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Add Salient to VS Code / GitHub Copilot

Connect Salient's MCP server to VS Code for use with GitHub Copilot's Agent Mode.

Requirements

  • VS Code 1.99+
  • GitHub Copilot extension with Agent Mode enabled
  • Copilot Business or Enterprise: admin must enable the MCP policy in the Copilot settings portal

Configuration

VS Code uses a different config key than most MCP clients: "servers" instead of "mcpServers".

Project Config

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "servers": {
    "salient": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["tools/mcp-ttx/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "SALIENT_API_URL": "http://localhost:8000",
        "SALIENT_TOKEN": "${input:salient_token}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Input variables for secrets

The ${input:salient_token} syntax prompts you for the token value when the server starts. This keeps secrets out of version control.

To use a hardcoded value instead (local dev only): 

"SALIENT_TOKEN": "your-jwt-token"

User Config (Global)

Use the command palette: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P > MCP: Open User Configuration

This opens your user-level settings.json where you can add:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "salient": {
        "command": "python3",
        "args": ["/path/to/salient/tools/mcp-ttx/server.py"],
        "env": {
          "SALIENT_API_URL": "http://localhost:8000",
          "SALIENT_TOKEN": "${input:salient_token}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Common Mistakes

Wrong config key

VS Code uses "servers", not "mcpServers". If you paste config from Claude Desktop or Cursor, rename the key or the server will not load.

Copilot Agent Mode required

MCP tools only appear in Copilot's Agent Mode (the @workspace agent). They do not work in standard Copilot chat or inline completions.

Using Salient in Copilot

Switch to Agent Mode in the Copilot chat panel, then ask:

"List my Salient tabletop scenarios" "Run a posture assessment using Salient" "Query the Salient digital twin about our identity stack"

Copilot will discover and invoke Salient's MCP tools automatically.

Tools Reference · MCP Overview