GitHub Copilot MCP Integration

Status: Supported — MCP is GA in both VS Code agent mode and the Copilot coding agent.

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Overview

GitHub Copilot supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) in two distinct contexts:

Context	Configuration	Capabilities
VS Code (Agent Mode + Chat)	`.vscode/mcp.json`	Tools, prompts, resources
Coding Agent (GitHub.com)	GitHub.com Settings UI	Tools only

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VS Code MCP Configuration

Setup

Add AIWG as an MCP server in `.vscode/mcp.json`:

{
  "servers": {
    "aiwg": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "aiwg",
      "args": ["mcp", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

Server Types

Type	Use Case	Example
`stdio`	Local process (recommended for AIWG)	`"command": "aiwg", "args": ["mcp", "serve"]`
`http`	Remote server with streamable HTTP	`"url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp"`
`sse`	Server-Sent Events (legacy)	`"url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse"`

Authentication

For servers requiring authentication, use input variables:

{
  "servers": {
    "authenticated-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.example.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:api-key}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "api-key",
      "description": "Your API Key",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

What MCP Enables

Once configured, Copilot agent mode can:

• Call AIWG tools (`discover`, `command-run`, `artifact-read`, etc.)
• Use MCP prompts (invokable as `/mcp.aiwg.promptname`)
• Access MCP resources for context
• Chain multiple MCP servers together

Tools are auto-invoked based on prompt intent. Non-read-only tools show confirmation dialogs.

User-Level Configuration

For personal MCP servers across all projects, use the VS Code command: `MCP: Open User Configuration`

Agent-Scoped MCP

Custom agents (`.github/agents/*.agent.md`) can declare their own MCP servers:

---
name: data-analyst
mcp-servers:
  - type: stdio
    command: npx
    args: ['-y', '@company/data-mcp']
---

Sandbox

On macOS/Linux, MCP servers run with configurable filesystem and network access rules for security isolation.

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Coding Agent MCP Configuration

Setup

Configure via GitHub.com > Settings > Copilot > Coding agent:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sentry": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.sentry.io",
      "tools": ["get_issue_details", "get_issue_summary"]
    },
    "local-tool": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@company/tool"],
      "tools": "*"
    }
  }
}

Key Differences from VS Code

Aspect	VS Code MCP	Coding Agent MCP
Configuration	`.vscode/mcp.json` (committed)	GitHub.com Settings UI
Capabilities	Tools + prompts + resources	Tools only
Approval	User confirms non-read-only tools	Autonomous (no approval)
Scope	Workspace or user-level	Repository or org-level

Required Fields

• `type`: `http` or `local`
• `tools`: Array of tool names or `"*"` for all tools from server

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AIWG MCP Server

AIWG provides a built-in MCP server exposing SDLC workflow tools:

# Start the AIWG MCP server
aiwg mcp serve

# Install to Claude Desktop (also works for VS Code via .vscode/mcp.json)
aiwg mcp install claude
aiwg mcp install vscode

# Show capabilities
aiwg mcp info

Exposed Tools

The AIWG MCP server exposes tools for:

• Discovery and CLI dispatch (`discover`, `command-run`)
• Artifact management (`artifact-read`, `artifact-write`)
• Catalog lookup (`skill-`, `command-`, `rule-`, `agent-`, `template-*`)
• Optional Flow and Mission tools when `AIWG_MCP_TOOLSETS=flows,missions`

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Recommended Setup

For Teams Using VS Code + Copilot

1. Deploy AIWG agents and prompts:

   aiwg use sdlc --provider copilot

2. Add MCP configuration:

   aiwg mcp install vscode

3. Commit both `.github/` and `.vscode/mcp.json`

4. Team members get full AIWG integration:

• Custom agents via @-mention
• Custom slash commands via /name
• MCP tools via agent mode

For Teams Using Copilot Coding Agent

1. Deploy AIWG agents:

   aiwg use sdlc --provider copilot

2. Configure MCP in GitHub.com Settings (if using external tools)

3. The coding agent reads `.github/copilot-instructions.md` for project context

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Related Resources

• Copilot Quick Start — Full AIWG + Copilot integration
• Copilot Quickstart
• Cross-Platform Overview — All supported providers
• Claude MCP Sidecar — Alternative with full MCP support