VS Code (GitHub Copilot) Setup

Overview

VS Code has native support for remote MCP servers. Once you add Tempreon, GitHub Copilot's agent mode can call Tempreon's tools directly from Chat — your AI loads your Core Imprint, searches your Knowledge Vault, and remembers what it learns, across every tool you use.

Setup takes about two minutes: add the server, approve the OAuth prompt in your browser, and the tools appear when Chat runs an agent.

Quick path: Command Palette → MCP: Add Server → HTTP → paste the Tempreon URL → approve in the browser.

Prerequisites

• VS Code 1.101 or later — earlier versions don't have full MCP support
• A GitHub Copilot subscription. As of October 2026, on Copilot Business or Enterprise seats your organization's "MCP servers in Copilot" policy must be enabled — it's off by default, so an admin may need to turn it on. Free, Pro, Pro+, and Max personal plans aren't policy-gated.
• A Tempreon account with at least one available Bridge slot
• The Tempreon server URL (also shown in your Bridges dashboard)

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Add the server from the Command Palette

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux)
2. Run MCP: Add Server
3. Choose HTTP as the server type
4. Paste the URL:

https://api.tempreon.com/functions/v1/tempreon-mcp/mcp

5. Name it tempreon, then choose where to save it: .mcp.json for this workspace, or Copilot Global for every workspace. The flow still lists .vscode/mcp.json and your VS Code user profile, which VS Code now marks as deprecated destinations but still reads.

2. Or edit the config file directly

For a workspace-level server in VS Code's own format, create .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "tempreon": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.tempreon.com/functions/v1/tempreon-mcp/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The root key depends on the file. .vscode/mcp.json and your user-profile mcp.json use servers. The portable files VS Code now prefers — .mcp.json at the workspace root and ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json — use mcpServers, like most other clients. An mcpServers block pasted into .vscode/mcp.json is silently ignored.

If you'd rather use the portable workspace file, which other Copilot tools also read, put the same entry in .mcp.json at the project root under mcpServers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tempreon": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.tempreon.com/functions/v1/tempreon-mcp/mcp"
    }
  }
}

For a user-level (all workspaces) config, run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette and add the same block. There's also a shell one-liner:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"tempreon","type":"http","url":"https://api.tempreon.com/functions/v1/tempreon-mcp/mcp"}'

3. Authorize the connection

OAuth is automatic. When VS Code first connects, a browser tab opens to Tempreon's consent screen — sign in to your Tempreon account and approve. Back in the editor, an Auth CodeLens appears above the server entry in mcp.json; you can click it any time to re-authenticate.

4. Use it with the Agent

Choose the Local harness first. VS Code 1.140 added a Copilot harness, and it may already be selected in the chat input. Copilot harness sessions can currently reach only local MCP servers that don't need sign-in, so Tempreon won't load there. Open the harness picker (the Session Target control) in the Chat view and choose Local.

Tempreon's tools appear when Chat is running an agent. Open Chat, pick the built-in Agent in the agent picker — VS Code renamed chat modes to agents in 2026, so older builds show a mode picker with Ask, Edit, and Agent instead — and check the tools picker; the Tempreon tools should be listed. Ask "What Tempreon tools do you have access to?" to confirm.

Troubleshooting

Config seems ignored. Match the root key to the file: servers in .vscode/mcp.json or your user-profile mcp.json, mcpServers in .mcp.json or ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json.

Don't see the MCP options at all? Confirm you're on VS Code 1.101+. On a Copilot Business or Enterprise seat, ask your org admin to enable the "MCP servers in Copilot" policy — it's disabled by default as of October 2026.

Tools don't appear on VS Code 1.140 or later. Check the harness picker in the chat input. If it shows Copilot, switch to Local — the Copilot harness can't yet use remote servers that require authorization.

Tools don't appear in Chat. MCP tools only surface when Chat is running an agent (on older builds: agent mode, not ask or edit). Check the tools picker in the Chat view, and restart the server from the mcp.json CodeLens if needed.

Connection fails immediately. The URL must end in /mcp with no trailing slash.

Authorization never triggers. Click the Auth CodeLens above the server entry in mcp.json to start the OAuth flow manually.

Also connect: Cursor · Cline · JetBrains IDEs

Visual Studio

Visual Studio (2022 17.14+ and Visual Studio 2026) supports the same server through .mcp.json — either global at %USERPROFILE%\.mcp.json or per-solution as .mcp.json in the solution directory. The root key is servers, same as VS Code:

{
  "servers": {
    "tempreon": {
      "url": "https://api.tempreon.com/functions/v1/tempreon-mcp/mcp"
    }
  }
}

When Copilot Chat loads the server, click the "Authentication Required" CodeLens to run the browser OAuth flow. Note that Visual Studio disables MCP tools by default — enable the Tempreon tools in the tool picker before using them. The same Copilot org policy applies on Business and Enterprise seats.

Try saying...

• "Start my session." — triggers session_start to load your Core Imprint
• "Search my knowledge base for our API design decisions." — exercises knowledge retrieval end-to-end
• "Remember that we standardized on Vitest for this repo." — stores a decision for every future session