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Configure and manage Model Context Protocol servers for external tool access
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| name | mcp-management |
| description | Configure and manage Model Context Protocol servers for external tool access |
| compatibility | >=1.4 |
Skill metadata: version "1.1"; license MIT; tags [mcp, servers, configuration, integration]; compatibility ">=1.4"; recommended tools [codebase, editFiles, fetch].
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is GA in VS Code as of v1.102. MCP servers provide tools, resources, and prompts beyond built-in capabilities. Configuration lives in .vscode/mcp.json (workspace-scoped) or profile-level mcp.json (user-scoped).
| Location | Scope | When to use |
|---|---|---|
.vscode/mcp.json | Workspace | Project-specific servers shared via version control |
Profile-level mcp.json | User | Personal servers available across all workspaces |
settings.json "mcp" key | User/Workspace | Alternative to standalone mcp.json |
Dev container customizations.vscode.mcp | Container | Per-container MCP servers |
VS Code commands:
MCP: Open Workspace Configuration — edit .vscode/mcp.jsonMCP: Open User Configuration — edit profile-level mcp.json| Tier | Default servers | When to enable | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Always-on | filesystem, git | Every project — core development tools | Enabled by default in .vscode/mcp.json |
| External access | github, fetch | When GitHub or web access is needed | github uses VS Code OAuth (HTTP remote, no PAT required); fetch needs no credentials |
| Documentation | context7 | Any project using third-party libraries | HTTP remote, free tier requires no auth; optional API key for higher rate limits |
| Server | Tier | Transport | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem | Always-on | npx (stdio) | File operations within the workspace; supports OS-level sandboxing |
mcp-server-git | Always-on | uvx (stdio, Python) | Git history, diffs, and branch operations |
github/github-mcp-server | Credentials | HTTP remote (https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/) | GitHub API — issues, PRs, repos, Actions, CI/CD, security alerts, Dependabot |
mcp-server-fetch | Credentials | uvx (stdio, Python) | HTTP fetch for web content and APIs |
@upstash/context7-mcp | Documentation | HTTP remote (https://mcp.context7.com/mcp) | Live, version-specific library documentation — prevents hallucinated or outdated APIs |
Removed (v3.2.0):
@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory— replaced by VS Code's built-in memory tool (/memories/), which provides persistent storage with three scopes: user (cross-workspace), session (conversation), and repository.Archived (deprecated):
@modelcontextprotocol/server-github(npm) — replaced bygithub/github-mcp-serverremote HTTP server. Do not add new configurations using the archived npm package.
The servers below are not included in the base consumer template. Add them to .vscode/mcp.json based on your project's technology stack.
| Stack | Server | Transport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser / UI testing | @playwright/mcp (Microsoft) | npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest | Accessibility-tree-based; no vision model needed |
| PostgreSQL | Search MCP Marketplace for postgres | varies | Official reference server is archived; use marketplace for maintained replacement |
| SQLite | Search MCP Marketplace for sqlite | varies | Same — official archived; find active replacement |
| Redis | Search MCP Marketplace for redis | varies | Same |
| Docker / containers | Search MCP Marketplace for docker | varies | Several options; evaluate trust and permissions carefully |
| AWS | Search MCP Marketplace for aws | varies | Use fine-grained IAM credentials via ${env:}, never hardcode |
Discover servers: code.visualstudio.com/mcp (gallery) · registry.modelcontextprotocol.io (official registry) · glama.ai · smithery.ai
@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking (npx) — adds a structured step-by-step reasoning tool. Useful for complex planning or debugging sessions that benefit from explicit thought chains. Not project-specific; consider adding to your user-level mcp.json rather than the workspace config.
Configuration:
"sequentialThinking": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking"]
}
MCP servers can expose four capability types:
| Capability | Description | Agent interaction |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | Functions the agent can invoke (e.g., query database, call API) | Agent calls tools directly |
| Resources | Data sources the agent can read (e.g., database schemas, config files) | Agent reads from # context menu |
| Prompts | Reusable prompt templates provided by the server | Available via / slash commands |
| MCP Apps | Interactive UI components (forms, visualisations, drag-and-drop) | Rendered inline in chat responses |
| Sampling | Server requests the agent to generate text on its behalf | Agent responds to server requests |
Additional features: elicitations (server requests user input via the agent), MCP auth (OAuth/token flows for secure server connections).
@mcp to browse and install servers directly (installs to user profile or workspace)code.visualstudio.com/mcpgithub.com/modelcontextprotocol/serversmcp.so, glama.ai, smithery.ai@agentPlugins in Extensions view)Before adding any MCP server:
code.visualstudio.com/mcp) and official registrynpx vs uvx vs HTTP remote transport — prefer HTTP remote for officially hosted servers (no local process, OAuth-managed auth).vscode/mcp.json (workspace) or profile mcp.json (user) with appropriate tier${input:} or ${env:} variable syntax — never hardcode secrets; HTTP remote servers use VS Code's built-in OAuth where supportedsandboxEnabled: true with sandbox.filesystem.denyRead rules for credential directories (~/.ssh, ~/.gnupg, ~/.aws) as a defence-in-depth measure against prompt injection. Optionally add sandbox.network.allowedDomains to restrict outbound network accessgithub, fetch, and context7 present in .vscode/mcp.json but disabled by default until setup or update explicitly enables themmcp-servers frontmatter field. Treat this as forward-compatible policy metadata: GitHub Copilot cloud agents document support for the field today, while local VS Code agent support may lag behindOn immutable Linux distros (Fedora Atomic/Bazzite/Silverblue, NixOS) where /home is a symlink to /var/home, the bwrap sandbox rejects allowWrite paths because symlink resolution points outside the expected location. Detect at setup time:
[[ "$(readlink -f /home)" != "/home" ]] && echo "immutable" || echo "standard"
sandboxEnabled: true + allowWrite/denyRead rules)sandboxEnabled, sandbox, and the top-level sandbox block entirelySet "chat.mcp.autostart": "newAndOutdated" in .vscode/settings.json so MCP servers start automatically when a chat message is sent. This eliminates the need to manually click the refresh/start button each session. VS Code will show a trust dialog the first time a new or changed server auto-starts.
As of VS Code 1.113, MCP servers configured in .vscode/mcp.json are automatically bridged to Copilot CLI and Claude agents. No additional configuration is required — servers registered in the workspace or user profile are available to all agent runtimes.
With Settings Sync enabled, MCP server configurations can be synchronised across devices. Run Settings Sync: Configure and enable the MCP Servers option to maintain a consistent development environment across machines.
Subagents inherit access to all configured MCP servers. A subagent may invoke any server already in .vscode/mcp.json. To add a new server, the subagent must flag the proposal to the parent agent, which confirms before modifying .vscode/mcp.json.