VS Code Integration

VS Code supports MCP servers for extending GitHub Copilot’s capabilities. mpak bundles integrate with VS Code’s Agent mode.

Prerequisites

VS Code 1.99+ (April 2025 or later)
GitHub Copilot extension
Agent mode enabled

Configuration File Location

Workspace
User Settings

.vscode/mcp.json

Commit to share with your team.

Open Command Palette → “Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)”

Add under "mcp.servers":

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "echo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/echo"]
    }
  }
}

Quick Setup

Using Command Palette

Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
Run “MCP: Add Server”
Select “Command (stdio)”
Enter: mpak run @nimblebraininc/echo

Manual Configuration

Create .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "echo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/echo"]
    }
  }
}

Multiple Servers

{
  "servers": {
    "echo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/echo"]
    },
    "ipinfo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/ipinfo"],
      "env": {
        "IPINFO_API_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using MCP Servers

Once configured:

Open the Chat view
Switch to Agent mode (click the mode selector)
Copilot will automatically use MCP tools when relevant

You’ll be prompted to approve tool usage the first time. Enable “Yolo mode” in settings to auto-approve.

Configuration with Secrets

Option 1: Input Variables (Recommended)

VS Code can prompt for secrets and store them encrypted:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "ipinfo-token",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IPInfo API Token",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "ipinfo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/ipinfo"],
      "env": {
        "IPINFO_API_TOKEN": "${input:ipinfo-token}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: .env File

Reference your existing .env:

{
  "servers": {
    "ipinfo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/ipinfo"],
      "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env"
    }
  }
}

Option 3: mpak config

Store secrets with mpak:

mpak config set @nimblebraininc/ipinfo api_key=your-token

Then use a clean config:

{
  "servers": {
    "ipinfo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/ipinfo"]
    }
  }
}

Auto-Discovery

VS Code can discover MCP servers from Claude Desktop. If you already have servers configured there, enable auto-discovery in VS Code settings:

{
  "chat.mcp.discovery.enabled": true
}

Pin to a Specific Version

{
  "servers": {
    "echo": {
      "command": "mpak",
      "args": ["run", "@nimblebraininc/echo@1.0.0"]
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Server Not Starting

Check MCP server status in the Chat view
View server logs: Command Palette → “MCP: Show Server Logs”
Test the bundle directly: mpak run @package/name

Command Not Found

Ensure mpak is installed globally:

npm install -g @nimblebrain/mpak
which mpak

Trust Prompt

VS Code prompts you to trust MCP servers on first run. This is a security feature - only approve servers from trusted sources.