Hands-On MCP: Extend Agent Mode with VS Code
43mIntermediate2025-09-05
Authors
Guil Hernandez
Software Developer and Educator.
Course details
Explore how to extend GitHub Copilot's Agent Mode in VS Code with the Model Context Protocol (MCP). In this course, you’ll connect to curated MCP servers, learn key MCP concepts, and see hands-on demos of tools like GitHub, Playwright, MarkItDown, and Hugging Face in action. By the end, you'll understand how MCP integrations expand Copilot's workflows and how to use them to bring real value to your projects.
Learning objectives
Understand the fundamentals of Model Context Protocol.
Identify key MCP components involved in VS Code Agent Mode.
Configure Copilot to connect to GitHub’s hosted MCP and curated MCP servers.
Demonstrate practical uses of MCP integrations in VS Code.
Explore options for creating and hosting your own MCP servers.
Recognize best practices and security considerations when using MCP.
Learning objectives
Understand the fundamentals of Model Context Protocol.
Identify key MCP components involved in VS Code Agent Mode.
Configure Copilot to connect to GitHub’s hosted MCP and curated MCP servers.
Demonstrate practical uses of MCP integrations in VS Code.
Explore options for creating and hosting your own MCP servers.
Recognize best practices and security considerations when using MCP.
Skills covered
Visual Studio CodeMicrosoft DevelopmentGithub CopilotGitHubAI Development Tools and PlatformsBuilding with AIMicrosoftSoftware DevelopmentOne-Off
Concepts
First Steps with MCP and Agent Mode
- Extending Copilot with MCP
- How Agent Mode works in VS Code
Discover and Install MCP Servers in VS Code
- Add and connect to MCP servers
Using Curated MCP Tools
- Using GitHub MCP and understanding tool flow
- Fetching data with Playwright MCP
- Converting content to Markdown with MarkItDown
- Using the Hugging Face MCP server
Managing and Optimizing MCP Servers
- Managing MCP servers in VS Code
- Combining and optimizing MCP tools