# How to Connect GitHub Copilot to xCloud MCP > Connect GitHub Copilot agent mode in VS Code to xCloud with a .vscode/mcp.json entry, then deploy, back up, update and fix servers and sites by asking. 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. This guide covers the connection only. For what GitHub Copilot can do once it is connected, with one guide per hosting job, see the [GitHub Copilot and xCloud guide](/agents/github-copilot/). The xCloud side is free with every account, including the free plan. ## What you need - An xCloud account. If you do not have one yet, [sign up for free](https://app.xcloud.host/register). - GitHub Copilot installed and signed in. - A browser for the OAuth sign-in. No API key is needed for the MCP connection. The xCloud MCP server lives at one endpoint, `https://app.xcloud.host/mcp`, over the MCP Streamable HTTP transport. The same setup also lives in your dashboard under **Settings → Developers → MCP**. ## Step 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" } } } ``` ## Step 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. ```text MCP: Add Server ``` ## Step 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 ``` ## Approve access in your browser The first time GitHub Copilot reaches for an xCloud tool, your browser opens on the xCloud authorization screen. Tick the teams the connection may act on and choose **Read-only** or **Full access**. 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. ![The xCloud authorization screen: the signed-in account, the teams to tick, and the choice between Full access and Read-only](/_landing/docs/how-to-connect-xcloud-mcp-to-ai-agent-oauth-teams.png) Every connection is listed with your [API keys](https://app.xcloud.host/user/api-tokens), so you can revoke it at any time. Read-only is enough for reports and checks; choose Full access when you want the agent to deploy, update or change things. With Full access, routine actions such as a backup, a cache purge or a service restart run without an xCloud prompt, while creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting or buying still waits for your confirmation. ## Check it worked Ask GitHub Copilot: ```text Who am I on xCloud? ``` It should answer with your real account name, email and teams, not a guess. If it says it has no xCloud tools, re-check the step above and restart the client. ## What GitHub Copilot can do on xCloud On the xCloud side, reads run straight away, and anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys is previewed first and waits for your confirmation. GitHub Copilot's own approval prompts, where it has them, apply on top of that. A few prompts to start with: ```text Deploy the repository I have open to my Frankfurt server and show me the dry run before you create anything. ``` ```text Update all plugins on example.com, but take a backup first and confirm the homepage still loads afterwards. ``` ```text The last deploy of the API site failed. Diagnose it, fix the build command and retry on the same site. ``` There is a guide for each hosting job, from deploying a repository to fixing a 502, on the [GitHub Copilot and xCloud guide](/agents/github-copilot/), and a longer prompt library in [What You Can Ask xCloud MCP to Do](/what-you-can-ask-xcloud-mcp-to-do/). ## 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### 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. ## Next steps - [GitHub Copilot and xCloud: every job guide](/agents/github-copilot/) - [How to connect xCloud MCP to your AI agent](/docs/how-to-connect-xcloud-mcp-to-ai-agent/) for the other clients - [How to install and use xCloud AI Agent Skills](/docs/install-and-use-xcloud-ai-agent-skills/) - [Multi-team API tokens and MCP access](/docs/multi-team-api-tokens-and-mcp-access/) If you run into any issues connecting, feel free to reach out to our [support team](/docs/access-built-in-support-portal-in-xcloud/).