Integrations · AI Clients

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot in VS Code supports MCP via .vscode/mcp.json or VS Code user settings. Requires Copilot Chat extension and agent mode.

Requirements

VS Code version1.99+ (MCP support added April 2025)

ExtensionGitHub Copilot Chat (ms-vscode.copilot-chat)

ModeAgent mode — MCP only works in Agent, not inline or Ask.

Node.js18+ required for npx

Workspace setup (.vscode/mcp.json)

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root. Note: Copilot uses servers (not mcpServers) and each server has a type field.

.vscode/mcp.json

// .vscode/mcp.json — workspace-level, commit to repo
{
  "servers": {
    "conductor": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@useconductor/conductor"]
    }
  }
}

with env vars

// .vscode/mcp.json with env vars
{
  "servers": {
    "conductor": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@useconductor/conductor"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token",
        "CONDUCTOR_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

User-level setup

To enable Conductor across all workspaces, add it to VS Code user settings:

VS Code user settings.json

// User-level MCP config — VS Code user settings
// Open: File → Preferences → Settings → search "mcp"
// Or edit settings.json directly:
{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "conductor": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@useconductor/conductor"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Conductor with Copilot Agent

1Open Copilot Chat (⌃⌘I or View → Copilot Chat).

2Switch to Agent mode — click the mode selector at the top of the chat panel and choose Agent.

3Type a prompt that needs a tool. Copilot will show which MCP tools it's considering and ask for confirmation.

4Approve the tool call. Conductor executes it and returns the result to Copilot.

Troubleshooting

MCP.json not recognized / no tools

Confirm VS Code is 1.99+. Check View → Output → GitHub Copilot for MCP errors. The .vscode/mcp.json file must be in the workspace root, not a subdirectory.

Tools only available in Agent, not Chat

That's by design. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode. Switch using the mode dropdown in the Copilot Chat panel.

"servers" key vs "mcpServers"

Copilot uses 'servers' (not 'mcpServers'). Using the wrong key means Conductor is silently ignored. Double-check the key name.

type field required

Copilot requires each server entry to have type: 'stdio' or type: 'sse'. This field is optional or absent in other clients but required here.

Approval prompt not appearing

VS Code may auto-approve some tools. Check Settings → GitHub Copilot → MCP → Auto Approve to see and configure the behavior.

Aider All integrations