Best MCP Servers for VS Code (2026)

VS Code speaks MCP through GitHub Copilot's agent mode: servers you register appear as tools the coding agent can call while it works in your repository — run a database migration, query an API, fetch documentation or drive a browser without leaving the editor. VS Code supports local stdio servers and remote Streamable HTTP endpoints, and its configuration deliberately differs from other clients: the top-level key in mcp.json is servers, not mcpServers, which is the single most common copy-paste mistake.

This page filters the public MCP Registry to entries that clear an objective bar — 10+ GitHub stars, 100+ monthly package downloads, or a verified official tier — ranked by stars, maintenance recency and downloads, never by payment. Every entry links to its full page with a VS Code-ready config.

A data-ranked shortlist of the 12 strongest MCP servers for VS Code — every entry links to its full page with copy-paste configs. List compiled 2026-10-28; rankings refresh as the underlying data updates.

How entries are picked: An entry is eligible only if it meets at least one of: 10+ GitHub stars, 100+ monthly npm/PyPI downloads, or a verified official/reference tier on its brand page; entries meeting none of the three are excluded, as are archived repositories. Eligible entries are ranked by a score built from: GitHub stars — multiplied by 10 when the entry has a verified official/reference tier, so official status counts as ten times the community traction rather than a flat bonus; maintenance recency (last push); and npm/PyPI downloads where available. Two tie-break rules keep the list honest: when the same repository is shared by several listings, its star count does not contribute to ranking (the shared figure would otherwise swamp independent projects), and when several implementations share a product name, only the highest-scoring one is listed — the others stay in the directory. Data comes from the public MCP Registry (description, install method), GitHub repository stats and package download counts — no editorial scoring, no paid inclusion, and sponsorship never affects these lists.

Connecting MCP servers to VS Code

Two routes, same result: the Command Palette's MCP: Add Server wizard, or editing mcp.json by hand — .vscode/mcp.json for one workspace, or your user profile's mcp.json for all of them. Mind the schema: under the servers key, a local server is { "type": "stdio", "command": ..., "args": [...] } and a remote one is { "type": "http", "url": ... }. The block under each entry below follows that shape. After saving, start the server from the Extensions or MCP view and confirm Copilot's agent mode is enabled so the tools become callable.

Full VS Code install guide ↗How to install an MCP server ↗Config generator ↗

The shortlist at a glance

Full commands and configs are on each entry below and on the server's own page.

#	Server	What it does	Stars	Install	Transport
1	REA	Reverse engineer anything from your terminal or agent with one CLI and MCP server.	391,152	npx rea-agents	npm
2	GitHub	GitHub's official MCP Server	33,707	HTTP endpoint	Streamable HTTPremote only
3	Skyvern	AI-powered browser automation — navigate, click, fill forms, and extract data from any website.	23,223	HTTP endpoint	Streamable HTTPremote only
4	Apify Mcp Server	Extract data from any website with thousands of scrapers, crawlers, and automations on Apify Store ⚡	13,319	HTTP endpoint	Streamable HTTPremote only
5	Browser Use	Browser agents and stealth cloud browsers for AI: run web tasks, fill forms, extract data.	118,349	uvx browser-use	Python, Streamable HTTP
6	Scrapling MCP Server	Web scraping with stealth HTTP, real browsers, and Cloudflare bypass. CSS selectors supported.	88,324	uvx scrapling	Python, Docker
7	World Monitor	Real-time global intelligence across conflict, markets, energy, trade, shipping and cyber. 97 tools.	89,597	HTTP endpoint	Streamable HTTPremote only
8	Netdata	Real-time infrastructure monitoring with metrics, logs, alerts, and ML-based anomaly detection.	81,142	HTTP endpoint	Streamable HTTPremote only
9	Firecrawl	🔥 Official Firecrawl MCP Server - Adds powerful web scraping and search to Cursor, Claude and any other LLM…	7,627	npx firecrawl-mcp	stdio
10	Front-End Checklist	Review frontend code and live pages against 386 quality-gated web development rules.	74,570	HTTP endpoint	Streamable HTTPremote only
11	Context7	Up-to-date code docs for any prompt	63,214	npx @upstash/context7-mcp	npm, mcpb, Streamable HTTP
12	Chrome DevTools MCP	MCP server for Chrome DevTools	54,205	npx chrome-devtools-mcp	npm

REA

by morluto

Reverse engineer anything from your terminal or agent with one CLI and MCP server.

⭐ 391,152 starsLast push: 2026-10-26License: MITRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add rea -- npx -y rea-agents

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rea-agents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

GitHub

OfficialRemote only — needs a client that connects over HTTP/SSEby github

GitHub's official MCP Server

⭐ 33,707 starsLast push: 2026-10-15License: MITRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects remote servers via Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector (paste the URL).

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "serverUrl": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

Skyvern

OfficialRemote only — needs a client that connects over HTTP/SSEby Skyvern-AI

AI-powered browser automation — navigate, click, fill forms, and extract data from any website.

⭐ 23,223 starsLast push: 2026-10-18License: AGPL-3.0Repository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skyvern": {
      "url": "https://api.skyvern.com/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "<YOUR_X_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects remote servers via Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector (paste the URL).

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http skyvern https://api.skyvern.com/mcp/ --header "x-api-key: <YOUR_X_API_KEY>"

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skyvern": {
      "url": "https://api.skyvern.com/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "<YOUR_X_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "skyvern": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.skyvern.com/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "<YOUR_X_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skyvern": {
      "serverUrl": "https://api.skyvern.com/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "<YOUR_X_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Keys / environment: x-api-key

Apify Mcp Server

OfficialRemote only — needs a client that connects over HTTP/SSEby apify

Extract data from any website with thousands of scrapers, crawlers, and automations on Apify Store ⚡

⭐ 13,319 starsLast push: 2026-10-26License: MITRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects remote servers via Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector (paste the URL).

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http apify-mcp-server https://mcp.apify.com/ --header "Authorization: <YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "apify-mcp-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-mcp-server": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.apify.com/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Keys / environment: Authorization

Browser Use

Referenceby browser-use

Browser agents and stealth cloud browsers for AI: run web tasks, fill forms, extract data.

⭐ 118,349 starsLast push: 2026-10-17License: MIT8,061,974/mo downloadsRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "browser-use"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add browser-mcp -- uvx browser-use

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "browser-use"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "browser-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "browser-use"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "browser-use"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Keys / environment: X-Browser-Use-API-Key

Scrapling MCP Server

by D4Vinci

Web scraping with stealth HTTP, real browsers, and Cloudflare bypass. CSS selectors supported.

⭐ 88,324 starsLast push: 2026-10-17License: BSD-3-Clause919,855/mo downloadsRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scrapling": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scrapling"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add scrapling -- uvx scrapling

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scrapling": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scrapling"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "scrapling": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scrapling"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scrapling": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scrapling"
      ]
    }
  }
}

World Monitor

Remote only — needs a client that connects over HTTP/SSEby worldmonitor

Real-time global intelligence across conflict, markets, energy, trade, shipping and cyber. 97 tools.

⭐ 89,597 starsLast push: 2026-10-26License: AGPL-3.0Repository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-210": {
      "url": "https://worldmonitor.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects remote servers via Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector (paste the URL).

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http mcp-210 https://worldmonitor.app/mcp

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-210": {
      "url": "https://worldmonitor.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-210": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://worldmonitor.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-210": {
      "serverUrl": "https://worldmonitor.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Netdata

Remote only — needs a client that connects over HTTP/SSEby netdata

Real-time infrastructure monitoring with metrics, logs, alerts, and ML-based anomaly detection.

⭐ 81,142 starsLast push: 2026-10-26License: GPL-3.0Repository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-358": {
      "url": "https://app.netdata.cloud/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects remote servers via Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector (paste the URL).

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http mcp-server-358 https://app.netdata.cloud/api/v1/mcp --header "Authorization: <YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-358": {
      "url": "https://app.netdata.cloud/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-server-358": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://app.netdata.cloud/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-358": {
      "serverUrl": "https://app.netdata.cloud/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<YOUR_AUTHORIZATION>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Keys / environment: Authorization

Firecrawl

Officialby firecrawl

🔥 Official Firecrawl MCP Server - Adds powerful web scraping and search to Cursor, Claude and any other LLM clients.

⭐ 7,627 starsLast push: 2026-10-17License: MITRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "firecrawl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "firecrawl-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add firecrawl -- npx -y firecrawl-mcp

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "firecrawl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "firecrawl-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "firecrawl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "firecrawl-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "firecrawl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "firecrawl-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

#10

Front-End Checklist

Remote only — needs a client that connects over HTTP/SSEby thedaviddias

Review frontend code and live pages against 386 quality-gated web development rules.

⭐ 74,570 starsLast push: 2026-10-06License: MITRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "front-end-checklist": {
      "url": "https://mcp.frontendchecklist.io"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects remote servers via Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector (paste the URL).

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http front-end-checklist https://mcp.frontendchecklist.io

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "front-end-checklist": {
      "url": "https://mcp.frontendchecklist.io"
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "front-end-checklist": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.frontendchecklist.io"
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "front-end-checklist": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.frontendchecklist.io"
    }
  }
}

#11

Context7

by upstash

Up-to-date code docs for any prompt

⭐ 63,214 starsLast push: 2026-10-17License: MIT2,685,137/mo downloadsRepository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@upstash/context7-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add context7 -- npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@upstash/context7-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@upstash/context7-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@upstash/context7-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

#12

Chrome DevTools MCP

by ChromeDevTools

MCP server for Chrome DevTools

⭐ 54,205 starsLast push: 2026-10-26License: Apache-2.0Repository ↗Full page & details →

Install with your client

Claude Desktopconfig JSON

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "chrome-devtools-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude CodeCLI command

Claude Code

claude mcp add chrome-devtools -- npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp

Cursorconfig JSON

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "chrome-devtools-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Codeconfig JSON

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "chrome-devtools-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurfconfig JSON

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "chrome-devtools-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

How do I add an MCP server in VS Code?

Run MCP: Add Server from the Command Palette, or edit mcp.json yourself — .vscode/mcp.json for a workspace, your profile's mcp.json for global use. Each entry on this page shows the exact block in VS Code's schema.

Why does VS Code use "servers" instead of "mcpServers"?

VS Code defined its own mcp.json schema before the clients converged, and its top-level key is servers with typed entries (stdio/http). Configs written for Claude Desktop or Cursor use mcpServers and will not parse in VS Code until re-keyed — that is a schema difference, not a broken server.

Does VS Code support remote MCP servers?

Yes — Copilot's agent mode connects to Streamable HTTP endpoints: { "type": "http", "url": ... } in mcp.json. Entries marked remote-only on this page are remote endpoints; the rest run locally as stdio commands.

Why don't MCP tools appear for Copilot in VS Code?

Three things must line up: the server is running (check the MCP view for its status), the workspace has Copilot agent mode enabled, and the tools are allowed for the session. A server that fails to start usually has a command-path or API-key problem — its full page on this site lists what it needs.

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