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Choose the connection method that fits your workflow
Start with the built-in option if you use GitHub Copilot Chat and want GitHub tools in the agent tool picker with minimal setup. Choose manual configuration if you want to put the server in a VS Code workspace configuration file, or need to use the hosted server’s documented read-only or toolset-specific options.
| Question | Built-in Copilot Chat preview | Manual hosted server |
|---|---|---|
| Where is it configured? | VS Code setting github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.enabled. |
VS Code’s .vscode/mcp.json or portable .mcp.json, or the MCP commands in VS Code. |
| Authentication | Uses the GitHub authentication already available to VS Code. | GitHub documents the hosted endpoint and optional headers; use the authentication and options documented for the remote server. |
| Toolsets | Default tools are available; the extension has toolset settings. | GitHub documents toolset-specific endpoint paths and optional headers. |
| Read-only control | Has a readonly setting. |
GitHub documents a read-only endpoint path and read-only behavior through optional headers. |
| Best fit | Fast setup in an individual Copilot Chat workflow. | Configuration you want associated with a workspace, or when you need the manual endpoint’s documented controls. |
The built-in integration was described as a Preview feature in the November 2025 VS Code 1.107 release notes. Preview availability and behavior can change; check the settings in the GitHub Copilot Chat extension installed in your VS Code rather than assuming the November 2025 interface remains unchanged.
Enable the built-in GitHub MCP Server
- Open VS Code Settings and search for
github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.enabled. - Turn the setting on.
- Open an agent chat and open its tool picker. Check that GitHub tools appear.
- Try the default tools first. If you need to tailor the available tools or access, review the extension’s GitHub MCP settings.
The built-in route uses GitHub authentication already available to VS Code, so it avoids manually entering a remote-server URL in a configuration file. The release notes identify these related settings: github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.toolsets, github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.readonly, and github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.lockdown. The default toolset is enabled by default. The release notes also caution that adding some toolsets may require additional permissions; at the time of that release, reauthentication was not supported. If a desired tool is missing, check the installed extension’s setting descriptions and current release notes before changing access.
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Manually add GitHub’s hosted MCP endpoint
GitHub documents its hosted remote MCP endpoint as https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/. VS Code can load it as an HTTP MCP server. For a configuration shared with one workspace, use the VS Code-specific format in .vscode/mcp.json.
Workspace configuration with VS Code format
Create or open .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace and add:
{
"servers": {
"github": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/"
}
}
}The top-level key in this file is servers. The server entry is named github, declares the transport as http, and supplies the hosted URL. Keep the trailing slash in the endpoint as documented.
Portable configuration format
VS Code also documents .mcp.json as a portable alternative. That format uses a top-level mcpServers object rather than servers. Do not copy the VS Code-format example unchanged into the portable file: the top-level structure differs. Follow the configuration reference for the format you select.
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Create or inspect configuration from the VS Code interface
- Open the Command Palette.
- Run MCP: Add Server and choose whether the server configuration should have workspace or user scope.
- To open the workspace configuration file directly, run MCP: Open Workspace Folder MCP Configuration.
- To manage a configured server or inspect its output, run MCP: List Servers.
Workspace scope is useful when the configuration belongs with a particular project. User scope is available through the add-server command when you want configuration outside a single workspace. The exact details and file format should match the scope and option you choose in VS Code.
Make the connection read-only or select toolsets
Prefer read-only access when the task only needs repository lookup or inspection. The setting and controls are not identical between the built-in preview and a manually configured hosted server, so do not mix their instructions.
Built-in preview controls
For the Copilot Chat integration, review github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.readonly and github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.toolsets. The preview also has a github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.lockdown setting. These are extension settings for the built-in route, not JSON fields to assume in the manual HTTP-server entry. Some additional toolsets may need permissions beyond the default set.
Manual hosted-server controls
For a manual connection, GitHub documents a read-only endpoint variant at https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/readonly. GitHub’s remote-server documentation also describes toolset-specific paths and optional headers for choosing toolsets and read-only behavior. Use those documented remote-server options for this route; the basic VS Code JSON example above only establishes an HTTP server URL and does not itself configure toolsets or read-only mode.
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GitHub’s documented toolsets include repositories, issues, pull requests, Actions, and security-related tools. Enable only the access needed for the work at hand, and review the permissions associated with any added toolset. The manual endpoint’s available options should not be assumed to map one-for-one to the built-in preview’s settings.
Trust and workspace security
Review a server’s publisher and configuration before starting an unfamiliar MCP server. VS Code warns that local MCP servers can run arbitrary code. A remote HTTP endpoint is a different configuration from a local stdio server, but you should still confirm that the URL and any supplied configuration are the ones you intend to trust.
Workspace MCP configuration is subject to VS Code Workspace Trust. In Restricted Mode, workspace MCP configuration is blocked. If a project is untrusted, do not treat the absence of its MCP tools as a server outage: check the workspace trust state and make a deliberate trust decision. VS Code’s security documentation also describes sandboxing for locally running stdio servers on macOS and Linux; that detail concerns local stdio execution, not a reason to assume every server type has the same sandbox behavior.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot a missing or failing GitHub MCP server
The built-in server does not appear in the agent tool picker
- Confirm the installed GitHub Copilot Chat extension exposes the setting
github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.enabled. - Check that the setting is enabled, then reopen agent chat and inspect the tool picker.
- Remember that the feature was documented as Preview in the November 2025 VS Code 1.107 release notes; extension availability may have changed since that release.
- If only certain GitHub tools are absent, review
github.copilot.chat.githubMcpServer.toolsetsand whether the selected toolsets need additional permissions.
The manual server will not start or returns an error
- Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette.
- Select the GitHub server and choose Show Output.
- If VS Code shows an error notification in Chat, open it and view its output.
- Check that the server entry uses the intended format:
serversin.vscode/mcp.json, ormcpServersin portable.mcp.json. - Verify that the URL is the documented hosted endpoint,
https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/, and that any optional headers or endpoint variants follow GitHub’s remote-server documentation.
The output is the first place to diagnose a manually configured server that will not start; it can help distinguish a configuration mistake from an issue with the remote connection. If the workspace is in Restricted Mode, check Workspace Trust because workspace MCP configuration is blocked there.
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Read-only behavior or expected tools do not match
- Identify whether you configured the built-in preview or the manual remote endpoint.
- For the built-in route, inspect the extension’s
readonlyandtoolsetssettings. - For the manual route, check whether you used GitHub’s read-only URL variant or its documented optional headers and toolset-specific path.
- Do not expect the server’s full set of tools to appear if you selected a narrower toolset or lack permissions for an added toolset.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo accepts a cookie or consent banner as a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and response headers identify the page verdict and whether the request was billed. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. See ScreenshotNeo for the product, or sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the built-in GitHub MCP option use a separate GitHub login?
The documented built-in preview uses GitHub authentication already available to VS Code.
Is the GitHub MCP feature still a Preview?
The November 2025 VS Code 1.107 release notes label it Preview. Check the installed GitHub Copilot Chat extension for its current status.
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