VS Code MCP Installer Docs

A TypeScript-based MCP server that provides tools for installing MCP servers in VS Code.

This MCP server implements tools to help install other MCP servers in VS Code. It demonstrates core MCP concepts by providing:

• Tools for generating VS Code CLI commands for MCP server installation
• Tools for generating VS Code URIs for protocol handler installation
• Configuration schemas for MCP servers

Quick Start

Run this tool directly with npx:

npx github:digitarald/vscode-mcp-installer-docs

The tool will either connect to an existing MCP client or provide installation instructions.

Features

Tools

• mcp-server-to-vscode-cli-command - Generate VS Code CLI command

  • Takes MCP server configuration as input
  • Returns a CLI command to install the MCP server in VS Code

• mcp-server-to-vscode-uri - Generate VS Code URI for protocol handler

  • Takes MCP server configuration as input
  • Returns a URI that can be used to install the MCP server via VS Code protocol handler
  • Includes guidance for adding installation badges

Configuration Schema

The server defines a configuration schema for MCP servers with:

• name: Name of the MCP server
• command: Command to run the MCP server
• args (optional): Arguments to pass to the command
• env (optional): Environment variables to set for the MCP server

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

For development with auto-rebuild:

npm run watch

Installation

To use with Claude Desktop, add the server config:

On MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json On Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vscode-installer": {
      "command": "/path/to/vscode-installer/build/index.js"
    }
  }
}

Debugging

Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, debugging can be challenging. We recommend using the MCP Inspector, which is available as a package script:

npm run inspector

The Inspector will provide a URL to access debugging tools in your browser.

Usage Examples

Generate VS Code CLI Command

// Example configuration
{
  "name": "My MCP Server",
  "command": "/path/to/server.js",
  "args": ["-v"],
  "env": {"DEBUG": "true"}
}

Use the mcp-server-to-vscode-cli-command tool with the above configuration to generate a CLI command for installing the MCP server in VS Code.

Generate VS Code URI

Use the mcp-server-to-vscode-uri tool with your server configuration to generate a VS Code URI that can be used with protocol handlers for one-click installation.

Example markdown with installation badges: