github-mcp-setting-up

name	github-mcp-setting-up
version	1.0.0
description	Use this skill when the user just installed the github-mcp plugin and needs to configure it, asks "help me set up github-mcp" or for guidance on configuring GitHub tooling for this session, or when the github-mcp MCP tools fail with authentication or missing-repo errors. Verifies the gh CLI is installed and authenticated, checks that jq is available, and optionally creates .mcp-gh-tooling.json to set a default repository, enable the write server, and configure label definitions.
model	sonnet
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write, Glob, AskUserQuestion

Plugin Setup

Interactive setup assistant. Read references/plugin-setup.md for all plugin-specific details including prerequisites, configuration files, validation steps, and post-setup instructions.

Workflow

Phase 1: Detect Current State

Read the plugin setup guide reference file. It contains all plugin-specific information organized in standard sections.

For each prerequisite listed under ## Prerequisites:

1. Run its check command (the Check field) via Bash
2. Record the result: installed (with version) or missing

For each config file listed under ## Configuration Files:

1. Check if it exists at the specified location using Glob
2. Record the result: exists or missing

Report findings to the user:

• Installed prerequisites with versions
• Missing prerequisites (distinguish required vs optional)
• Existing config files
• Missing config files

If everything is already configured, skip to Phase 5 (Configure Permissions) — permissions are always offered.

Phase 2: Fix Prerequisites

For each missing prerequisite:

1. Tell the user what is missing, what requires it (the Required by field), and provide the install link
2. If the prerequisite is marked as optional, ask via AskUserQuestion whether they want to install it. Skip if they decline.
3. For required prerequisites, tell the user to install it and ask them to confirm when done
4. After confirmation, re-run the check command to verify

If a required prerequisite cannot be installed, stop and explain which config files and features depend on it. Do not proceed to Phase 3 for config files that depend on missing prerequisites.

Phase 3: Create Config Files

For each config file from the guide that does not exist:

1. If the file is marked Required: No, ask via AskUserQuestion whether the user wants to configure it. Skip if they decline.
2. Read the Setup Questions section for this config file
3. Ask each question one at a time via AskUserQuestion, presenting the options and descriptions exactly as written in the guide
4. Skip conditional questions when their condition is not met (conditions are noted in parentheses, e.g., "only if environment = docker")
5. Build the config JSON object from the answers
6. Present the complete config to the user and ask for confirmation
7. Write the file to the specified location using Write

Phase 4: Plugin Scope Setup (optional)

Read the ## Plugin Scope Setup section of the guide and walk the dialogue. Skip this phase entirely if the user answers No to the gate question.

Phase 5: Configure Permissions

Pre-approve the plugin's tools in .claude/settings.local.json so the user is not prompted on first use. Read the ## Permission Groups section of the guide. Each group bundles related tools behind a single question — never ask per individual tool.

1. Check whether .claude/settings.local.json exists at the project root. If present, read it with Read. Otherwise treat the starting state as {"permissions": {"allow": [], "ask": [], "deny": []}}.

2. For each group listed in the guide:

   • Skip the group if its Optional condition is not met (e.g., the related config file was not created, or a dependent feature like enable_write_server is disabled).
   • Skip the group silently if every pattern in it is already present in any of the allow, ask, or deny lists.
   • Otherwise ask via AskUserQuestion, using the group's name and description. Offer three options — allow, ask, deny — with the group's Recommended value as the default.

3. Merge the answers into the settings:

   • Append each selected pattern to the chosen list.
   • Deduplicate: never add a pattern that already exists anywhere in allow, ask, or deny.
   • Never remove, reorder, or move existing entries between lists.
   • Preserve every other key in the file verbatim.

4. Show the user the new entries that will be added (grouped by target list) and ask for confirmation. On confirmation, Write the updated file.

Phase 6: Validate

Read the ## Validation section of the guide. For each validation step:

1. Run the described check or MCP tool call
2. Report pass or fail
3. If a check fails, diagnose the likely cause and offer to fix it (e.g., wrong container name, container not running, missing PHP extension)

Phase 7: Post-Setup

Read the ## Post-Setup section of the guide. Report the remaining steps the user must take (e.g., restarting Claude Code to load MCP servers).

Rules

• Ask one question at a time via AskUserQuestion. Never batch multiple questions.
• Skip phases and individual steps that are already satisfied (prerequisite installed, config file exists, permission pattern already in settings).
• Never proceed to config file creation if a required prerequisite it depends on is missing.
• Always show the user the complete config content before writing it.
• When updating .claude/settings.local.json, only append new entries. Never remove, reorder, or move existing permission entries between lists.
• If validation fails, attempt to diagnose the cause before giving up.
• Use the exact options, descriptions, defaults, and permission groups from the plugin setup guide. Do not improvise.