On this page
Visual Studio Code has shipped a built-in MCP client since version 1.99, so you can point Copilot Chat's agent mode at any Model Context Protocol server without an extension. VS Code is the client here: each server you add brings its own risk, so check a server's grade before you add it.
What it connects
- Any stdio or HTTP MCP server you list in
.vscode/mcp.json(workspace) or your user configuration. - Local stdio servers run as you, with your permissions. Remote servers ask for whatever sign-in they need.
Setup
Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project:
{
"servers": {
"linear": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp" }
}
}
Workspace config is committed with the repo, so never put a secret in it - use
the inputs prompt or an environment variable instead.
Security notes
VS Code does not encrypt or sandbox stdio servers - it launches them as child
processes with your user's permissions. Every hardening decision is per-server:
prefer HTTP servers with OAuth, keep tokens out of mcp.json, and review what
each server can reach before enabling agent mode.
See the full trust breakdown for this server.