Inline comments MCP is not starting in tag mode

[arthurtaborda]

Describe the bug
The github_inline_comment MCP server cannot be enabled in tag mode even when users explicitly request inline comment tools in their allowedTools. This is because tag mode passes an empty allowedTools array to prepareMcpConfig(), which prevents the MCP server installation logic from detecting that inline comment tools are requested.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Set up a GitHub Action workflow with Claude Code in tag mode
2. Configure claude_args to include inline comment tools like --allowedTools
   "mcp__github_inline_comment__create_inline_comment"
3. Trigger the action with @claude mention on a pull request
4. Observe that the github_inline_comment MCP server is not started and inline comment tools are not available

Expected behavior
When users explicitly request inline comment tools via claude_args or other configuration, the
github_inline_comment MCP server should be started and the tools should be available to Claude,
even in tag mode.

Screenshots
If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.

Workflow yml file

name: Claude Code
  on:
    pull_request:
      types: [opened, synchronize]
    issue_comment:
      types: [created]

  jobs:
    claude:
      runs-on: ubuntu-latest
      steps:
        - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@main
          with:
            claude_args: |
              --allowedTools "mcp__github_inline_comment__create_inline_comment"

API Provider

[ ] Anthropic First-Party API (default)
[ ] AWS Bedrock
[ ] GCP Vertex

Additional context
The root cause is in src/modes/tag/index.ts:123 where tag mode passes an empty array allowedTools: [] to prepareMcpConfig(). The MCP server installation logic in src/mcp/install-mcp-server.ts:73-74 only checks this passed array to determine if inline comment tools are requested, ignoring any tools specified in the user's claude_args.

The issue affects the logic at install-mcp-server.ts:131-135 where the github_inline_comment server is only included if hasInlineCommentTools is true, but this will always be false in tag mode regardless of user configuration.

[ashwin-ant]

Fixed in 1.0.6, can you try upgrading?

[arthurtaborda]

It's still not initializing, maybe we need this fix? #556

[ashwin-ant]

I think there may be a mistake in your workflow file. Your allowed tools should look like what we have here:

https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code-action/blob/main/.github/workflows/claude-review.yml#L27

or here:

https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code-action/blob/main/examples/pr-review-comprehensive.yml#L68C29-L68C78

Specifically you want mcp__github_inline_comment__create_inline_comment

[arthurtaborda]

Hello @ashwin-ant, I edited the description with the correct code. The mistake was only in the description, my workflow was using exactly the recommended code.

I can confirm that using version 1.0.6, and with the inline comments MCP in the allowed tools still gives the same error:

- name: Trigger Claude Code
  uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1.0.6
  with:
      track_progress: true
      claude_args: |
        --mcp-config /tmp/mcp-config.json
        --allowedTools "Bash(gh pr comment:*),
          Bash(gh pr view:*),
          Bash(git add:*),
          Bash(git commit:*),
          Bash(git push:*),
          Bash(git status:*),
          Bash(git rm:*),
          Bash(git log:*),
          Bash(ls:*),
          Edit,
          MultiEdit,
          Glob,
          Grep,
          LS,
          Read,
          Write,
          mcp__bedrock-kb,
          mcp__github_inline_comment__create_inline_comment"

[arthurtaborda]

fixed by #556