VS Code Extension

The CodeQL Development MCP Server VS Code extension automates the setup and configuration that the manual installation requires you to do by hand.

Why use the extension?

Manual setup (mcp.json)	VS Code extension
Edit mcp.json with the correct paths	Registers the MCP server automatically
Run codeql-development-mcp-server-setup-packs yourself	Installs tool query packs on activation
Set CODEQL_PATH if CodeQL is not on PATH	Discovers the CodeQL CLI from the CodeQL extension
No awareness of CodeQL databases or query history	Discovers databases and query run results from the CodeQL extension

Installation

From .vsix (GitHub Releases)

Download codeql-development-mcp-server-vX.Y.Z.vsix from the latest GitHub Release, then install:

code --install-extension codeql-development-mcp-server-vX.Y.Z.vsix

Or in VS Code: Extensions sidebar → ⋯ menu → Install from VSIX… → select the file.

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search "CodeQL Development MCP Server"
4. Click Install

From Source

From the repository root:

npm run package:vsix
code --install-extension extensions/vscode/codeql-development-mcp-server-vX.Y.Z.vsix

The extension requires the CodeQL extension (GitHub.vscode-codeql) and will prompt you to install it if missing.

What it does

On activation the extension:

1. Finds the CodeQL CLI — checks CODEQL_PATH, PATH, and known install locations (including the CodeQL extension's managed CLI).
2. Installs the MCP server — downloads and caches the codeql-development-mcp-server npm package in the extension's global storage.
3. Installs CodeQL tool query packs — runs codeql pack install for each supported language so tools like PrintAST and CallGraph work immediately.
4. Registers the MCP server — provides a McpServerDefinitionProvider so VS Code discovers the server without any mcp.json edits.
5. Bridges the CodeQL extension — watches for databases and query results created by the CodeQL extension and passes their locations to the MCP server via environment variables:
   • CODEQL_ADDITIONAL_PACKS — workspace folders and vscode-codeql database storage
   • CODEQL_DATABASES_BASE_DIRS — vscode-codeql database storage directory (enables list_codeql_databases)
   • CODEQL_QUERY_RUN_RESULTS_DIRS — vscode-codeql query result directories (enables list_query_run_results and profile_codeql_query_from_logs)
   • CODEQL_MRVA_RUN_RESULTS_DIRS — vscode-codeql variant analysis result directories (enables list_mrva_run_results)

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
codeql-mcp.additionalEnv	{}	Extra environment variables for the MCP server process
codeql-mcp.autoDownloadPacks	true	Download pre-compiled tool query packs matching the detected CodeQL CLI version from GHCR
codeql-mcp.autoInstall	true	Automatically install/update the MCP server on activation
codeql-mcp.enableAnnotationTools	true	Enable annotation, audit, query results cache, and SARIF analysis tools. Set to false to disable these opt-in tools
codeql-mcp.serverCommand	"node"	Command to launch the MCP server (override for local dev)
codeql-mcp.serverVersion	"latest"	npm version to install ("latest" or a specific version)
codeql-mcp.watchCodeqlExtension	true	Discover databases and query results from the CodeQL extension

Commands

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and type CodeQL MCP:

• Reinstall MCP Server — re-download the MCP server package
• Reinstall CodeQL Tool Query Packs — re-run codeql pack install for all languages
• Show Status — display current server and CLI status

How it connects to GitHub Copilot

Once the extension is active, the MCP server appears in Copilot's server list (Command Palette → "GitHub Copilot: List MCP Servers"). All MCP tools, prompts, and resources are available to Copilot automatically — no further configuration needed.