Visual Studio Code (GitHub Copilot Agent Mode)

Warning

Under construction: The time cockpit MCP server and this documentation are under active development, and breaking changes are possible. Tools may be renamed, changed or removed, and dialog labels and configuration steps may change without notice. Check back for updates before rolling the setup out to your users, and expect to adapt your configuration, skills and prompts after an update.

VS Code configures MCP servers in mcp.json — either in the workspace (.vscode/mcp.json, shareable) or in the user profile (command MCP: Open User Configuration). Since VS Code 1.123 (June 2026) your own OAuth client ID can be specified per server (oauth.clientId). The configuration below has been verified against the time cockpit MCP server.

mcp.json

Example .vscode/mcp.json with a header input and your client ID (VS Code shows a Set Client Secret CodeLens above oauth, which is not needed for this public client):

{
  "inputs": [
    { "type": "promptString", "id": "tc-tenant-id", "description": "time cockpit tenant id (GUID)" }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "timecockpit": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.timecockpit.com",
      "headers": { "X-tc-tenant-id": "${input:tc-tenant-id}" },
      "oauth": { "clientId": "<client-id>" }
    }
  }
}
  • type: "http" — VS Code tries Streamable HTTP and falls back to SSE.
  • headers are attached to every request, including the fetch of /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource. Do not set your own Authorization header — OAuth manages it. Leave out headers (and inputs) if your Entra tenant maps to a single time cockpit tenant.
  • inputs (promptString, optionally password: true) keeps values out of the shared file; VS Code asks on first start. envFile exists only for stdio servers.
  • oauth.clientId: Without it, VS Code uses its own Microsoft client ID (aebc6443-996d-45c2-90f0-388ff96faa56), which would have to be authorized on the time cockpit resource application. With your own client ID this is not necessary.

Add via Command or CLI

Command Palette → MCP: Add Server → HTTP → URL → server ID → target Global or Workspace. The wizard asks neither for headers nor for a client ID — add them to the file afterwards. Or on the command line (writes to the user mcp.json):

code --add-mcp '{"name":"timecockpit","type":"http","url":"https://mcp.timecockpit.com","oauth":{"clientId":"<client-id>"}}'

VS Code opens (or focuses) and adds the server to the user-profile mcp.json.

Authentication

VS Code recognizes the authorization server (login.microsoftonline.com/*) and uses its built-in Microsoft authentication provider (MSAL) instead of a generic OAuth flow — no Dynamic Client Registration takes place. When the server starts for the first time, the dialog The MCP Server Definition 'timecockpit' wants to authenticate to Microsoft appears → Allow; with several Microsoft accounts an account picker follows. Sign-in runs through the browser (MSAL loopback http://localhost:<port>) or, depending on the environment, through https://vscode.dev/redirect or the Windows broker (WAM).

Management: Accounts menu (bottom left) → Microsoft account → Manage Trusted MCP Servers or Sign Out; command MCP: List Servers → server → Start Server / Stop Server / Restart Server / Show Output / Show Configuration / Manage MCP Server Account Preferences. The command Authentication: Remove Dynamic Authentication Providers does not apply here because no dynamic provider is used.

Verify

In Copilot Chat (agent mode), enable the server via the tools icon and ask a question. Tool calls appear as Ran <tool> (MCP Server: timecockpit):

You
Which projects did I work on this week according to time cockpit?

GitHub Copilot
▸ Ran get_timesheets (MCP Server: timecockpit)
  { "from": "2026-09-14", "to": "2026-09-20" }
▸ Ran execute_tcql_query (MCP Server: timecockpit)

This week you booked time on three projects:
  • Project Alpha – 14h 30m
  • Customer Portal – 6h 00m
  • Internal / MCP documentation – 3h 15m

Then follow Verify the Connection.

For internal portals, VS Code supports install links: vscode:mcp/install?<url-encoded JSON> or https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=timecockpit&config=<url-encoded JSON> as an "Install in VS Code" badge.

Troubleshooting and Settings

Symptom Cause / solution
AADSTS9010010 / invalid_target on start VS Code sends resource=<MCP URL>; Entra requires Application ID URI and scope to match. The setting microsoft-authentication.implementation = msal-no-broker makes the error visible. Contact support if it persists.
No sign-in dialog, server failed to start Read MCP: List Servers → Show Output; check protected-resource discovery (401 with resource_metadata).
Wrong account Accounts → Manage MCP Server Account Preferences / Sign Out.
MCP disabled (enterprise) Policy chat.mcp.access (all / registry / none), chat.mcp.allowedServers.
Servers from other apps appear chat.mcp.discovery.enabled (reads e.g. the Claude Desktop configuration).