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VS Code MCP Configuration Guide

This guide helps you set up the Go MCP Example server with VS Code and the MCP extension.

Prerequisites

  • VS Code installed on your system
  • VS Code MCP extension installed
  • Go 1.24+ installed on your system
  • US Data Analytics Program API key

Getting Your API Key

  1. Visit the US Data Analytics Program API documentation
  2. Sign up for an API key if you don't have one
  3. Make note of your API key for configuration

Installation Steps

1. Install VS Code MCP Extension

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "MCP" and install the official MCP extension
  4. Restart VS Code if required

2. Set Up the Project

  1. Clone and build the project:

    git clone https://github.com/rameshsunkara/go-mcp-example.git
cd go-mcp-example
make build

  2. Copy the VS Code configuration:

    # Copy the MCP configuration to your .vscode folder
cp docs/vscode/mcp.json .vscode/
cp docs/vscode/settings.json .vscode/

  3. Update the configuration:

    Edit .vscode/mcp.json and update the command path to point to your compiled binary.

3. Configure API Access

When you open the project in VS Code, the MCP extension will prompt you for:

  • US Data Gov API Key: Your API key for accessing analytics data
  • US Data Gov Base URL: API base URL (defaults to official endpoint)
  • Log Level: Logging verbosity (info, debug, warn, error)
  • Log Format: Output format (json, text)

Configuration Files

mcp.json

This file defines the MCP server configuration with input prompts:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "us-data-gov-api-key",
      "description": "US Data Gov API Key",
      "password": true
    },
    // ... more inputs
  ],
  "servers": {
    "go-mcp-example-stdio": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/go-mcp-example/go-mcp-example",
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${input:us-data-gov-api-key}",
        "API_BASE_URL": "${input:us-data-gov-base-url}",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "${input:log_level}",
        "LOG_FORMAT": "${input:log_format}"
      }
    }
  }
}

settings.json

VS Code workspace settings for optimal development experience:

{
  "go.toolsManagement.checkForUpdates": "local",
  "go.useLanguageServer": true,
  "go.formatTool": "goimports",
  "go.lintTool": "golangci-lint",
  "go.testFlags": ["-v", "-race"],
  "files.exclude": {
    "**/.git": true,
    "**/coverage.out": true,
    "**/go-mcp-example": true
  }
}

Usage

Available Tools

Once configured, you'll have access to:

  • get_report: Fetch analytics data from the Digital Analytics Program
  • Interactive Prompts: Guided analytics workflows
  • Resources: Documentation and examples

Example Commands

In VS Code with the MCP extension:

  1. Fetch device statistics:

    Use the get_report tool to get device usage data for the last 30 days

  2. Get traffic analysis:

    Show me traffic trends using the analyze-traffic prompt

  3. Generate monthly report:

    Create a monthly analytics report for January 2024

Development Mode

For development, you can also run the server directly:

Option 1: Using the Built Binary

Update your .vscode/mcp.json to point to the compiled binary:

{
  "servers": {
    "go-mcp-example-stdio": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/go-mcp-example/go-mcp-example",
      // ... rest of config
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using Go Run

For development iterations, you can use go run:

{
  "servers": {
    "go-mcp-example-dev": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "go",
      "args": ["run", "main.go"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/go-mcp-example",
      "env": {
        // ... environment variables
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. MCP extension not loading:

    • Ensure the MCP extension is properly installed
    • Restart VS Code
    • Check the VS Code output panel for MCP logs

  2. Server not starting:

    • Verify the binary path in mcp.json
    • Check that the binary is executable: chmod +x go-mcp-example
    • Review environment variables

  3. API key errors:

    • Verify your API key is valid
    • Check network connectivity
    • Test the API key with a direct HTTP request

  4. Build errors:

    • Ensure Go 1.24+ is installed: go version
    • Run go mod tidy to resolve dependencies
    • Check for any compilation errors: make build

Debug Mode

To enable debug logging:

  1. Set the log level to "debug" when prompted by VS Code
  2. Or manually edit your environment in mcp.json:
{
  "env": {
    "LOG_LEVEL": "debug",
    // ... other vars
  }
}

Viewing Logs

  • Check the VS Code Output panel
  • Select "MCP" from the dropdown to see MCP-specific logs
  • Look for server startup messages and any error details

Customization

Adding New Inputs

You can extend the mcp.json file to add more configuration options:

{
  "inputs": [
    // ... existing inputs
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "custom-setting",
      "description": "Your custom setting",
      "default": "default-value"
    }
  ]
}

Multiple Server Configurations

You can run multiple instances with different configurations:

{
  "servers": {
    "go-mcp-example-prod": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/binary",
      // ... production config
    },
    "go-mcp-example-dev": {
      "type": "stdio", 
      "command": "go",
      "args": ["run", "main.go"],
      // ... development config
    }
  }
}

Support