Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a protocol that allows you to extend the capabilities of GitHub Copilot by integrating it with other systems.
Note
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that defines how applications share context with large language models (LLMs). MCP provides a standardized way to connect AI models to different data sources and tools, enabling them to work together more effectively.
You can use MCP to extend the capabilities of Copilot Chat by integrating it with a wide range of existing tools and services. For example, the GitHub MCP server allows you to use Copilot Chat in your IDE to perform tasks on GitHub. You can also use MCP to create new tools and services that work with Copilot Chat, allowing you to customize and enhance your experience.
For more information on MCP, see the official MCP documentation. For information on currently available MCP servers, see the MCP servers repository.
To learn how to configure and use MCP servers with Copilot Chat, see Extending GitHub Copilot Chat with the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Enterprises and organizations can choose to enable or disable use of MCP for members of their organization or enterprise. The policy is disabled by default. See Managing policies and features for GitHub Copilot in your enterprise and Managing policies and features for GitHub Copilot in your organization. The MCP policy only applies to users who have a Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise subscription from an organization or enterprise that configures the policy. Copilot Free, Copilot Pro, or Copilot Pro+ do not have their MCP access governed by this policy.
Note
The MCP servers in Copilot policy controls use where MCP server support is generally available (GA). In features where MCP support is in preview, for example Copilot editors, availability is controlled by the Editor preview features policy.
About the GitHub MCP serverThe GitHub MCP server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server provided and maintained by GitHub.
GitHub MCP server can be used to:
For public repositories, interactions with the GitHub MCP server are secured by push protection, which blocks secrets from being included in AI-generated responses and prevents you from exposing secrets through any actions you perform using the server, such as creating an issue. See Working with push protection and the GitHub MCP server.
You can access the GitHub MCP server remotely through Visual Studio Code, or other editors that support remote MCP; or you can run it locally in any MCP-compatible editor, allowing you to choose between the convenience of a hosted solution or the customizability of a self-hosted setup.
If you want to utilize the remote GitHub MCP server, you can do so in a few steps, without any local setup. This is particularly useful for users who want to quickly leverage GitHub’s AI capabilities without the overhead of managing a local MCP server.
Running the GitHub MCP server locally requires a bit more setup, but it allows for greater customization and control over your AI interactions.
To learn how to set up and use the GitHub MCP server, see Using the GitHub MCP Server.
AvailabilityThere is currently broad support for local MCP servers in clients such as Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, XCode, and others.
Support for remote MCP servers is growing, with editors like Visual Studio Code (with OAuth or PAT), Visual Studio (PAT only), JetBrains IDEs (PAT only), Xcode (PAT only), Eclipse (PAT only), Windsurf (PAT only), and Cursor (PAT only) already providing this functionality.
To find out if your preferred editor supports remote MCP servers, check the documentation for your specific editor.
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