GitHub Copilot

VS Code’s Copilot Chat reads MCP servers from a workspace-scoped JSON file:

.vscode/mcp.json

User-level entries live in your settings.json under "chat.mcp.servers", but the workspace file is the recommended path - it travels with the repo and your teammates pick it up automatically.

1. Index a docs site

pinax add stripe

2. Add the server entry

Create .vscode/mcp.json at the repo root:

{
  "servers": {
    "pinax": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "pinax",
      "args": ["serve"]
    }
  }
}

A single entry covers every manifest you’ve added. Pin one docs site by swapping in "args": ["serve", "stripe"].

3. Start the server from Copilot Chat

Open the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl-Shift-P) and run MCP: List Servers. Pick pinax, then Start Server. Copilot will spawn pinax serve and surface its tools in the next chat turn.

4. Use it

Open Copilot Chat (Cmd/Ctrl-I) and ask:

Use the pinax tools to find the Stripe API for confirming a PaymentIntent and quote its required parameters.

Copilot will call list_docs → search_pages → get_page and answer from the live page.

Troubleshooting

• If Copilot doesn’t list the server, confirm the mcp.json is valid JSON (no trailing commas, no JSONC comments unless your VS Code build supports them).
• The Output panel has an MCP channel that shows server stdout and startup errors - check there first when a tool call fails.
• If pinax isn’t on the PATH VS Code inherits, replace "command": "pinax" with the absolute path from which pinax.