VSCode Integration

Visual Studio Code supports MCP servers through GitHub Copilot Chat. You can configure servers at the workspace or user level, enabling your entire team to share MCP configurations.

Prerequisites:

VSCode 1.102+ with GitHub Copilot installed and enabled
Copilot subscription (individual, business, or enterprise)
MCP support is generally available from VS Code 1.102

Configuration File Locations

Workspace
User

Location: .vscode/mcp.json in your project rootBenefits:

Shared with team via version control
Project-specific MCP servers
Consistent across team members

mkdir -p .vscode
touch .vscode/mcp.json

Recommended Method: Use Command Palette

Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P
Run MCP: Open User Configuration
Edit in VSCode with IntelliSense support

File Locations (if editing manually):

macOS/Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/modelcontextprotocol.mcp/mcp.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\modelcontextprotocol.mcp\mcp.json

Benefits:

Available across all projects
Personal configuration
Not shared via version control

Local (Stdio) Setup

Using Command Palette (Recommended)

Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P
Run MCP: Add Server
Choose Workspace or Global scope
Paste configuration and edit with IntelliSense

Using CLI

# Add local stdio server
code --add-mcp '{
  "name": "ibmiMcp",
  "type": "stdio",
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
  "env": {
    "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
    "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
    "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
    "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
    "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
  }
}'

Using mcp.json

Create or edit mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: The --tools path must be an absolute path.

Security: On first start, VSCode will prompt you to trust the MCP server. Only trust servers from reliable sources as they can execute code on your machine.

Remote (HTTP/SSE) Setup

VSCode supports both HTTP and SSE (Server-Sent Events) transport for remote servers.

Using CLI

# Add remote HTTP server
code --add-mcp '{
  "name": "ibmiMcp",
  "type": "http",
  "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
  }
}'

Using mcp.json

HTTP Transport
SSE Transport

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

SSE (Server-Sent Events): Alternative to HTTP transport for real-time server updates. Use when your server supports SSE protocol.

Secure Credentials with Variables

VSCode supports multiple variable types for secure credential management and flexible configurations:

Input Variables

Prompt users for sensitive data at runtime:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "db2iHost",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM i DB2 host address"
    },
    {
      "id": "db2iUser",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM i username"
    },
    {
      "id": "db2iPass",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM i password",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "${input:db2iHost}",
        "DB2i_USER": "${input:db2iUser}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${input:db2iPass}",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

VSCode will prompt for these values when the server starts, keeping credentials secure and out of version control.

Built-in Variables

Use VSCode’s built-in variables for dynamic paths:

${workspaceFolder} - Absolute path to the workspace root
${env:VAR_NAME} - Environment variable value
${userHome} - User’s home directory path

Example:

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "--tools", "${workspaceFolder}/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "${env:IBM_HOST}",
        "DB2i_USER": "${env:IBM_USER}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${env:IBM_PASS}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Best Practice: Use ${workspaceFolder} for tools paths in team configs so they work regardless of where teammates clone the repo.

Managing Servers

List All Servers

Open Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P)
Run MCP: List Servers
View all configured servers with status

View Servers in Chat

Open the Copilot Chat view in the Activity Bar
Look for MCP servers listed in the chat interface
Click the MCP indicator to see available tools

Restart Server

Method 1 - Command Palette:

Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P
Run MCP: Restart Server
Select your server from the list

Method 2 - Extensions View:

Right-click server in Extensions view
Select “Restart”

Autostart Servers (Experimental)

Enable automatic server startup:

Open VSCode Settings
Search for chat.mcp.autostart
Enable the setting

Disable Server

Remove or comment out the server entry in mcp.json

Testing the Connection

After configuration:

Reload VSCode: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → “Developer: Reload Window”
Open Copilot Chat: Click the chat icon in Activity Bar
Check MCP status: Look for MCP indicator in Copilot Chat
List tools: Ask “@mcp what tools are available?”
Test a tool: Ask “Show me the IBM i system status”

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Not Appearing

Solutions:

Verify JSON syntax in mcp.json
Reload VSCode window: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → “Developer: Reload Window”
Check Copilot is installed and enabled
Verify GitHub Copilot subscription is active
Look for errors in Output panel: View → Output → “MCP”

Server Fails to Start

Solutions:

Verify npx -y @ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest works from terminal
Check all paths are absolute
Ensure IBM i credentials are correct
Review VSCode Developer Tools: Help → Toggle Developer Tools

Authentication Failed (Remote)

Solutions:

Verify remote server is running
Check token is valid and not expired
Ensure correct Authorization header format
Get fresh token: node get-access-token.js --verbose

Input Variables Not Prompting

Solutions:

Ensure inputs array is at root level of mcp.json
Verify ${input:id} syntax is correct
Restart VSCode completely
Check that input IDs match between definition and usage

Advanced Configuration

Team Workspace Setup

Share MCP configuration with your team via .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "db2iHost",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM i host (e.g., dev-ibmi.company.com)",
      "default": "dev-ibmi.company.com"
    },
    {
      "id": "db2iUser",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Your IBM i username"
    },
    {
      "id": "db2iPass",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Your IBM i password",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "ibmiMcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "-y", "--tools", "${workspaceFolder}/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "${input:db2iHost}",
        "DB2i_USER": "${input:db2iUser}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${input:db2iPass}",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Multiple Environments

Configure dev and prod servers:

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmi-dev": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "-y", "--tools", "/path/to/dev-tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "dev-ibmi.company.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "${input:devUser}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${input:devPass}",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    },
    "ibmi-prod": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://prod-mcp.company.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:PROD_MCP_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Custom Toolsets

Load specific toolsets for different workflows:

{
  "servers": {
    "ibmi-performance": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "-y",
        "--tools", "/path/to/tools",
        "--toolsets", "performance,monitoring"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "${input:db2iUser}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${input:db2iPass}",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Client Setup

VSCode (Copilot Chat)

VSCode Integration

Configuration File Locations

Local (Stdio) Setup

Using Command Palette (Recommended)

Using CLI

Using mcp.json

Remote (HTTP/SSE) Setup

Using CLI

Using mcp.json

Secure Credentials with Variables

Input Variables

Built-in Variables

Managing Servers

List All Servers

View Servers in Chat

Restart Server

Autostart Servers (Experimental)

Disable Server

Testing the Connection

Troubleshooting

Advanced Configuration

Team Workspace Setup

Multiple Environments

Custom Toolsets

Next Steps

SQL Tools

Configuration

Authentication

Other Clients

Additional Resources

Client Setup

​VSCode Integration

​Configuration File Locations

​Local (Stdio) Setup

​Using Command Palette (Recommended)

​Using CLI

​Using mcp.json

​Remote (HTTP/SSE) Setup

​Using CLI

​Using mcp.json

​Secure Credentials with Variables

​Input Variables

​Built-in Variables

​Managing Servers

​List All Servers

​View Servers in Chat

​Restart Server

​Autostart Servers (Experimental)

​Disable Server

​Testing the Connection

​Troubleshooting

​Advanced Configuration

​Team Workspace Setup

​Multiple Environments

​Custom Toolsets

​Next Steps

SQL Tools

Configuration

Authentication

Other Clients

​Additional Resources

VSCode Integration

Configuration File Locations

Local (Stdio) Setup

Using Command Palette (Recommended)

Using CLI

Using mcp.json

Remote (HTTP/SSE) Setup

Using CLI

Using mcp.json

Secure Credentials with Variables

Input Variables

Built-in Variables

Managing Servers

List All Servers

View Servers in Chat

Restart Server

Autostart Servers (Experimental)

Disable Server

Testing the Connection

Troubleshooting

Advanced Configuration

Team Workspace Setup

Multiple Environments

Custom Toolsets

Next Steps

Additional Resources