Extending GitHub Copilot Chat with the Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Learn how to use the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to extend Copilot Chat.

In this article

Note

  • MCP support is generally available (GA) in Copilot for Visual Studio Code, JetBrains, Eclipse, and Xcode.
  • MCP support for Copilot in Visual Studio is in public preview and is subject to change.
  • The GitHub Pre-release License Terms apply only to Copilot in IDEs where MCP support is still in preview. GA terms apply when using MCP for Copilot in Visual Studio Code, JetBrains, Eclipse, and Xcode.

Introduction

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that defines how applications share context with large language models (LLMs). For an overview of MCP, see About Model Context Protocol (MCP).

For information on currently available MCP servers, see the MCP servers repository.

Enterprises and organizations can choose to enable or disable use of MCP for members of their organization or enterprise. The policy is disabled by default. See Managing policies and features for GitHub Copilot in your enterprise and Managing policies and features for GitHub Copilot in your organization. The MCP policy only applies to users who have a Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise subscription from an organization or enterprise that configures the policy. Copilot Free, Copilot Pro, or Copilot Pro+ do not have their MCP access governed by this policy.

Note

The MCP servers in Copilot policy controls use where MCP server support is generally available (GA). In features where MCP support is in preview, for example Copilot editors, availability is controlled by the Editor preview features policy.

Prerequisites

  • Access to Copilot. See What is GitHub Copilot?.

  • A compatible JetBrains IDE. GitHub Copilot is compatible with the following IDEs:

    • IntelliJ IDEA (Ultimate, Community, Educational)
    • Android Studio
    • AppCode
    • CLion
    • Code With Me Guest
    • DataGrip
    • DataSpell
    • GoLand
    • JetBrains Client
    • MPS
    • PhpStorm
    • PyCharm (Professional, Community, Educational)
    • Rider
    • RubyMine
    • RustRover
    • WebStorm
    • Writerside

    See the JetBrains IDEs tool finder to download.

  • If you are a member of an organization or enterprise with a Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise plan, the "MCP servers in Copilot" policy must be enabled in order to use MCP with Copilot.

Configuring MCP servers in JetBrains IDEs

  1. In the lower right corner, click .
  2. From the menu, select "Open Chat", make sure you are in Agent mode, then click the tools icon (called "Configure your MCP server") at the bottom of the chat window.
  3. Click Add MCP Tools.
  4. In the mcp.json file, define your MCP servers. JetBrains IDEs support both remote and local servers. Remote servers are hosted externally for easier setup and sharing, while local servers run on your local machine and can access local resources.

You can use the following configurations as examples:

Remote server configuration example with PAT

JSON
{
    "servers": {
        "github": {
            "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
            "requestInit": {
                "headers": {
                    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_PAT_HERE"
                }
            }
        }
    }
  }

Local server configuration example

JSON
{
  "servers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Creating a new MCP server

You can create a new MCP server to fulfill your specific needs, and then integrate it with Copilot Chat. For example, you can create an MCP server that connects to a database or a web service, and then use that server in Copilot Chat to perform tasks on that database or web service.

For more information on creating and configuring your own MCP servers, see the official MCP documentation.

Further reading