Connect VS Code

VS Code connects to Trace through GitHub Copilot’s MCP support. You need VS Code 1.101 or newer (verified 2026-06-25), and Trace’s tools only run when Copilot Chat is in Agent mode.

Before you start

You need a Trace account on the Starter plan or higher. Connecting uses OAuth — you’ll sign in to Trace in your browser; there’s no API key to paste. Your Trace email must be verified, and some tools require the Pro plan. See Authentication for the full access model.

Steps

1. Add Trace to your workspace’s .vscode/mcp.json:

   .vscode/mcp.json

   { "servers": { "trace": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.tracedata.ai/mcp" } } }

2. VS Code detects the server. The first connection triggers a browser OAuth flow — log in to Trace and approve access.

3. Open Copilot Chat and switch it to Agent mode. Trace’s tools are available there.

Caution

MCP tools only run in Copilot Agent mode. In Ask or Edit mode the Trace tools won’t be called.

Note

Connecting uses the standard MCP OAuth discovery flow. The client calls the Trace server, gets a 401 pointing at the OAuth metadata, registers itself automatically (Dynamic Client Registration), and then runs the browser sign-in. You don’t configure any of this by hand.

Next steps

• See what Copilot can do with the connection in MCP tools.
• Background on the server and transport: MCP overview.