GitHub Copilot + xCloud
Manage Your Hosting from GitHub Copilot with xCloud
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant, and in VS Code its agent mode can call tools from MCP servers. Connected to xCloud, it deploys repositories, takes backups, updates WordPress, renews SSL and diagnoses failures from the chat panel beside your code.
- One entry in .vscode/mcp.json
- Or add it with MCP: Add Server
- Free with every xCloud account
YouUpdate the plugins on example.com, but back it up first.
sites_wordpress_updatesread-only
AgentThree plugin updates are waiting. I will take a backup first, then update all three. Go ahead?
YouYes.
sites_wordpress_updateneeds approval
AgentBackup taken and three plugins updated. The homepage still answers 200.
. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.
Setup
How Do I Connect GitHub Copilot to xCloud?
Point GitHub Copilot at the xCloud MCP server, approve access in your browser, then ask. The whole thing takes a couple of minutes. The xCloud Agent Skills are an optional layer on top of that connection: they teach the agent the workflows, they do not replace it.
Add xCloud to .vscode/mcp.json
Create or open .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace and paste this. VS Code uses a top-level servers key, not mcpServers, and a remote server needs type http. The URL carries profile=compact because VS Code allows at most 128 tools in one chat request and the full xCloud server advertises one tool per customer-facing operation, 188 today; the compact profile is five tools that still reach every operation. Start the server from MCP: List Servers. xCloud then asks you to sign in in the browser, where you tick the teams and choose Read-only or Full access.
{ "servers": { "xcloud": { "type": "http", "url": "https://app.xcloud.host/mcp?profile=compact" } } }Or add it from the Command Palette
Open the Command Palette and run this command, follow the prompts to add a remote HTTP server, paste https://app.xcloud.host/mcp?profile=compact and name it xcloud. VS Code asks where to save it; pick the workspace to share the entry with your team, or your user profile to keep it to yourself.
MCP: Add ServerAdd the Agent Plugins package
Optional. The xCloud Agent Plugins package bundles plugin.json, mcp.json and the nine skills for GitHub Copilot and VS Code. Download it from the xcloud-agent-skills GitHub Releases page (dist/agent-plugin/xcloud) and follow VS Code's agent plugin instructions to install it.
https://github.com/xCloudDev/xcloud-agent-skillsCheck it worked
xCloud signs you in with OAuth in the browser, so no token has to sit in mcp.json. Reads and routine actions such as a backup or a cache purge run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting or buying stops for your confirmation.
Who am I on xCloud?
Three surfaces
Which Way Should I Connect GitHub Copilot to xCloud?
The MCP server exposes one tool per customer-facing xCloud operation and leaves out eleven internal ones that only the Public API carries; the skills add workflow know-how on top of an MCP connection and, on their own, only read access. All three are free with every account and differ in what you set up and what holds the credentials.
| xCloud MCP server | xCloud Agent Skills | Public API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal needed | No (recommended for GitHub Copilot) | Yes for the plugin or ClawHub install | Yes |
| Authentication | OAuth sign-in, or an API key with mcp:invoke plus read or write abilities (recommended for GitHub Copilot) | The MCP connection, or a read-scoped API token | API token with scoped abilities |
| What it adds | One tool per customer-facing xCloud operation (188 today) (recommended for GitHub Copilot) | Workflow know-how: routing, dry run, confirm, poll, diagnose | Raw REST for your own code |
| Changes to your infrastructure | Yes, after confirmation (recommended for GitHub Copilot) | Only through a connected MCP tool, after confirmation | Yes, with write scopes |
| Best for | Most people; every MCP client (recommended for GitHub Copilot) | Agents that run shell commands and read skills | CI jobs, dashboards and long-running loops |
Background
What Is GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI assistant for developers. In VS Code it offers code completion, a chat panel and an agent mode, where Copilot plans a task, edits files and runs tools on its own, asking when a step needs your decision.
Agent mode can use tools from Model Context Protocol servers. VS Code reads them from an mcp.json file, either in the workspace at .vscode/mcp.json or in your user profile, and lists them with the MCP: List Servers command. A remote server is an entry with type http and a url.
xCloud's MCP server is that kind of remote server. Once it is listed, Copilot gets one tool per customer-facing xCloud operation, so a deploy, a backup or an SSL renewal is a request in the chat panel instead of a trip to the dashboard.
Why GitHub Copilot with xCloud?
Stay in the editor
Your code, your terminal and your chat are already in VS Code. Ask Copilot to deploy the repository you have open and it passes the URL, branch and build settings to xCloud and shows a dry run first.
Share the setup with your team
A .vscode/mcp.json committed to the repository gives every teammate the same xCloud entry. Each person signs in with their own xCloud account, so access follows the person, not the file.
Skills when you want them
The Agent Plugins package adds the nine xCloud skills: which tool to use, a backup before an update, polling a long job to the end and diagnosing a failed deploy.
Guides
What Can GitHub Copilot Do on xCloud?
One guide per hosting job, each with the GitHub Copilot setup, the xCloud tools involved, a settings reference, example prompts and the limits that apply.
- Deploy from Git with GitHub CopilotTurn a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository into a live site on a server you already have.
- Run Docker apps with GitHub CopilotRun a Dockerfile or Docker Compose app on a Docker server, keep it backed up and recover it when a deploy fails.
- Install one-click apps with GitHub CopilotPick an app from the xCloud catalogue, check it fits your server, install it and get the login details.
- Manage WordPress with GitHub CopilotKeep WordPress sites updated, scanned and healthy, and create new ones, by asking in plain words.
- Back up and stage sites with GitHub CopilotCheck that your sites are backed up, take a backup before a risky change, and open a staging copy to test it on.
- Manage SSL and domains with GitHub CopilotCheck a site's certificate and DNS, install or renew HTTPS, and see which domains point at it.
- Manage servers with GitHub CopilotSee how your servers are doing, change services and runtimes, tighten security and reboot with proof it worked.
- Troubleshoot a broken site with GitHub CopilotFind out why a site returns a 500, 502 or 503, shows a critical error or has stopped answering.
- Speed up a slow site with GitHub CopilotFind out why a site is slow, from real numbers, and learn which fix is a dashboard switch.
- Secure sites and servers with GitHub CopilotFind vulnerable sites, manage server firewall rules and banned IPs, and see which protections are on.
Example prompts
What Can You Ask GitHub Copilot to Do on xCloud?
Type these as written and swap in your own site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.
Deploy the repository I have open to my Frankfurt server and show me the dry run before you create anything.Update all plugins on example.com, but take a backup first and confirm the homepage still loads afterwards.The last deploy of the API site failed. Diagnose it, fix the build command and retry on the same site.Is SSL healthy on shop.example.com, and when does the certificate expire?List my servers and tell me which one has the least free disk space.Good to know
- VS Code's key is servers, and remote entries need "type": "http". Pasting a mcpServers block from another client's docs will not work here.
- VS Code may ask you to trust a server the first time it starts. Check that the URL is https://app.xcloud.host/mcp before you trust it.
- If your organization manages Copilot through GitHub policies, an administrator may control which MCP servers you can use.
- Agent mode has its own tool picker. If xCloud tools do not appear, check that the xcloud server is running in MCP: List Servers.
More prompts, grouped by job: What you can ask xCloud MCP to do.
GitHub Copilot and xCloud: Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers about connecting GitHub Copilot, what it may change and what it costs.
How do I connect GitHub Copilot to xCloud?
Add an xcloud entry to .vscode/mcp.json under the servers key with type http and the url https://app.xcloud.host/mcp?profile=compact, or run MCP: Add Server from the Command Palette with that URL. Start the server, sign in with xCloud when prompted, then ask Copilot in agent mode who you are on xCloud to confirm.
Why does the Copilot setup use the compact URL?
VS Code allows at most 128 enabled tools in one chat request and reports an error above that, while the full xCloud server advertises one tool per customer-facing operation, 188 today plus two search tools. The compact profile exposes five tools that still reach every operation. If you prefer the full URL, turn on VS Code's virtual tools with the github.copilot.chat.virtualTools.threshold setting or deselect tools in the tool picker so the request stays under the limit.
Why does my xCloud entry not load in VS Code?
The most common cause is the wrong key. VS Code reads a top-level servers object, not mcpServers, and a remote entry needs "type": "http". Fix the entry, then start the server again from MCP: List Servers.
Does Copilot use xCloud from chat or from agent mode?
Agent mode. MCP tools are available to Copilot when it works as an agent, so switch the chat panel to agent mode before you ask it to deploy or update anything.
Do I need an xCloud API key for Copilot?
No. The server signs you in with OAuth in the browser, so there is no token to paste; VS Code keeps the OAuth credentials it receives in its own secure storage. If you need a token for a machine without a browser, create one with the mcp:invoke scope plus the read abilities for the areas it will use (read:servers and read:sites, with read:billing and read:addons for billing and add-on tools) and the matching write: abilities if it should change things under Settings, Developers, API Tokens and send it as an Authorization Bearer header.
Can Copilot change my servers without asking?
Not for the operations xCloud gates. Reads run straight away, and routine actions such as cache purges, backups, PageSpeed and vulnerability scans run without a prompt. Creating a site or server, deploying, updating plugins, rebooting, deleting or buying needs an explicit confirmation, and xCloud refuses the call without one.
What is the Agent Plugins package?
It is a portable package of plugin.json, mcp.json and the nine xCloud skills, listed for GitHub Copilot, VS Code, Cursor, Kiro, ChatGPT and Codex. You do not need it to use the MCP connection, but it teaches the agent xCloud's workflows.
Should I put the xCloud entry in the workspace or my user profile?
Use .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace if the whole team should get the same entry, or MCP: Open User Configuration to keep it to yourself. Either way each person signs in with their own xCloud account.
Is it free to use GitHub Copilot with xCloud?
The xCloud side is free: the MCP server, the skills and the Public API are included with every xCloud account, including the free plan. GitHub Copilot itself is billed by GitHub under your Copilot plan.
Other agents
Also Works With
The same xCloud account, the same operations, a guide for each client.
- Claude CodeAnthropic's terminal coding agent. One claude mcp add command, plus the xCloud skills plugin with nine skills on top.
- ClaudeAnthropic's chat assistant on the web and desktop. Add xCloud as a custom connector, no terminal needed.
- Claude CoworkAnthropic's desktop agent for delegated work. Add the xCloud connector, then hand off hosting jobs.
- CursorThe AI code editor. One mcp.json entry with the compact URL, because Cursor stops at 40 tools.
- CodexOpenAI's coding agent for the terminal. A codex mcp add command or a config.toml entry, then codex mcp login.
- OpenCodeThe open-source terminal coding agent. One remote MCP entry, then opencode mcp auth xcloud.
- Hermes AgentNous Research's agent with memory and a built-in scheduler. An mcp_servers entry in config.yaml and one login.
- OpenClawThe open-source agent runtime with chat apps and automations. ClawHub skill plus the MCP client.
- WindsurfThe Cognition editor, now Devin Desktop. devin mcp add for the Devin Local agent, a serverUrl entry for legacy Cascade.
- Gemini CLIGoogle's terminal agent. One gemini mcp add command, OAuth found automatically.
- ChatGPTOpenAI's chat assistant. A developer-mode app with the xCloud MCP URL and OAuth.
- ChatGPT dotsOpenAI's always-on agent in ChatGPT. Uses the xCloud MCP plugin you add in ChatGPT, with custom rules and scheduled tasks.
- GrokxAI's terminal agent, Grok Build. One grok mcp add command or a config.toml entry.
- Grok BotxAI's always-on Bots on a cloud computer. One Remote HTTPS MCP plugin, OAuth sign-in, routines on a schedule.
- KiroAWS's agentic IDE. One url entry in .kiro/settings/mcp.json, plus the portable xCloud Agent Plugins package.
- AntigravityGoogle's agentic IDE. One serverUrl entry in mcp_config.json and a browser sign-in.
- ZedThe Zed editor's Agent Panel. One context_servers entry in settings.json and a browser sign-in.
Run Your Hosting from GitHub Copilot
xCloud MCP, the Agent Skills and the Public API are free with every account. Connect once and ask.