What
Claude Code now probes whether it can reach GitHub before it uses GitHub MCP tools, so access problems surface up front rather than as a failed tool call mid-review. The probe is on unless Anthropic's remote config explicitly turns it off, and nothing in this build sets the value locally, so enabling or disabling it is a server-side decision.
Details
- The remote config key is
github_access_precheck_enabled, read so that any value other than an explicit false leaves the probe running. - The probe only fires for supported hosts and non-remote sessions, and returns null in every other case.
- The probe budget defaults to 5000 ms when no timeout is passed in.
- Two GitHub MCP tool names sit alongside the check as the set it covers.
- A sibling remote config key,
empty_tree_fallback_enabled, is read the same way and defaults on for the same reason.
Evidence
github_access_precheck_enabled, return sse()?.github_access_precheck_enabled !== !1;
Strings lifted out of the shipped bundle, so the claim above can be checked against them.