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Install for VS Code

VS Code's Copilot Chat agent mode reads MCP servers from a mcp.json file. The schema is slightly different from Cursor/Windsurf - the top-level key is servers (not mcpServers) and each entry needs an explicit type.

1. Mint a token

Open API tokens, create a token, copy the value (shown once).

A safe starter set of abilities:

forms:read, submissions:read, submissions:write, webhooks:read, insights:read.

2. Add the MCP server

Workspace-scoped (recommended - check it in alongside .vscode/settings.json if your team should share the config):

text 
.vscode/mcp.json

User-scoped (available across every workspace): open the command palette (⌘⇧P / Ctrl+⇧P) and run MCP: Open User Configuration.

json 
{
  "servers": {
    "formspring": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://formspring.io/mcp-server",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:formspring-token}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "formspring-token",
      "description": "Formspring API token",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

The ${input:...} reference makes Copilot Chat prompt for the token once and store it in the OS secret store instead of writing it back to the JSON. Use this for any config that lands in source control. For a quick one-off, you can inline "Authorization": "Bearer your-api-token" directly.

3. Start the server

Run MCP: List Servers from the command palette, find formspring, and click Start. Then open Copilot Chat in Agent mode - Formspring's tools show up in the tool picker.

If you're on a remote dev container, define the server in MCP: Open Remote User Configuration so it runs on the remote machine instead of your laptop.

Try a prompt

"List my forms."

"Open the contact form, find any submission flagged as spam in the last week, and tell me whether to keep, mark not-spam, or delete each one."

"Audit my webhooks. Which have failed deliveries in the last 24 hours? Replay them."

More in Prompt examples →.

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