Adding MCP servers for GitHub Copilot CLI

Extend Copilot's capabilities by connecting Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to provide additional tools and context.

In this article

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that defines how applications share context with large language models (LLMs). You can connect MCP servers to GitHub Copilot CLI to give Copilot access to external tools, data sources, and services. For an overview of MCP, see About Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Adding an MCP server

Note

The GitHub MCP server is built into Copilot CLI and is already available without any additional configuration. The steps below are for adding other MCP servers.

You can add MCP servers using the interactive /mcp add command within the CLI, or by editing the configuration file directly.

For installation instructions, available tools, and URLs for specific MCP servers, see the GitHub MCP Registry.

Using the /mcp add command

  1. In interactive mode, enter /mcp add. A configuration form is displayed. Use Tab to navigate between fields.

  2. Next to Server Name, enter a unique name for the MCP server. This is the name you will use to refer to the server.

  3. Next to Server Type, select a type by pressing the corresponding number. The following types are available:

    • Local or STDIO: starts a local process and communicates over standard input/output (stdin/stdout). Both options work the same way. STDIO is the standard MCP protocol type name, so choose this if you want your configuration to be compatible with VS Code, the Copilot coding agent, and other MCP clients.
    • HTTP or SSE: connects to a remote MCP server. HTTP uses the Streamable HTTP transport. SSE uses the legacy HTTP with Server-Sent Events transport, which is deprecated in the MCP specification but still supported for backwards compatibility.

  4. The remaining fields depend on the server type you selected:

    • If you chose Local or STDIO:

      • Next to Command, enter the command to start the server, including any arguments. For example, npx @playwright/mcp@latest. This corresponds to both the command and args properties in the JSON configuration file.
      • Next to Environment Variables, optionally specify environment variables the server needs, such as API keys or tokens, as JSON key-value pairs. For example, {"API_KEY": "YOUR-API-KEY"}. The PATH variable is automatically inherited from your environment. All other environment variables must be configured here.

    • If you chose HTTP or SSE:

      • Next to URL, paste the remote server URL. For example, https://mcp.context7.com/mcp.
      • Next to HTTP Headers, optionally specify HTTP headers as JSON. For example, {"CONTEXT7_API_KEY": "YOUR-API-KEY"}.

  5. Next to Tools, specify which tools from the server should be available. Enter * to include all tools, or provide a comma-separated list of tool names (no quotes needed). The default is *.

  6. Press Ctrl+S to save the configuration. The MCP server is added and available immediately without restarting the CLI.

Editing the configuration file

You can also add MCP servers by editing the configuration file at ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json. This is useful if you want to share configurations or add multiple servers at once.

The following example shows a configuration file with a local server and a remote HTTP server:

JSON
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"],
      "env": {},
      "tools": ["*"]
    },
    "context7": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "CONTEXT7_API_KEY": "YOUR-API-KEY"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

For more information on MCP server configuration, see Extending GitHub Copilot coding agent with the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Managing MCP servers

You can manage your configured MCP servers using the following /mcp commands in Copilot CLI.

  • List configured MCP servers: Use the command /mcp show. This displays all configured MCP servers and their current status.

  • View details about a specific server: Use the command /mcp show SERVER-NAME. This displays the status of the specified server and the list of tools it provides.

  • Edit a server's configuration: Use the command /mcp edit SERVER-NAME.

  • Delete a server: Use the command /mcp delete SERVER-NAME.

  • Disable a server: Use the command /mcp disable SERVER-NAME. A disabled server remains configured but is not used by Copilot for the current session.

  • Enable a previously disabled server: Use the command /mcp enable SERVER-NAME.

Using MCP servers

Once you have added an MCP server, Copilot can automatically use the tools it provides when relevant to your prompt. You can also directly reference an MCP server and specific tools in a prompt to ensure they are used.

Further reading