Install GitHub MCP Without Docker: When the Default Config Fails

I opened Antigravity today, ready to code, and ready to install another MCP. This time, GitHub MCP. And when I tried to install it, I was slapped in the face with this error:

bash

1exec: "docker": executable file not found in %PATH%

Are you kidding me?

I just want my AI agent to read a repository. I am not launching a microservice architecture. I am not orchestrating a Kubernetes cluster. I am reading text files from GitHub.

Why on earth does the default configuration assume I have a 4GB Docker Daemon running in the background just to fetch a JSON response?

>
The "Containerize Everything" mindset has gone too far. If it's a Node.js script, just let me run the Node.js script. Stop wrapping everything in virtualized heavy metal.

If you are like me, and you refuse to install Docker Desktop just to satisfy a default config setting, here is the fix.

GitHub MCPNo DockerAntigravity

Tell Antigravity to run the server as a naked Node process using npx. It’s faster, cleaner, and it actually works.

Step 1: Get The Keys

Before fixing the engine, get the keys. The AI needs permission to read your repos.

Go to GitHub Settings -> Developer settings.
Click Personal access tokens -> Tokens (classic).
Generate a new token.
Scopes: Select repo (full control) and user (read user data).
Copy that token. If you lose it, you have to do this again.

Step 2: Open The Config

Antigravity hides this file, but it's the brain of your agent operations.

Open the Agent Window in Antigravity.
Click the three dots (...) in the top right.
Select MCP Servers.
Click Manage MCP Servers.

This opens mcp_config.json. This file is the Single Source of Truth for your tools.

Step 3: The Surgery

Look for the github-mcp-server block. By default, it looks like a Docker command. Eviscerate that and replace it with a clean npx command.

Delete the old block and paste this in:

json

1"github-mcp-server": {
2  "command": "npx",
3  "args": [
4    "-y",
5    "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"
6  ],
7  "env": {
8    "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
9  }
10}

Syntax Check //

Make sure you replace ghp_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with the actual token you copied in Step 1. And for the love of clean code, watch your commas. One missing comma in this JSON file and the whole thing fails silently.

Step 4: The Hard Restart

This is where most people get stuck.

Simply reloading the window is not enough. The MCP servers are spun up when the application process starts.

Close Antigravity completely.
Wait a second.
Open it again.

The Result

No Docker container. No virtual machine. No "executable not found" errors.

Just a direct, lightweight connection between your Agent and your Codebase.

The way it should have been from the start.

Now get back to building.

How to Install GitHub MCP in Antigravity without Docker