
• since/until: ISO 8601 date range for commits

Pitfalls:

• Code search only indexes files under 384KB on default branch
• Maximum 1000 results returned from code search
• GITHUB_SEARCH_COMMITS_BY_AUTHOR requires keywords in addition to qualifiers; qualifier-only queries are not allowed
• GITHUB_LIST_COMMITS returns 409 on empty repos

5. Manage CI/CD and Deployments

When to use: User wants to view workflows, check CI status, or manage deployments

Tool sequence:

1. GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_WORKFLOWS - List GitHub Actions workflows [Required]
2. GITHUB_GET_A_WORKFLOW - Get workflow details by ID or filename [Optional]
3. GITHUB_CREATE_A_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH_EVENT - Manually trigger a workflow [Required]
4. GITHUB_LIST_CHECK_RUNS_FOR_A_REF - Check CI status for a commit/branch [Required]
5. GITHUB_LIST_DEPLOYMENTS - List deployments [Optional]
6. GITHUB_GET_A_DEPLOYMENT_STATUS - Get deployment status [Optional]

Key parameters:

• workflow_id: Numeric ID or filename (e.g., 'ci.yml')
• ref: Git reference (branch/tag) for workflow dispatch
• inputs: JSON string of workflow inputs matching on.workflow_dispatch.inputs
• environment: Filter deployments by environment name

Pitfalls:

• GITHUB_CREATE_A_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH_EVENT requires the workflow to have workflow_dispatch trigger configured
• Full path .github/workflows/main.yml is auto-stripped to just main.yml
• Inputs max 10 key-value pairs; must match workflow's on.workflow_dispatch.inputs definitions

6. Manage Users and Permissions

When to use: User wants to check collaborators, permissions, or branch protection

Tool sequence:

1. GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_COLLABORATORS - List repo collaborators [Required]
2. GITHUB_GET_REPOSITORY_PERMISSIONS_FOR_A_USER - Check specific user's access [Optional]
3. GITHUB_GET_BRANCH_PROTECTION - Inspect branch protection rules [Required]
4. GITHUB_UPDATE_BRANCH_PROTECTION - Update protection settings [Optional]
5. GITHUB_ADD_A_REPOSITORY_COLLABORATOR - Add/update collaborator [Optional]

Key parameters:

• affiliation: 'outside', 'direct', or 'all' for collaborator filtering
• permission: Filter by 'pull', 'triage', 'push', 'maintain', 'admin'
• branch: Branch name for protection rules
• enforce_admins: Whether protection applies to admins

Pitfalls:

• GITHUB_GET_BRANCH_PROTECTION returns 404 for unprotected branches; treat as no protection rules
• Determine push ability from permissions.push or role_name, not display labels
• GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_COLLABORATORS paginates; iterate all pages
• GITHUB_GET_REPOSITORY_PERMISSIONS_FOR_A_USER may be inconclusive for non-collaborators

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

• Repo name -> owner/repo: GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORIES_FOR_THE_AUTHENTICATED_USER
• PR number -> PR details: GITHUB_FIND_PULL_REQUESTS then GITHUB_GET_A_PULL_REQUEST
• Branch name -> SHA: GITHUB_GET_A_BRANCH
• Workflow name -> ID: GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_WORKFLOWS

Pagination

All list endpoints use page-based pagination:

• page: Page number (starts at 1)
• per_page: Results per page (max 100)
• Iterate until response returns fewer results than per_page

Safety

• Always verify PR mergeable status before merge
• Require explicit user confirmation for destructive operations (merge, delete)
• Check CI status with GITHUB_LIST_CHECK_RUNS_FOR_A_REF before merging

Known Pitfalls

• Issues vs PRs: GITHUB_LIST_REPOSITORY_ISSUES returns both; check pull_request field
• Pagination limits: per_page max 100; always iterate pages until empty
• Branch creation: GITHUB_CREATE_A_REFERENCE fails with 422 if reference already exists
• Merge guards: Merge can fail due to branch protection, failing checks, or draft status
• Code search limits: Only files <384KB on default branch; max 1000 results
• Commit search: Requires search text keywords alongside qualifiers
• Destructive actions: Repo deletion is irreversible; merge cannot be undone
• Silent permission drops: Labels, assignees, milestones silently dropped without push access

Quick Reference

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