VS Code MCP server for AI agents

The VSCode Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI assistants like Goose or Claude to interact directly with VSCode through a standardized protocol. It provides tools for AI agents to open files, view projects, create diffs, and more while working with your code editor.

Quick Installation

Install the MCP Server

Run the following command to install the MCP server:

npx vscode-mcp-server install

Install the MCP Extension

Install the companion VSCode extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace:

MCP Extension

Configuration

Setting Up with Goose Desktop

Configure Goose to work with the MCP server using these settings:

ID: code-mcp
Name: VS Code
Description: Allows interaction with VS Code through the Model Context Protocol
Command: npx vscode-mcp-server

Setting Up with Claude Desktop

Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vscode-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["vscode-mcp-server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

The MCP server provides several tools that AI assistants can use to interact with your VSCode environment:

Working with Files and Projects

create_diff: Creates and displays a diff for modifying existing files
- Shows changes preview before applying
- Requires user approval
- Only works with existing files
open_file: Opens files in the VSCode editor
- Used for viewing new or modified files
open_project: Opens a project folder in VSCode
- Sets up working directory for AI agent

Utility Tools

check_extension_status: Verifies if the extension is installed and responding
get_extension_port: Retrieves the port number for the VSCode MCP Extension
list_available_projects: Displays projects from the port registry file

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "vscode-mcp-server" '{"command":"npx","args":["vscode-mcp-server"],"env":[]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "vscode-mcp-server": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "vscode-mcp-server"
            ],
            "env": []
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "vscode-mcp-server": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "vscode-mcp-server"
            ],
            "env": []
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect