Use MCP servers in VS Code

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI models use external tools and services through a unified interface. In VS Code, MCP servers add tools for tasks like file operations, databases, or interacting with external APIs.

This article guides you through setting up MCP servers and using tools with agent mode in Visual Studio Code.

Prerequisites

• Install the latest version of Visual Studio Code
• Access to Copilot

Enable MCP support in VS Code

The chat.mcp.access setting controls which MCP servers can be installed and run in VS Code:

• all (default): All MCP servers are allowed
• registry: Only MCP servers from the registry are allowed
• none: No MCP servers are allowed

Centrally manage MCP support

You have two options to centrally manage MCP support in your organization:

• Device management: Centrally enable or disable MCP support in your organization via group policies or configuration profiles. Learn more about managing VS Code settings with device management.

• GitHub Copilot policy: Control the availability of MCP servers in your organization with a GitHub Copilot policy. Learn more about Managing policies and features for Copilot in your enterprise in the GitHub Copilot documentation.

Add an MCP server

You have multiple options to add an MCP server in VS Code:

{
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/typescript-node:latest",
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "mcp": {
        "servers": {
          "playwright": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": ["-y", "@microsoft/mcp-server-playwright"]
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

code --add-mcp "{\"name\":\"my-server\",\"command\": \"uvx\",\"args\": [\"mcp-server-fetch\"]}"

Use MCP tools in agent mode

Once you have added an MCP server, you can use the tools it provides in agent mode.

To use MCP tools in agent mode:

1. Open the Chat view (⌃⌘I (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Alt+I)), and select Agent mode from the dropdown.

   

2. Select the Tools button to view the list of available tools.

   Optionally, select or deselect the tools you want to use. You can search tools by typing in the search box.

   

   Important

   A chat request can have a maximum of 128 tools enabled at a time. If you have more than 128 tools selected, reduce the number of tools by deselecting some tools in the tools picker, or ensure that virtual tools are enabled (github.copilot.chat.virtualTools.threshold).

3. Enter a prompt in the chat input box and notice how tools are automatically invoked as needed. For example, install the GitHub MCP server and ask "List my GitHub issues".

   

   Tip

   You can also directly reference a tool in your prompt by typing # followed by the tool name. You can do this in all chat modes (ask, edit, and agent mode).

4. When prompted, carefully review the tool invocation details before confirming.

   Caution

   MCP tools might run locally on your machine and could perform actions that modify files or data. Always ensure you understand the implications of the tool's actions.

   Use the Continue button dropdown options to automatically confirm the specific tool for the current session, workspace, or all future invocations.

   

5. Optionally, verify and edit the tool input parameters before running the tool.

   

Clear cached MCP tools

When VS Code starts the MCP server for the first time, it discovers the server's capabilities and tools. You can then use these tools in agent mode. VS Code caches the list of tools for an MCP server. To clear the cached tools, use the MCP: Reset Cached Tools command in the Command Palette.

Use MCP resources

MCP servers can give direct access to resources that you can use as context in your chat prompts. For example, a file system MCP server can let you access files and directories, or a database MCP server might provide access to database tables.

To add a resource from an MCP server to your chat prompt:

1. In the Chat view, select Add Context > MCP Resources

2. Select a resource type from the list and provide optional resource input parameters.

   

To view the list of available resources for an MCP server, use the MCP: Browse Resources command or use the MCP: List Servers > Browse Resources command to view resources for a specific server.

MCP tools can return resources as part of their response. You can view or save these resources to your workspace by selecting Save or by dragging and dropping the resource to the Explorer view.

Use MCP prompts

MCP servers can provide preconfigured prompts for common tasks that you can invoke in chat with a slash command. To invoke an MCP prompt in chat, type / in the chat input field, followed by the prompt name, formatted as mcp.servername.promptname.

Optionally, the MCP prompt might ask you for extra input parameters.

Group related tools in a tool set

As you add more MCP servers, the list of tools can become long. This can make it tedious to manage individual tools, for example when you want to define a reusable prompt file or a custom chat mode.

To help you manage tools, you can group related tools into a tool set. A tool set is a collection of individual tools that you can refer to as a single entity. A tool set can contain built-in tools, MCP tools, or tools provided by extensions.

Learn more about how to create and use tool sets in VS Code.

Manage installed MCP servers

You can perform various actions on the installed MCP servers, such as starting or stopping a server, viewing the server logs, uninstalling the server, and more.

To perform these actions on an MCP server, use either of these options:

• Right-click a server in the MCP SERVERS - INSTALLED section or select the gear icon

  

• Open the mcp.json configuration file and access the actions inline in the editor (code lenses)

  

  Use the MCP: Open User Configuration or MCP: Open Workspace Folder Configuration commands to access the MCP server configuration.

• Run the MCP: List Servers command from the Command Palette and select a server

  

Automatically start MCP servers

When you add an MCP server or change its configuration, VS Code needs to (re)start the server to discover the tools it provides.

You can configure VS Code to automatically restart the MCP server when configuration changes are detected by using the chat.mcp.autostart setting (Experimental).

Alternatively, manually restart the MCP server from the Chat view, or by selecting the restart action from the MCP server list.

Find MCP servers

MCP is still a relatively new standard, and the ecosystem is rapidly evolving. As more developers adopt MCP, you can expect to see an increasing number of servers and tools available for integration with your projects.

The GitHub MCP server registry is a great starting point. You can access the registry directly from the Extensions view in VS Code.

MCP's official server repository provides official, and community-contributed servers that showcase MCP's versatility. You can explore servers for various functionalities, such as file system operations, database interactions, and web services.

VS Code extensions can also contribute MCP servers and configure them as part of the extension's installation process. Check the Visual Studio Marketplace for extensions that provide MCP server support.

MCP server trust

MCP servers can run arbitrary code on your machine. Only add servers from trusted sources, and review the publisher and server configuration before starting it. Read the Security documentation for using AI in VS Code to understand the implications.

When you add an MCP server to your workspace or change its configuration, you need to confirm that you trust the server and its capabilities before starting it. VS Code shows a dialog to confirm that you trust the server when you start a server for the first time. Select the link to MCP server in the dialog to review the MCP server configuration in a separate window.

If you don't trust the server, it is not started, and chat requests continue without using the tools provided by the server.

You can reset trust for your MCP servers by running the MCP: Reset Trust command from the Command Palette.

Synchronize MCP servers across devices

With Settings Sync enabled, you can synchronize settings and configurations across devices, including MCP server configurations. This allows you to maintain a consistent development environment and access the same MCP servers on all your devices.

To enable MCP server synchronization with Settings Sync, run the Settings Sync: Configure command from the Command Palette, and ensure that MCP Servers is included in the list of synchronized configurations.

Configuration format

MCP servers are configured using a JSON file (mcp.json) that defines two main sections: server definitions and optional input variables for sensitive data.

MCP servers can connect using different transport methods. Choose the appropriate configuration based on how your server communicates.

Configuration structure

The configuration file has two main sections:

• "servers": {} - Contains the list of MCP servers and their configurations
• "inputs": [] - Optional placeholders for sensitive information like API keys

You can use predefined variables in the server configuration, for example to refer to the workspace folder (${workspaceFolder}).

Standard I/O (stdio) servers

Use this configuration for servers that communicate through standard input and output streams. This is the most common type for locally-run MCP servers.

{
  "servers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]
    }
  }
}

HTTP and Server-Sent Events (SSE) servers

Use this configuration for servers that communicate over HTTP. VS Code first tries the HTTP Stream transport and falls back to SSE if HTTP is not supported.

In addition to servers available over the network, VS Code can connect to MCP servers listening for HTTP traffic on Unix sockets or Windows named pipes by specifying the socket or pipe path in the form unix:///path/to/server.sock or pipe:///pipe/named-pipe on Windows. You can specify subpaths by using a URL fragment, such as unix:///tmp/server.sock#/mcp/subpath.

{
  "servers": {
    "context7": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Input variables for sensitive data

Input variables let you define placeholders for configuration values, avoiding the need to hardcode sensitive information like API keys or passwords directly in the server configuration.

When you reference an input variable using ${input:variable-id}, VS Code prompts you for the value when the server starts for the first time. The value is then securely stored for subsequent use. Learn more about input variables in VS Code.

Input variable properties:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "perplexity-key",
      "description": "Perplexity API Key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "perplexity": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "server-perplexity-ask"],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "${input:perplexity-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Server naming conventions

When defining MCP servers, follow these naming conventions for the server name:

• Use camelCase for the server name, such as "uiTesting" or "githubIntegration"
• Avoid using whitespace or special characters
• Use a unique name for each server to avoid conflicts
• Use a descriptive name that reflects the server's functionality or brand, such as "github" or "database"

Troubleshoot and debug MCP servers

MCP output log

When VS Code encounters an issue with an MCP server, it shows an error indicator in the Chat view.

Select the error notification in the Chat view, and then select the Show Output option to view the server logs. Alternatively, run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette, select the server, and then choose Show Output.

Debug an MCP server

You can enable development mode for MCP servers by adding a dev key to the MCP server configuration. This is an object with two properties:

• watch: A file glob pattern to watch for files change that will restart the MCP server.
• debug: Enables you to set up a debugger with the MCP server. Currently, VS Code supports debugging Node.js and Python MCP servers.

Learn more about MCP development mode in the MCP Dev Guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I control which MCP tools are used?

• Select the Tools button in the Chat view when in agent mode, and toggle specific tools on/off as needed.
• Add specific tools to your prompt by using the Add Context button or by typing #.
• For more advanced control, you can use .github/copilot-instructions.md to fine-tune tool usage.

The MCP server is not starting when using Docker

Verify that the command arguments are correct and that the container is not running in detached mode (-d option). You can also check the MCP server output for any error messages (see Troubleshooting).

I'm getting an error that says "Cannot have more than 128 tools per request."

A chat request can have a maximum of 128 tools enabled at a time due to model constraints. If you have more than 128 tools selected, reduce the number of tools by deselecting some tools or whole servers in the tools picker in the Chat view, or ensure that virtual tools are enabled (github.copilot.chat.virtualTools.threshold).

Related resources

• Model Context Protocol Documentation
• Model Context Protocol Server repository
• Use agent mode in Visual Studio Code