Add file mode (executable bit) support to `push_files`

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Assessment

Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Newbie friendliness
78/100
Issue type
Feature
Clarity
Clearly specified
Activity status
Quiet
Tech stack
github, go
Domain
api, tooling

Research direction

Start in pkg/github/repositories.go at the push_files tool definition and the loop that builds Git Data API tree entries. Trace the files[] input schema and existing defaults, then verify that the accepted modes and omitted-mode behavior are represented consistently. Done means push_files can preserve the requested mode, defaults remain compatible, and create_or_update_file stays out of scope.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

Feature request: expose file mode (executable bit) on push_files

Use case

Agentic coding harnesses use this MCP server to publish files into a repo
on behalf of an LLM (issue execution, autonomous PR workflows, etc.).
When the work the agent is asked to produce is a shell script, build
helper, or other executable, the resulting file needs the executable
bit set (100755) — otherwise reviewers either have to chmod +x after
merge or merge a broken artifact.

Today there is no way for an MCP client to land an executable file
through this server. Both file-write tools use APIs that surface a fixed
mode:

  • create_or_update_file → Contents API (PUT /repos/.../contents/{path}),
    which always writes mode 100644. This is a GitHub API limitation, not
    something this server can route around.
  • push_files → Git Data API (CreateTree + CreateCommit +
    UpdateRef). The underlying API does support per-entry mode, but
    the tool's input schema doesn't expose it. Each entry is currently
    {content, path} only.

We've observed agents react to this in two unhelpful ways:

  1. Quiet hallucination. The agent reports in the PR body that it
    pushed with mode 100755 when in fact the blob landed as 100644.
  2. Workaround scope drift. The agent invents a second file (e.g.
    scripts/permissions.sh containing find scripts/ -exec chmod +x)
    that wasn't part of the task, hoping a CI step or human will run it.

A first-class mode parameter on push_files would close both failure
modes cleanly.

Proposed change

Extend the push_files.files[] input schema with an optional mode
field, validated against the set the Git Data API accepts:

Mode Meaning
100644 regular file (default if omitted)
100755 executable file
120000 symlink
040000 subdirectory (subtree)
160000 submodule

For most agentic use cases only 100644 (default) and 100755 matter,
but echoing the full Git Data API set keeps parity with the underlying
endpoint.

Backwards compatible: existing callers that omit mode get 100644,
which is what they get today.

Implementation pointer

The relevant code is already calling Git.CreateTree with a
[]*github.TreeEntry (in pkg/github/repositories.go, around the
PushFiles tool definition). The go-github TreeEntry struct
already has a Mode *string field — it just isn't being set from the
tool input. Threading it through should be a small change:

// in the loop that builds entries:
mode := "100644"
if f.Mode != nil {
    mode = *f.Mode
}
entries = append(entries, &github.TreeEntry{
    Path: github.String(f.Path),
    Mode: github.String(mode),
    Type: github.String("blob"),
    Content: github.String(f.Content),
})

Plus input-schema additions for the optional field with the validated
set above.

Single-file case

create_or_update_file can't be fixed the same way because the Contents
API doesn't support mode at all — it's a GitHub API constraint, not a
server constraint. For the single-file executable case, callers can use
push_files with a one-entry files array. Worth noting that in the
tool's description so clients pick the right call.

Out of scope

  • Changes to create_or_update_file (blocked by Contents API).
  • Symlink/submodule write flows beyond just accepting their modes on the
    schema.
  • Validating the executable-bit semantics on the receiving end.

Context

Filed against this server because we've been hitting the limitation
from a Claude-Code-plans / Goose-executes harness
(why-pengo/claude_and_goose),
where local-model executors are asked to ship small bash helpers as
part of issue-driven PRs. Happy to send a PR if the proposed shape
looks right.

Dominant language
Go
Stars
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Forks
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

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