Feature summary

VS Code's Copilot extension supports .vscode/mcp.json as a project-level configuration file that defines MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. This allows teams to check in a shared set of MCP servers that all contributors automatically pick up.

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Feature Request: Support .vscode/mcp.json for MCP server discovery

Problem

VS Code's Copilot extension supports .vscode/mcp.json as a project-level configuration file that defines MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. This allows teams to check in a shared set of MCP servers that all contributors automatically pick up.

However, the Copilot CLI app (GitHub's standalone desktop agent) does not recognize .vscode/mcp.json. This means teams that have already configured their MCP servers for VS Code must separately configure them again using the app's extension system (.github/extensions/), leading to duplicated configuration and maintenance burden.

Proposed solution

Proposed Solution

The Copilot CLI app should discover and load MCP servers defined in .vscode/mcp.json at the repository root, using the same schema that VS Code supports. This includes:

• HTTP-type servers ("type": "http" with a "url" and optional "headers")
• Stdio-type servers ("type": "stdio" with "command", "args", and optional "cwd")
• Variable substitution (e.g., ${userHome}, ${workspaceFolder})

Benefits

1. Single source of truth — one config file works across VS Code and the Copilot CLI app
2. Zero onboarding friction — new team members get MCP servers automatically without extra setup
3. Ecosystem consistency — aligns with the broader MCP ecosystem's convention for project-level config

Alternatives Considered

• .github/extensions/ — requires a completely different format (executable scripts), doesn't support HTTP-type servers declaratively, and isn't portable to VS Code
• Manual per-user setup — doesn't scale for teams

Workflow impact

No response

Installation context

No response

Additional context

Additional Context

The .vscode/mcp.json format is already a de facto standard for project-scoped MCP server configuration. Supporting it in all GitHub Copilot surfaces would reduce fragmentation and improve the developer experience for teams using multiple Copilot interfaces.