Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
Currently, configuring MCP servers for GitHub Copilot is either manual or requires interactive IDE sessions (e.g., editing .vscode/mcp.json). This is inefficient for developers who prefer CLI workflows or need to automate MCP server setup in CI/CD environments. A CLI-based configuration option would streamline this process, reduce manual effort, and improve integration with other tools and workflows.
Proposed solution
Introduce a new command in the Copilot CLI:
copilot mcp add --server-name <name> --url <server-url> [--type <type>] [--config <path-to-config>
This command would:
- Register and configure MCP servers directly from the terminal.
- Support different server types (e.g., SSE, REST).
- Accept configuration files or inline parameters.
- Persist configuration in ~/.copilot/mcp_config.json.
This would improve usability for CLI-first developers, support automation, and align with Copilot CLI’s extensibility goals.
Example prompts or workflows
✅ New Project Setup
Quickly configure an MCP server for a new project:
copilot mcp add --server-name my-server --url https://my-server.com/sse --type sse
🌐 Environment-Specific Configuration
Add a production MCP server to an existing project:
copilot mcp add --server-name prod-server --url https://prod-server.com/api --type rest --config ./prod-config.json
🔁 CI/CD Integration
Automate MCP server setup in a deployment or provisioning script:
copilot mcp add --server-name ci-server --url $MCP_URL --type sse
Additional context
No response
Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
Currently, configuring MCP servers for GitHub Copilot is either manual or requires interactive IDE sessions (e.g., editing .vscode/mcp.json). This is inefficient for developers who prefer CLI workflows or need to automate MCP server setup in CI/CD environments. A CLI-based configuration option would streamline this process, reduce manual effort, and improve integration with other tools and workflows.
Proposed solution
Introduce a new command in the Copilot CLI:
copilot mcp add --server-name <name> --url <server-url> [--type <type>] [--config <path-to-config>This command would:
This would improve usability for CLI-first developers, support automation, and align with Copilot CLI’s extensibility goals.
Example prompts or workflows
✅ New Project Setup
Quickly configure an MCP server for a new project:
copilot mcp add --server-name my-server --url https://my-server.com/sse --type sse🌐 Environment-Specific Configuration
Add a production MCP server to an existing project:
copilot mcp add --server-name prod-server --url https://prod-server.com/api --type rest --config ./prod-config.json🔁 CI/CD Integration
Automate MCP server setup in a deployment or provisioning script:
copilot mcp add --server-name ci-server --url $MCP_URL --type sseAdditional context
No response