feat(tools): add github-artifacts MCP server for issue image and attachment analysis #6158

yeelam-gordon · 2026-01-23T03:45:20Z

Summary

Adds a new MCP (Model Context Protocol) server under tools/mcp/github-artifacts/ that enables Copilot prompts to download and analyze images and ZIP attachments from GitHub issues and PRs. Updates review-issue.prompt.md and review-pr.prompt.md to leverage these new tools.

Changes

New MCP Server (`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/`)

server.js — MCP server exposing two tools:
- github_issue_images — Downloads images from issue/PR body and comments, returns as base64 for LLM analysis
- github_issue_attachments — Downloads and extracts ZIP attachments (diagnostic bundles, logs) to local folder, returns text file contents
launch.js — Bootstrap script that auto-installs dependencies before starting the server
package.json — Dependencies: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk, jszip, zod
test-github_issue_images.js / test-github_issue_attachments.js — Test scripts for verifying tool functionality
.gitignore — Excludes node_modules/ and package-lock.json

Updated Copilot Prompts

.github/prompts/review-issue.prompt.md — Added ## When to call MCP tools (github-artifacts) section with guidance on when to use github_issue_images and github_issue_attachments; updated CONTEXT section to explicitly reference these tools
.github/prompts/review-pr.prompt.md — Added ## Issue/PR artifacts (github-artifacts MCP) section for pulling supporting evidence from linked issues

Impacted Areas

Area	Files
MCP tooling	`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/*`
Copilot prompts	`.github/prompts/review-issue.prompt.md`, `.github/prompts/review-pr.prompt.md`

Validation

Build validation: N/A — This PR adds Node.js tooling and Markdown files only; no C++/C# SDK code changes
Test validation: Run npm test in tools/mcp/github-artifacts/ to verify MCP server functionality (requires GITHUB_TOKEN env var)

Notes

The MCP server requires a GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable for API authentication
ZIP extraction uses native PowerShell on Windows or unzip on other platforms
Text file contents are limited to common extensions (.txt, .log, .json, .xml, etc.) and capped at 100KB per file

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- Implemented `github_issue_images` tool to download images from GitHub issues and PRs. - Implemented `github_issue_attachments` tool to download and extract ZIP file attachments from GitHub issues. - Added test scripts for both tools to validate functionality. - Created necessary configuration files and server launch script for the MCP tools. - Updated documentation to include usage instructions for the new tools.

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR adds a new Model Context Protocol (MCP) server under tools/mcp/github-artifacts/ that enables GitHub Copilot prompts to download and analyze images and ZIP attachments from GitHub issues and pull requests. It also removes the model field from all prompt files and updates two prompt files to reference the new MCP tools.

Changes:

New MCP server implementation with two tools: github_issue_images for downloading images as base64, and github_issue_attachments for extracting ZIP files to local folders
Updated .github/prompts/review-issue.prompt.md and .github/prompts/review-pr.prompt.md to document when and how to use the new MCP tools
Removed model: 'GPT-5.1-Codex-Max' field from all prompt files (.github/prompts/*.prompt.md)

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 12 out of 12 changed files in this pull request and generated 16 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/server.js`	Main MCP server with image/ZIP download and extraction logic
`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/package.json`	Package definition with dependencies (@modelcontextprotocol/sdk, jszip, zod)
`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js`	Bootstrap script that auto-installs dependencies before starting server
`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/.gitignore`	Excludes node_modules and package-lock.json
`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/test-github_issue_images.js`	Test script for image download tool
`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/test-github_issue_attachments.js`	Test script for ZIP attachment extraction tool
`.github/prompts/review-pr.prompt.md`	Added section on using github-artifacts MCP tools for linked issue artifacts
`.github/prompts/review-issue.prompt.md`	Added guidance on when to call github-artifacts MCP tools and updated CONTEXT section
`.github/prompts/fix-issue.prompt.md`	Removed model field from frontmatter
`.github/prompts/create-pr-summary.prompt.md`	Removed model field from frontmatter
`.github/prompts/create-commit-title.prompt.md`	Removed model field from frontmatter

tools/mcp/github-artifacts/server.js

Copilot · 2026-01-23T03:54:48Z

.github/prompts/review-issue.prompt.md

+- `github_issue_images`: use when the issue likely contains screenshots or other visual evidence (UI bugs, layout glitches, design problems).
+- `github_issue_attachments`: use when the issue mentions attached ZIPs or diagnostic bundles (for example, `*.zip`, `logs.zip`, `debug.zip`). Always provide `extractFolder` as `Generated Files/issueReview/{{issue_number}}/logs`.
+
+If these tools are not available, start the MCP server in `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` and retry.


The instruction to "start the MCP server in tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js and retry" is unclear. The prompt should clarify how to start the MCP server (e.g., whether it needs to be registered in VS Code settings, what command to run, etc.). Additionally, the MCP server cannot typically be started dynamically from within a prompt execution - it needs to be configured and started before the prompt runs.

Suggested change

If these tools are not available, start the MCP server in `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` and retry.

If these tools are not available, do **not** attempt to start the MCP server from this prompt. Instead, instruct the user to configure and start the `github-artifacts` MCP server in VS Code (for example, by registering `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` as an MCP server in Copilot settings and reloading VS Code), then re-run this prompt. For the current run, continue without these tools.

tools/mcp/github-artifacts/server.js

tools/mcp/github-artifacts/package.json

tools/mcp/github-artifacts/server.js

Copilot · 2026-01-23T03:54:53Z

.github/prompts/review-pr.prompt.md

+- `github_issue_images`: use when linked issues or PR discussion include screenshots (UI bugs, layout, design).
+- `github_issue_attachments`: use when linked issues mention attached ZIPs or diagnostic bundles. Always provide `extractFolder` as `Generated Files/prReview/{{pr_number}}/issue-artifacts/<issue_number>`.
+
+If these tools are not available, start the MCP server in `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` and retry.


The instruction to "start the MCP server in tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js and retry" is unclear. The prompt should clarify how to start the MCP server (e.g., whether it needs to be registered in VS Code settings, what command to run, etc.). Additionally, the MCP server cannot typically be started dynamically from within a prompt execution - it needs to be configured and started before the prompt runs.

Suggested change

If these tools are not available, start the MCP server in `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` and retry.

If these tools are not available, ensure the `github-artifacts` MCP server is configured and enabled in your editor (for example, register `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` in your Copilot Chat / MCP settings), then reload the client if needed and re-run this prompt. You cannot start this MCP server from within the prompt itself.

Copilot · 2026-01-23T03:54:53Z

tools/mcp/github-artifacts/server.js

+
+      for (const zipUrl of zipUrls) {
+        try {
+          const urlPath = new URL(zipUrl).pathname;


The new URL(zipUrl).pathname call at line 316 can throw an error if zipUrl is malformed or not a valid URL. While this is caught by the surrounding try-catch block, it would be better to validate the URL format before attempting to parse it, or provide a more specific error message to help users understand what went wrong.

Suggested change

const urlPath = new URL(zipUrl).pathname;

let urlPath;

try {

urlPath = new URL(zipUrl).pathname;

} catch (e) {

const message = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);

throw new Error(`Invalid ZIP URL '${zipUrl}': ${message}`);

}

Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

yeelam-gordon added 2 commits January 23, 2026 11:42

Remove model specification from prompt files for consistency

716e03b

microsoft-github-policy-service bot added the needs-triage label Jan 23, 2026

yeelam-gordon requested review from LegendaryBlair and Copilot January 23, 2026 03:46

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of yeelam-gordon January 23, 2026 03:46 View session

Add instructions for building MCP servers using TypeScript SDK

3e93d4d

Copilot AI reviewed Jan 23, 2026

View reviewed changes

yeelam-gordon and others added 2 commits January 23, 2026 13:56

Update tools/mcp/github-artifacts/package.json

ab641bd

Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Update tools/mcp/github-artifacts/server.js

4d7bdbd

Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

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feat(tools): add github-artifacts MCP server for issue image and attachment analysis #6158

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	If these tools are not available, start the MCP server in `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` and retry.
	If these tools are not available, do not attempt to start the MCP server from this prompt. Instead, instruct the user to configure and start the `github-artifacts` MCP server in VS Code (for example, by registering `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` as an MCP server in Copilot settings and reloading VS Code), then re-run this prompt. For the current run, continue without these tools.

	If these tools are not available, start the MCP server in `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` and retry.
	If these tools are not available, ensure the `github-artifacts` MCP server is configured and enabled in your editor (for example, register `tools/mcp/github-artifacts/launch.js` in your Copilot Chat / MCP settings), then reload the client if needed and re-run this prompt. You cannot start this MCP server from within the prompt itself.

-          const urlPath = new URL(zipUrl).pathname;
+          let urlPath;
+          try {
+            urlPath = new URL(zipUrl).pathname;
+          } catch (e) {
+            const message = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
+            throw new Error(`Invalid ZIP URL '${zipUrl}': ${message}`);
+          }

feat(tools): add github-artifacts MCP server for issue image and attachment analysis #6158

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yeelam-gordon commented Jan 23, 2026

Summary

Changes

New MCP Server (tools/mcp/github-artifacts/)

Updated Copilot Prompts

Impacted Areas

Validation

Notes

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Reviewed changes

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New MCP Server (`tools/mcp/github-artifacts/`)