GitHub Copilot + xCloud

Manage SSL and domains with GitHub Copilot on xCloud

Managing SSL and domains with GitHub Copilot means asking agent mode in VS Code to read a site's certificate and DNS on xCloud, then install or renew HTTPS after you confirm the tool call in the chat panel.

Skill: xcloud:ssl
Toolsets: ssl-certificates, sites, integrations
Free with every xCloud account

Set up GitHub Copilot All GitHub Copilot guides

YouCheck the DNS settings in this repo, then ask xCloud if example.com points at my server.

servers_dns_checkread-only

AgentThe Terraform file sets an A record for example.com, but xCloud sees it pointing at an older address. The change has either not propagated or was never applied. I have not changed anything on xCloud.

YouApply the change on my side, then check again in a few minutes.

AgentI will check again when you tell me the record is live. Then I can install the free certificate after your approval.

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 SSL and domains 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

In agent mode, check the SSL certificate on shop.example.com and tell me when it expires.

In practice

How Does SSL and domains Work from GitHub Copilot?

In VS Code you are in the editor with the workspace open, and Copilot's agent mode is one chat away. Switch the chat to agent mode, make sure the xcloud server from .vscode/mcp.json is running, and ask about the domain. Copilot picks the xCloud tools from its tool list and asks you to confirm a tool call before it runs, so each step appears in the chat as a card you can read. It starts with the reads, sites_ssl for the state of the certificate and sites_domains for the primary and additional domains, then servers_dns_check when you ask whether the record points at the server. You see provider, status and expiry without leaving the window.

The workspace is what makes this useful in an editor. If the repository holds the infrastructure for the site, Terraform for the DNS, a deployment workflow, a proxy configuration, Copilot can read those files in the same session and tell you where the hostname and the certificate settings come from. That lets it explain a mismatch, such as a record managed elsewhere that does not match what xCloud sees, instead of only reporting it. When the check says the domain is ready, the request to install a certificate is the call xCloud holds for an explicit yes, so you meet a confirmation in VS Code and the question from the agent about the site and provider.

After approval, Copilot polls ssl-certificates_status until the certificate is issued and then reports the result in the chat. For a WordPress site adopting HTTPS for the first time it asks whether to run the database search-and-replace before it sends the request, which is worth reading rather than clicking through. A request to add or change a domain on an existing site gets the dashboard path, Site, then Domain, since the API cannot write it, and Copilot hands you the site link xCloud returned instead of a made-up step.

GitHub Copilot specific: Agent mode has its own tool picker, so if the xCloud tools do not show up, open MCP: List Servers and check that xcloud is running, then check the picker. If your organization manages Copilot through GitHub policies, an administrator may control which MCP servers you can use, and an xCloud server you added yourself may be blocked. Also remember that the key in .vscode/mcp.json is servers, not mcpServers.

What xCloud does for ssl and domains

xCloud lets the agent read a site's certificate status, domains and DNS, then install or renew a certificate from xCloud (Let's Encrypt), your own files or a connected Cloudflare account. Adding or changing a domain on an existing site stays in the dashboard, and the agent gives you the path.

Find the site and read its SSL. The agent resolves the site by name or domain, then reads its current SSL state and the list of certificates before it changes anything. That shows the provider, the status and the expiry date.
Check the domain and DNS. It reads the site's primary and additional domains and asks xCloud whether the domain's DNS record points at the server. Each check is one lookup, so the agent repeats it while a record propagates. A record behind Cloudflare's proxy is reported separately.
Choose the certificate source. You pick xCloud's free Let's Encrypt certificate, your own certificate, or the team's Cloudflare integration. If the site already uses a different provider, the agent tells you that switching needs an explicit override and asks first.
Install or renew, once you approve. The agent restates the site and the provider, then installs or renews the certificate. A renewal only runs when the certificate is within seven days of expiry unless you ask for a forced renewal. For a WordPress site turning on HTTPS for the first time, it asks whether to run the database search-and-replace.
Poll to issuance and verify. Install and renew report success before issuance completes. The agent polls the certificate status until it settles, then checks the site over HTTPS before it calls the job done.
Hand off domain changes. If you want to add, change or remove a domain on an existing site, the agent gives you the dashboard path (Site > Domain) and the site's dashboard link, because the API only reads domains after creation.

Reference

SSL and domains Settings and Limits on xCloud

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

Setting or limit	What applies
Certificate status	A site's SSL state, its certificate list and one certificate's detail and status are all readable
xCloud certificate	Free Let's Encrypt certificate issued and renewed by xCloud. The domain's DNS should already point at the server before you ask
Custom certificate	You supply the PEM certificate and its private key. The key is a secret and is never returned by a read
Cloudflare certificate	Uses the team's connected Cloudflare account. When the zone is connected, xCloud writes the DNS record and the certificate itself at site creation
Switching provider	Needs an explicit force when another provider is already configured, so the agent asks before it replaces a working certificate
Renewal rule	A renewal does nothing unless the certificate is within seven days of expiry; a forced renewal skips that guard. Renewing needs the site SSL permission on your team role
WordPress first HTTPS	An optional database search-and-replace moves existing http:// URLs to https:// when a WordPress site adopts HTTPS for the first time
DNS check	One lookup per call. A proxied Cloudflare record is flagged, and on a Cloudflare-managed site the proxied record is the finished state, not a fault
Domains (read)	The primary domain, additional domains and the domain update status are readable through the API
Domains (write)	Adding, changing or removing a domain on an existing site is dashboard-only: Site > Domain. A staging site goes live under Site > Domain > Go Live
Deleting a certificate	Available through the API, but it can take a site off HTTPS, so the agent restates the target and waits for your approval
Cloudflare 526 errors	A 526 or a certificate warning is an SSL problem, so the agent reads the certificate first. A 522 is different: it usually means ports 80 and 443 are blocked at the origin

Rules GitHub Copilot has to follow

Installing, renewing, switching or deleting a certificate stops for your approval, and the agent names the site and the provider before it asks.
A success response means xCloud accepted the work, not that the certificate was issued: the agent polls the status and checks the live HTTPS URL.
The agent never replaces a working certificate with a different provider without telling you, and it never turns off the Cloudflare proxy on a site xCloud manages through Cloudflare.
Changing a domain on an existing site is a dashboard step; the agent gives you the path and the dashboard link xCloud returned, not a made-up workaround.
A custom certificate's private key is a secret: it is never returned by a read and should not be pasted into a shared channel.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask GitHub Copilot to Do for SSL and domains?

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

In agent mode, check the SSL certificate on shop.example.com and tell me when it expires.

Prompt

Look at the DNS settings in this repo, then ask xCloud whether example.com points at my server. Tell me if the two disagree.

Prompt

Use xCloud to issue a free certificate for shop.example.com once DNS resolves, then confirm the site loads over HTTPS.

Prompt

Check the SSL certificate on shop.example.com and tell me when it expires.

Prompt

Is the DNS A record for example.com pointing at my Frankfurt server yet? Tell me if the Cloudflare proxy is on.

Prompt

Issue a free SSL certificate for example.com once DNS resolves, then confirm the site loads over HTTPS.

Prompt

Renew the certificate on the shop site and tell me the new expiry date.

Prompt

List every domain and additional domain on the shop site and say which is primary.

Prompt

Which of my sites have a certificate that expires in the next 30 days?

Prompt

Use my connected Cloudflare account for the certificate on shop.example.com, and show me what will change first.

Prompt

Visitors get a Cloudflare 526 error on shop.example.com. Check the certificate and tell me what is wrong.

GitHub Copilot and SSL and domains: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let GitHub Copilot manage SSL and domains through xCloud.

Does GitHub Copilot ask before it installs an SSL certificate on xCloud?

Yes, twice. VS Code asks you to confirm the tool call, and xCloud itself holds an install, renewal or deletion for an explicit confirmation. Copilot names the site and the provider in the chat before it asks, so you can see exactly what will change.

Can Copilot read my repository and xCloud together to explain a DNS problem?

Yes. In agent mode it can open the DNS or deployment files in your workspace and compare them with what xCloud's DNS check reports. It will tell you where they disagree. It reads and compares, it does not write records at your registrar.

Can an AI agent add a domain to an existing site?

No. The API reads a site's domains, additional domains and domain update status, but adding, changing or removing a domain on an existing site is a dashboard step under Site > Domain. A domain is chosen when the site is created. The agent can tell you what is currently set and give you the path.

Which certificate options can the agent install?

Three: xCloud's free Let's Encrypt certificate, a custom certificate you supply, and a certificate through your connected Cloudflare account. The agent checks the current state first and asks before it changes anything. Switching a site from one provider to another needs an explicit override.

Why did the agent say a renewal did nothing?

A normal renewal only fires when the certificate is within seven days of expiry. If you need it earlier, ask for a forced renewal and the agent will confirm before it runs. Renewing also needs the site SSL permission on your team role.

Does the agent set up my DNS records?

It reads and checks them rather than writing them. It can tell you whether a domain's record points at your server and whether the Cloudflare proxy is on. DNS and the certificate are written for you only at site creation, when the domain's zone is on a Cloudflare account you connected to xCloud.

What does the agent do about a Cloudflare 526 error?

It treats it as an SSL problem. It reads the site's certificate status and expiry, and fixes it with an installation or renewal after your approval. A 522 is a different fault, usually closed ports 80 and 443 on the origin, so it is checked against the firewall instead.

Other agents