Instruction file imported from microsoftnorman/customize-your-repo-with-github-copilot (.github/instructions/mcp.instructions.md). Copyright stays with the author.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) Documentation Guidelines

What Is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) provides external gateway capabilities for Copilot. While instructions provide knowledge, MCP enables Copilot to take real actions and access live data from external systems.

Location: .vscode/mcp.json

Instructions vs. MCP

Instructions provide knowledge. MCP provides capabilities.

Configuration Format

{
  "servers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@package/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${env:API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available MCP Servers

When to Use MCP vs. Skills

Common Use Cases

• "What's the status of issue #234?" → GitHub MCP
• "Show users who signed up this week" → Database MCP
• "Test this API endpoint" → Fetch MCP
• "Screenshot the login page" → Puppeteer MCP

Combined Pattern: MCP + Skill

Many workflows combine both:

• MCP Server handles authentication and API access
• Skill provides team templates, conventions, and workflow rules

Example:

Developer: "Create a Jira ticket for this bug"

Skill: Provides ticket template, required fields, labels
MCP: Authenticates and creates the ticket via API

Environment Variables

Use VS Code's variable syntax for secrets:

{
  "env": {
    "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${env:GITHUB_TOKEN}",
    "DATABASE_URL": "${env:DATABASE_URL}"
  }
}

Never commit actual secrets to the repository.

Troubleshooting

1. Server won't start: Check command and args are correct
2. Auth failures: Verify environment variables are set
3. Missing capabilities: Ensure server package is installed
4. Timeout issues: Check network connectivity to external services

Example Configuration

{
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${env:GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      }
    },
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@your-org/jira-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_URL": "${env:JIRA_URL}",
        "JIRA_EMAIL": "${env:JIRA_EMAIL}",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "${env:JIRA_API_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}