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VS Code / GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot's agent mode speaks MCP natively — no extension marketplace involved.

One-click install

Use the Install in VS Code badge in the README, or run:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"imgflip","command":"npx","args":["-y","imgflip-mcp"],"env":{"IMGFLIP_USERNAME":"${input:imgflip_username}","IMGFLIP_PASSWORD":"${input:imgflip_password}"},"inputs":[{"id":"imgflip_username","type":"promptString","description":"Imgflip username"},{"id":"imgflip_password","type":"promptString","description":"Imgflip password","password":true}]}'

VS Code prompts for your Imgflip username and password on first use (the password input is masked) and stores the server in your MCP configuration.

Manual configuration

Alternatively, add the server to your user-level mcp.json. Always open it via Command Palette → "MCP: Open User Configuration" — that lands in the right file on every OS (Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json, macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json, Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/mcp.json). Note the top-level key is servers (not mcpServers like in other clients):

{
  "servers": {
    "imgflip": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "imgflip-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "IMGFLIP_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "IMGFLIP_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify — step by step

  1. Server running? Command Palette → "MCP: List Servers" → imgflip must be listed and Running. On the very first start VS Code shows a trust confirmation — until you confirm it once, the server never starts (the most common silent failure).
  2. Agent mode. MCP tools only work in Copilot Chat's Agent mode — switch the mode dropdown from Ask/Edit to Agent.
  3. Tools enabled? Click the tools icon (🔧) in the chat input and make sure imgflip is checked. Copilot caps active tools at ~128, so with many MCP servers some get silently deselected.

  4. Prove it: type # in the chat — get_memes and caption_image must appear in the suggestions. Then try:

    "#caption_image Make a Drake meme: top 'reading the docs', bottom 'asking the one colleague who knows'."

    The #tool reference forces Copilot to use the tool. If # doesn't offer the tools, the server isn't connected — go back to step 1.

Copilot draws an SVG instead of using the tools?

That's the tell-tale sign the tools aren't available in the current chat (missing config, unstarted server, or deselected tools) — walk through the steps above. When the tools are available but Copilot still free-styles, mention "use the imgflip tools" once or use a #tool reference; Copilot weighs MCP server instructions less strongly than Claude does.

After updating the server (new npm release), restart it via MCP: List Servers → imgflip → Restart so npx picks up the new version.

Registry discovery

Once published to the MCP Registry, the server is also discoverable in the GitHub MCP Registry and directly inside VS Code (Extensions view → MCP SERVERS).