VSCode as MCP Server
A VSCode extension that turns your VSCode into an MCP server, enabling advanced coding assistance from MCP clients like Claude Desktop.
Key Features
Code Editing Support
- Review proposed code changes from an LLM through diffs, allowing you to accept, reject, or provide feedback.
- Real-time diagnostic messages (e.g., type errors) sent instantly to the LLM for immediate corrections.
Terminal Operations
- Execute commands within VSCode’s integrated terminal (supports background/foreground execution, and timeout settings).
Preview Tools
- Preview URLs directly within VSCode’s built-in browser (e.g., automatically opens browser preview after starting a Vite server).
Multi-instance Switching
- Easily switch the MCP server between multiple open VSCode windows.(Just by clicking the status bar item)
Relay Functionality (Experimental)
- Relay and expose built-in MCP servers introduced in VSCode 1.99 externally.
- Allows external access to tools provided by other MCP extensions, such as GitHub Copilot.
Available Built-in Tools
- execute_command: Execute commands in VSCode’s integrated terminal
- code_checker: Retrieve current diagnostics for your code
- focus_editor: Focus specific locations within files
- list_debug_sessions / start_debug_session / restart_debug_session / stop_debug_session: Manage debug sessions
- text_editor: File operations (view, replace, create, insert, undo)
- list_directory: List directory contents in a tree format
- get_terminal_output: Fetch output from a specified terminal
- list_vscode_commands / execute_vscode_command: List and execute arbitrary VSCode commands
- preview_url: Open URLs within VSCode’s integrated browser
Installation & Setup
- Install the extension from the VSCode Marketplace.
- Configure your MCP client:
- Using mcp-installer: You can simply instruct it to "install the vscode-as-mcp-server MCP server".
- Other clients like Claude Desktop: Add the following to your configuration file (
claude_desktop_config.json):
json
{
"mcpServers": {
"vscode": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["vscode-as-mcp-server"]
}
}
}
``
- Check the MCP server status in the bottom-right VSCode status bar:
- (Server icon): Server is running
- ∅: Click to start the server
Motivation
This extension was developed to mitigate high costs associated with metered coding tools (like Roo Code and Cursor). It's an affordable, self-hosted alternative built directly into VSCode.
Bug reports and feedback are very welcome! 🙇
Future Roadmap
- Ability to select which built-in MCP servers to expose
- WebView-based approval UI (similar to Roo Code)
- Integration with VSCode's file history (Timeline)
- Instant toggling of auto-approvals and tool activation/deactivation
- Customizable server port configuration