GitHub (github)

The github connector indexes a GitHub repository: its source files at their repo paths, and — when you opt in — its issues, pull requests, and PR diffs. Use it to search a codebase you don't have checked out, or to bring issue and review discussion into the same search surface as the code it's about.

How MFS sees it

Repository files appear at their real repo paths. With index_meta = true, issue and PR records show up under _meta/:

github://zilliztech/mfs/
├── README.md                              document
├── server/python/src/.../registry.py      code
├── _meta/issues.jsonl                     record_collection  (opt-in)
└── _meta/pulls.jsonl                      record_collection  (opt-in)

Code and docs are embedded and searchable like any file tree. Issues and pulls are indexed per record using built-in presets — github.issues covers the title, body, and comment bodies; github.pulls adds review and comment threads — so you don't need to write any [[objects]] config for them.

Credentials

You need a GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) with read scopes. A fine-grained PAT is the recommended path for org-owned repos.

Fine-grained PAT — https://github.com/settings/tokens?type=beta → Generate new token:

1. Set a name and expiration (rotate on a reminder).
2. Repository access → Only select repositories → pick the repos to index.
3. Repository permissions, all Read-only: Contents, Issues, Pull requests, and Metadata (Metadata is always required).
4. Generate and copy the github_pat_... value.

Classic PAT also works (https://github.com/settings/tokens/new) with scope repo for private repos or public_repo for public-only. If the org enforces SSO, click Configure SSO on the token and authorize it for the org.

Author the token as an env: reference so the secret stays in the server environment, never in the TOML.

Configuration

repo = "zilliztech/mfs"
branch = "main"            # empty = repo default branch
token = "env:GITHUB_TOKEN"
index_meta = true          # also index issues + PRs (off by default)
max_read_rows = 5000

Set repo explicitly — the plugin reads it from config rather than deriving it from the URI. file:/abs/path works for the token too.

Sync and freshness

The connector tracks each file's blob_sha as its cursor, so a re-sync only re-embeds blobs whose content changed. Deletions are caught by full_scan: a file removed upstream disappears from the index on the next sync. Submodules are not followed as separate repository trees.

Search and browse

mfs connector probe github://zilliztech/mfs --config ./github.toml
mfs add github://zilliztech/mfs --config ./github.toml

mfs search "connector registry" github://zilliztech/mfs/server/python
mfs cat github://zilliztech/mfs/server/python/src/mfs_server/connectors/registry.py --range 1:80
mfs cat github://zilliztech/mfs/_meta/issues.jsonl --locator '{"number":42}'

Pitfalls

• Issues, PRs, and PR diffs are opt-in — set index_meta = true.
• Private repos require a token; without one only public repos resolve.
• max_read_rows caps files and issues; a large repo may report partial recall.