Name: 'MCP Server Explorer · Copilot Ready'
Author: 'MohitGhodke'

Browse, manage, and import/export MCP (Model Context Protocol) server configurations from a unified sidebar — no JSON editing required. Fully integrated with GitHub Copilot.

Features

Unified Sidebar View — See all MCP servers from both User Profile and Workspace configs in one tree view
Add Servers via UI — Guided multi-step flow to add stdio, HTTP, or SSE servers without editing JSON
Remove Servers — Right-click to remove a server from its config file
Edit in Config — Jump directly to the server's position in mcp.json
Import / Export — Share server configurations between machines or team members via JSON files
Copy to Clipboard — Quickly copy a single server's config for sharing
Dashboard — At-a-glance summary of server counts by type and scope
Live Reload — Tree auto-refreshes when mcp.json files change on disk

Copilot Integration

@mcp-explorer Chat Participant — Manage servers directly from Copilot Chat
/list — Show all configured servers with status and tool counts
/add <description> — Add a server using natural language (e.g., "add Playwright for browser testing")
/diagnose <name> — Run a full diagnostic on a server — config validation, tool registration, LLM-powered analysis
/suggest — Get personalized MCP server recommendations based on your workspace
/share [name] — Generate formatted server config for sharing in README or Slack
Describe with Copilot — When adding servers via the + button, choose "Describe with Copilot" to generate config from plain English
Language Model Tool — Exposes mcpServerExplorer_getServerStatus so other Copilot agents can query your MCP server status

Where are MCP configs stored?

Scope	Location	Shared?
User Profile	`~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json` (macOS)	Per-machine
Workspace	`.vscode/mcp.json` in your project	Yes, via source control

Getting Started

Install the extension
Click the MCP Server Explorer icon in the activity bar (sidebar)
Your existing MCP servers will appear automatically
Use the + button to add new servers, or Import to bring in configs from a file

Commands

Command	Description
`MCP Server Explorer: Add MCP Server`	Guided flow to add a new server
`MCP Server Explorer: Refresh`	Reload configs from disk
`MCP Server Explorer: Import Server Configs`	Import servers from a JSON file
`MCP Server Explorer: Export All Server Configs`	Export all servers to a JSON file
`MCP Server Explorer: Open User MCP Config`	Open user-level `mcp.json`
`MCP Server Explorer: Open Workspace MCP Config`	Open workspace-level `mcp.json`

Import/Export Format

Exported files use this structure:

{
  "mcpServerExplorer": "1.0",
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp"
    },
    "playwright": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@microsoft/mcp-server-playwright"]
    }
  }
}