GitHub Copilot + xCloud

Run Docker apps with GitHub Copilot on xCloud

Running Docker apps with GitHub Copilot means asking agent mode in VS Code, from the chat panel beside your Dockerfile or Compose file, to scan it, deploy it to an xCloud Docker server after your approval and keep the app backed up.

Skill: xcloud:deploy
Toolsets: sites, servers
Free with every xCloud account

Set up GitHub Copilot All GitHub Copilot guides

YouDeploy this repo to my Frankfurt Docker server as a Compose app. Dry run first.

git_compose-scanread-only

AgentThree services: web, worker and db. Only web publishes a port, 8000. xCloud would proxy to 127.0.0.1:8000.

servers_sites_git_dockerdry run

AgentDry run resolved: docker-compose.yml, port 8000, no warnings. Create the site on Frankfurt?

YouYes, create it.

servers_sites_git_dockerneeds approval

AgentCreated with the same body and an idempotency key. Provisioning has started on Frankfurt; I am polling the site status and will fetch the URL once it is live.

Last updated: October 2026. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.

Setup

How Do You Set Up GitHub Copilot to Run Docker apps on xCloud?

Connect GitHub Copilot once; every job on this account uses the same connection. Then ask in plain words.

1
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.
JSON
```
{
  "servers": {
    "xcloud": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://app.xcloud.host/mcp?profile=compact"
    }
  }
}
```
2
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.
Code
```
MCP: Add Server
```
3
Add 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.
URL
```
https://github.com/xCloudDev/xcloud-agent-skills
```

Check it worked

Then ask GitHub Copilot for the job itself, for example:

Prompt

Scan the docker-compose.yml on this repository's main branch with xCloud and tell me which services publish a port.

In practice

How Does Docker apps Work from GitHub Copilot?

Agent mode is the part of Copilot that can call MCP tools, so the first step is to switch the chat panel to it. After that, the workspace you have open is the context: Copilot can see docker-compose.yml, any override file next to it and the Dockerfile the services build from. Ask it to deploy and it runs git_detect and git_compose-scan against the repository, then reports the services, the published ports and the primary port xCloud suggests. A Compose file that lives in a subdirectory is handled by the scan, which resolves the file name and path, and Copilot reads that resolution back to you rather than assuming the root.

The reply in the chat panel is the approval point. Copilot sends the Docker create request as a dry run, summarises the resolved configuration and asks whether to create the site on the server you named. Say yes and it sends the confirmed request, polls the site status and fetches the URL. If the app answers 502, it reopens the Compose file, finds the service that publishes no port and suggests the mapping, such as 127.0.0.1:8080:8080, as an edit in the editor. You still commit and push before the next scan, because xCloud reads the remote branch. When a workspace .vscode/mcp.json is committed, a teammate who opens the repository gets the same xCloud entry and signs in with their own account.

Backups and recovery use the same panel. Ask for a Docker backup of notes.example.com before a base-image upgrade and Copilot calls sites_docker_backup and warns that the app stops while the snapshot is captured. Ask it to list the Docker apps with no backup schedule and it reads sites_docker_backupSettings for each one. If a deploy fails, it reads sites_deploy-diagnosis, shows the fields you can correct and retries on the same site after your approval. Restoring a backup is not something it does; it points you to Site, Site Backup, Previous Backups, Restore Backup in the dashboard.

GitHub Copilot specific: MCP tools are available to Copilot in agent mode only, so if you ask for a scan in the plain chat mode it will describe a Compose file instead of calling xCloud. If the xcloud tools are missing in agent mode, open MCP: List Servers and check that the server is running, and remember that VS Code reads a top-level servers key with type http, not the mcpServers block that other clients use.

What xCloud does for docker apps

xCloud reads the repository, scans the Compose file for services and ports before anything is created, previews the site with a dry run and deploys it behind its own nginx once you approve. Docker sites can be backed up on demand and on a schedule, and a failed deploy is diagnosed and retried on the same site.

Pick a Docker server. The agent uses the server you name, or lists your servers and asks. A Docker deploy needs a Docker server; any other stack answers with an incompatible_server refusal, and an agentic server never takes a second site. WordPress is not supported on Docker servers.
Detect the repository. git_detect reads the repository root for a Dockerfile or one of the four Compose file names, and checks access and server compatibility. It creates nothing, and an access problem is never worked around by naming an app type by hand.
Scan the Compose file. git_compose-scan runs before the dry run. It lists the services and the host ports the file publishes, resolves which Compose file name it found, and suggests a primary port. The agent never guesses the port.
Dry run, then one approval. The agent sends the Docker create request with dry_run set to true and shows the resolved configuration: compose file, port, address and warnings. It asks once, naming the server and the URL, before sending the same body with confirm set to true and an idempotency key.
Poll and verify. A 202 means queued, not running. The agent polls the site status until it is terminal, reads failed_steps and the SSL block, and fetches the URL before it calls the app live. A 502 here usually means the Compose file publishes no port.
Back up and recover. The agent can take a Docker backup, read the backup list and settings, and add a note to a backup. If a deploy fails it reads the diagnosis, proposes a fix from the correctable fields and retries on the same site after your approval. Restoring a backup is a dashboard step.

Reference

Docker apps Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts GitHub Copilot works within when it runs Docker apps. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Supported inputs	A Dockerfile for a single container, or a Compose file for one or more services, on a Docker server. Go, Python, Rust and Java apps all deploy this way
Server stack	Docker servers only. The Docker deploy on any other stack, including an agentic server, answers 422 with the code incompatible_server
Which Compose file runs	docker-compose.yml at the repository root. A file named compose.yaml, compose.yml or docker-compose.yaml, or one in a subdirectory, deploys through the pinned Docker create with docker.compose_file set to the path the scan resolved
Public port	xCloud's nginx owns ports 80 and 443 and proxies to one host port of 1024 or higher on 127.0.0.1. xCloud runs your Compose file as-is and never rewrites its ports mapping
Port refusals	A port another site already holds is refused as port_unavailable. A port the file does not publish is refused as port_not_published, with the published ports listed
No published port	A Compose file that publishes no port is accepted and then answers 502, so the scan is the step that catches it
Private registries	The deploy runs docker compose pull and never docker login, so an image from a private registry cannot be pulled. Build the image from source instead
Environment and redeploys	Send environment values through env_file_content. A redeploy runs git reset --hard and git clean -df in the site directory, so uncommitted server-side changes are lost
What a Docker backup holds	Named volumes, eligible bind mounts, the Compose file and the app's .env, in an encrypted snapshot. The app is stopped while the backup captures and restarted afterwards
Backup tools	Take a backup, list backups, read the count and the settings, change the settings, add a note and delete a backup. Remote copies go to a storage provider you add in the dashboard
Restores	A restore replaces the app's data in place, so it stays a dashboard step: Site, Site Backup, Previous Backups, Restore Backup
Dot-prefixed paths	A 403 on a path that starts with a dot is the dot-path allowlist. It is fixed with docker.allowed_dot_paths in the deploy settings, without a rebuild

Rules GitHub Copilot has to follow

The Compose file is scanned before the dry run, and the port always comes from the scan, never from a guess.
A file that binds ports 80 or 443, publishes no port or pulls from a private registry is not deployed as-is. The agent shows the rewrite, such as publishing 127.0.0.1:<high port>:<app port> and building the image from source, and the change goes into your repository.
Creating a site, deploying, redeploying and deleting a backup stop for your approval. A backup runs without a separate prompt but stops the app while it captures, so ask for one at a quiet time.
A failed Docker site is retried in place with corrections. It is never deleted and recreated, because it keeps its domain and port.
Restoring a backup, adding a backup storage provider and changing a live site's domain are dashboard steps; the agent gives you the path and the dashboard link xCloud returned.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask GitHub Copilot to Do for Docker apps?

Type these as written and swap in your own repository, 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.

Prompt

Scan the docker-compose.yml on this repository's main branch with xCloud and tell me which services publish a port.

Prompt

Deploy the repository I have open to my Frankfurt Docker server as a Compose app. Show me the dry run and wait for my approval.

Prompt

Back up the Docker app on notes.example.com now, and then list every Docker app on my team that has no backup schedule.

Prompt

Scan the docker-compose.yml in github.com/acme/api and tell me which services and ports xCloud would use.

Prompt

Deploy github.com/acme/shop to the Frankfurt Docker server as a Compose app. Scan the compose file first, show me the services and ports, then wait for my approval before creating anything.

Prompt

Deploy the main branch of github.com/acme/api to my Docker server as a Compose app on a staging hostname.

Prompt

My Compose app on notes.example.com answers 502. Check which port its compose file publishes and which port xCloud is using.

Prompt

Take a backup of the Docker app on notes.example.com now, before I upgrade it, and tell me when it is done.

Prompt

Show the backup settings and the last backup of every Docker app on this team, and list the ones with no schedule.

Prompt

The last deploy of the API site failed. Diagnose it, show me the settings I can correct, fix the build command and retry on the same site.

GitHub Copilot and Docker apps: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let GitHub Copilot run Docker apps through xCloud.

Does Copilot chat or agent mode run the Docker deploy on xCloud?

Agent mode. MCP tools such as git_compose-scan and the Docker create are only called when Copilot works as an agent, so switch the chat panel to agent mode before you ask. The real create still waits for your explicit confirmation.

Can my whole team use the same Copilot setup to manage Docker apps on xCloud?

Yes. Commit .vscode/mcp.json with the xcloud entry and every teammate gets it. Each person signs in with their own xCloud account, so access to Docker servers and backups follows the person, not the file.

Which servers can run a Docker app on xCloud?

Docker servers. Node.js, PHP and static builds use Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed servers, and the Docker deploy on any other stack is refused with an incompatible_server code. An OpenClaw, Hermes, Paperclip or DeepSeek Harness server hosts only the site created at provisioning, so it takes no Docker app.

Why does the agent scan the Compose file before deploying?

xCloud proxies to the host port your file publishes and never rewrites it. The scan lists the services and ports, so the agent picks a port that is free on the server and published by the file instead of guessing.

Why does my Compose app answer 502 after it deployed?

The most common cause is a Compose file that publishes no port: xCloud accepts it, then its nginx has nothing to proxy to. Publish the app on 127.0.0.1 with a high port, such as 127.0.0.1:8080:8080, and redeploy.

Can an agent deploy an image from a private registry?

Not as-is. The deploy runs docker compose pull and never docker login, so a private image cannot be pulled. Build the image from source in the Compose file, or deploy a repository that does.

Can an agent back up and restore a Docker app?

It can take a backup, read the backup list and settings, change the settings, add a note and delete a backup. Restoring replaces the app's data in place, so you do that in the dashboard under Site, Site Backup, Previous Backups.

Can I run WordPress as a Docker app on xCloud?

No. Creating a WordPress site on a Docker server is refused because WordPress is not supported on Docker servers. Use an Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed server for WordPress.

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