GitHub

Connect with the Otter GitHub App so import and pull requests work. You do not create your own OAuth app. App secrets live on Otter's Cloudflare auth broker — not in your Docker image.

What you do (end user)

1. Start the local stack with Docker (see Self-host). Postgres is created automatically in Docker.
2. In the product UI click Connect GitHub, or run otter login.
3. Install / authorize the Otter GitHub App when GitHub prompts you.
4. Import a repo and open PRs after approving coding tasks.

Web · CLI · MCP

• Web — Connect GitHub in the app chrome (cookie session).
• CLI — otter login (same broker; session in ~/.otter/config.json). Docker platform must already be running.
• MCP — uses OTTER_SESSION or reads ~/.otter/config.json after CLI login. Point OTTER_API_URL at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

Privacy

• Repository clones and the database stay on your machine (Docker volumes).
• Cloudflare only completes GitHub App login and returns a short-lived one-time code.
• Day-to-day chat / import / PRs talk to your local API only.

Operators (Otter maintainers)

Register the GitHub App and deploy the broker — see apps/auth-broker/GITHUB_APP_SETUP.md in the repo. Set OTTER_AUTH_BROKER_URL on the platform compose. Never put the Client Secret in Docker Hub.