GitHub Copilot + xCloud

Manage servers with GitHub Copilot on xCloud

Managing servers with GitHub Copilot means asking agent mode in the VS Code chat panel to inspect and change your xCloud servers, using the remote server you listed in mcp.json.

Skill: xcloud:servers
Toolsets: servers, alerts, user
Free with every xCloud account

Set up GitHub Copilot All GitHub Copilot guides

YouInstall Redis on the staging server, enable it, and tell me when the task has finished.

servers_servicesread-only

AgentRedis is not installed on staging-fra. I will install it and enable the service. It does not affect your 3 sites. Go ahead?

YouYes.

servers_services_installneeds approval

AgentInstalled and enabled. The server task finished successfully and the service shows as running.

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 Manage servers 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

List my xCloud servers and show the status of each, including any that need a reboot.

In practice

How Does Server management Work from GitHub Copilot?

In VS Code you are in an editor with the Copilot chat panel open, and agent mode is the part that calls tools. The first time, the xcloud entry needs to be running, which you check with MCP: List Servers, and the browser sign-in asks you to tick the teams and choose Read-only or Full access. After that a server question is a chat message. Show me banned IPs on the Frankfurt server and unban 203.0.113.10 makes Copilot call servers_fail2ban_banned-ips, show you the list, and ask before servers_fail2ban_unban. VS Code asks you to allow each tool call before it runs, and you can read the arguments in that prompt.

What is particular to Copilot is how the setup is shared. If you save the entry in .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace, teammates who open the same folder get the same xcloud entry. The file holds only the URL, so no token is shared. Each person signs in to xCloud with their own account, which means what an agent can do on a server depends on that person's team access and the access level they picked. A teammate with Read-only gets answers, and one with Full access can also ask for changes. Nobody inherits somebody else's power by opening the repository.

Agent mode has a tool picker, and it is useful for server work. If you only want to look around, switch off the tools you do not need before you start, so a casual question cannot reach a reboot or a firewall change by accident. For the changes themselves, Copilot restates the server, the service and the impact, then asks. Installing and enabling a service goes through servers_services_install and servers_services_enable, and Copilot reads servers_tasks until the task settles before it says it is done. A reboot is reported as done only when servers_reboots_show shows a verified new boot.

GitHub Copilot specific: VS Code's key is servers, not mcpServers, and a remote entry needs type http, so a block pasted from another client's docs will not load. If xCloud tools do not show up in agent mode, open MCP: List Servers and check that xcloud is running, then look at the tool picker. If your organization manages Copilot through GitHub policies, an administrator may control which MCP servers you can use.

What xCloud does for server management

xCloud lets the agent list your servers, read their monitoring, and manage services, Node.js and PHP versions, cron jobs, firewall rules, Fail2Ban and sudo users. Changes that can interrupt a server stop for your approval, and a reboot is only reported as done after xCloud verifies a new boot.

Pick the team and the server. The agent works on one team at a time and uses the server you name. If a name is missing or matches several servers, it lists them and asks. It always restates which server it is about to change before it changes it.
Read the state first. It reads the server's status, installed services, runtimes and monitoring figures. A status such as low disk space or reboot required is worth surfacing on its own. Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature, so a free plan answers 403.
Say what will change, then ask. For a service, runtime, cron, firewall or sudo change, the agent names the server, the item and the impact, for example that a Node.js default affects every Node site on the server. It waits for your approval when the change could interrupt a service.
Follow the task to the end. xCloud accepts server work and returns before it finishes. The agent reads the server's task list until the task settles and reports the real outcome, not the acceptance.
Reboot with proof. A reboot starts a tracked operation. The agent reads that operation until xCloud reports a verified new boot. If the result is unconfirmed it investigates and never repeats the reboot just to check.
Buy a server only after approval. A new server is billable. The agent checks what you already have, reads the plans and the card on file, shows the plan, region and price, and waits for a yes. It sends the purchase once with an idempotency key so a retry cannot buy a second server.

Reference

Server management Settings and Limits on xCloud

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

Setting or limit	What applies
Inventory	Every server on the team with its status, stack and the sites it hosts, plus the tasks, supervisor processes and site snapshots on a server
Monitoring	Current CPU, memory and disk are readable. Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature: xCloud answers 403 on the free plan, which is a plan limit and not a permission
Services	Install, enable, restart and disable. A restart runs without a server-side prompt; the agent still confirms the exact server, service and impact before any service change, because disabling ssh, nginx or a database can lock you out or cause downtime
Node.js versions	Read the installed versions and set the default. The default is server-wide and affects every Node site on the server
PHP versions	Install, uninstall, set the default, patch and toggle OPcache. The server default changes only the command-line php and the version new sites get; it does not change existing sites, and a single site's PHP version is a dashboard setting under Site > Site Settings
Cron jobs	List, create, update, delete, run now and read the last output for server cron jobs. Site cron is a separate resource
Firewall rules	List, create, delete, enable and disable rules with a name, protocol, allow or deny, port and optional source IP
Fail2Ban and IP access	List, ban and unban IP addresses, read the SSH restriction status, and whitelist your current IP or xCloud's own IPs
Sudo users	List, create or update and delete sudo users. A password is a secret and private keys are never returned
Verified reboots	Start a tracked reboot and read its operation; only a verified new boot proves it worked. An unconfirmed reboot can be rechecked without rebooting again
Buying a server	Billable, so it needs an approved plan, region and price, a card on file and an idempotency key. It buys xCloud-managed servers only
Dashboard-only	Resizing or deleting a server, a provider backup of the whole server (Server > Backup), bringing your own server, databases and database users, and PHP settings such as memory limit or upload size

Rules GitHub Copilot has to follow

A change that can interrupt a server stops for your approval, and the agent names the server, the service and the impact first.
Buying a server is billable: the agent shows the plan, region and price and waits for your yes, and it never retries a purchase without checking your server list first.
A reboot is only reported as done when xCloud verifies a new boot, and an unconfirmed reboot is investigated, not repeated.
Disabling ssh, nginx, a database or a runtime service needs your explicit confirmation immediately before the call, because it can lock you out or take sites offline.
Resizing or deleting a server, provider server backups, bringing your own server and per-site PHP versions 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 Server management?

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

List my xCloud servers and show the status of each, including any that need a reboot.

Prompt

Show the IP addresses Fail2Ban has banned on the Frankfurt server and unban 203.0.113.10.

Prompt

Install Redis on the staging server, enable it, and tell me when the task has finished.

Prompt

List all my xCloud servers with CPU, RAM and disk usage, and flag any server above 80% disk.

Prompt

List the cron jobs on the Frankfurt server with their schedules.

Prompt

Create a server cron job for the WooCommerce Action Scheduler every five minutes. Show me the final command and schedule before creating it.

Prompt

Install Redis on the Frankfurt server and enable the service.

Prompt

Switch the Frankfurt server's default Node.js to the latest LTS major.

Prompt

Reboot the staging server and tell me when it is back.

Prompt

Show me the IP addresses Fail2Ban has banned on the Frankfurt server, and unban 203.0.113.10.

Prompt

Create a new xCloud server on the smallest plan in Singapore. Show me the plan and price first and wait for my approval.

GitHub Copilot and Server management: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let GitHub Copilot manage servers through xCloud.

If my team shares .vscode/mcp.json, does everyone get the same server access?

No. The file holds only the xCloud URL, so each person signs in to xCloud with their own account. Their access to servers depends on the teams they approve and whether they choose Read-only or Full access, not on whoever committed the file.

Can I make Copilot read-only for server work?

Yes. Choose Read-only on the xCloud approval screen so changes are refused, and use agent mode's tool picker to switch off tools you do not want in play. Copilot can then list servers, read CPU, memory and disk and check services without being able to restart or reboot anything.

Does the agent ask before it reboots a server?

Yes. A reboot stops for your explicit confirmation, then the agent starts a tracked reboot and reads the operation until xCloud reports a verified new boot. If the result stays unconfirmed it investigates rather than rebooting a second time.

Can an AI agent buy a new server for me?

Yes, but only after you approve it. A new server is billable, so the agent first checks your existing servers, reads the available plans and your card on file, then shows the plan, region and price and waits for your yes. It sends the purchase once, so a retry cannot buy a second server.

If the agent changes the server's PHP default, do my sites change version?

No. The server default changes the command-line php and the version new sites get, and it moves no existing site. Each site keeps its own PHP version, which you change in the dashboard under Site > Site Settings.

Can the agent resize or delete a server?

No. Resizing and deleting a server are dashboard-only, as are a provider backup of the whole server, databases and bringing your own server. The agent can tell you where the control is and give you the server's dashboard link.

Why did the agent say monitoring history is not available?

Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature, so xCloud answers 403 on the free plan. Current CPU, memory and disk readings are still available, and the agent will say that it is a plan limit, not a missing permission.

Other agents