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VS Code

You can find the complete VS Code MCP documentation here.

Install VS Code​

Download VS Code from the official site and install it.

Install GitHub Copilot Extension​

To use MCP tools and Agent mode in VS Code, you need an active GitHub Copilot subscription. Then, install the GitHub Copilot Chat extension from the VS Code Marketplace.

Configure Jupyter MCP Server​

There are two ways to configure the Jupyter MCP Server in VS Code: user settings or workspace settings. Once configured, restart VS Code.

note

We explicitely use the name DatalayerJupyter as VS Code has already a Jupyter MCP Server configured by default for the VS Code built-in notebooks.

As User Settings in settings.json​

Open your settings.json:

Then add the following configuration:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
    "DatalayerJupyter": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "DOCUMENT_URL",
        "-e",
        "DOCUMENT_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "DOCUMENT_ID",
        "-e",
        "RUNTIME_URL",
        "-e",
        "RUNTIME_TOKEN",
        "datalayer/jupyter-mcp-server:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DOCUMENT_URL": "http://host.docker.internal:8888",
        "DOCUMENT_TOKEN": "MY_TOKEN",
        "DOCUMENT_ID": "notebook.ipynb",
        "RUNTIME_URL": "http://host.docker.internal:8888",
        "RUNTIME_TOKEN": "MY_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace // Jupyter MCP Server configuration with the actual configuration details from the Jupyter MCP Server documentation.

As Workspace Settings in .vscode/mcp.json​

Open or create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your workspace root directory. Then add the following example configuration:

{
  "servers": {
    "DatalayerJupyter": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "DOCUMENT_URL",
        "-e",
        "DOCUMENT_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "DOCUMENT_ID",
        "-e",
        "RUNTIME_URL",
        "-e",
        "RUNTIME_TOKEN",
        "datalayer/jupyter-mcp-server:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DOCUMENT_URL": "http://host.docker.internal:8888",
        "DOCUMENT_TOKEN": "MY_TOKEN",
        "DOCUMENT_ID": "notebook.ipynb",
        "RUNTIME_URL": "http://host.docker.internal:8888",
        "RUNTIME_TOKEN": "MY_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Update with the actual configuration details from the Jupyter MCP Server documentation.

This enables workspace-specific configuration and sharing.

Use MCP Tools in Agent Mode​

  1. Launch Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Alt+I / ⌃⌘I)
  2. Switch to Agent mode from the dropdown
  3. Click the Tools ⚙️ icon to manage Jupyter MCP Server tools
  4. Use #toolName to invoke tools manually, or let Copilot invoke them automatically
  5. Confirm tool actions when prompted (once or always)