How to Use the Ably MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: Can VS Code Copilot show active Ably presence lists?

Yes, the agent runs getpresence to fetch the current list of online clients. You can see who is connected to your channel without leaving your editor.

Q: How do I inspect Ably channel metadata in VS Code Copilot using this MCP Server?

Ask your agent to audit your streams. It calls listchannels and getchannelmetadata to return active rates and connection counts directly in the chat panel.

Q: What is the best way to handle token revocation?

The agent triggers revoketokens to invalidate active credentials immediately. This is useful for testing how your client applications handle authentication expiration and token renewal.

Debug live Ably message streams and manage channel presence directly within VS Code Copilot.

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Connect Ably MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect Ably to VS Code Copilot and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup Ably with VS Code Copilot

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Debug Ably channels inside VS Code Copilot

This MCP Server connects your shared editor environment directly to your live messaging infrastructure. Your agent runs `list_channels` and `get_channel_metadata` to verify active streams while you write your subscription handlers. If you need to inspect recent payloads, the agent calls `get_messages` to pull the latest queue. This lets your entire team debug message formats using the same shared configuration.

Monitor connection states and presence history

Track who is connected to your application without jumping to an external dashboard. Copilot uses `get_presence` and `batch_presence` to show active client IDs directly inside your sidebar. To analyze connection dropouts, the agent calls `get_presence_history` to pull recent state changes. This helps you identify heartbeat timeouts or client disconnects while writing your reconnection logic.

Trigger test payloads and push alerts

Publish messages to your live channels using `publish_message` or `batch_publish` during your debug sessions. You tell Copilot what to send, and it formats the JSON payload to match your subscription logic. For mobile push testing, the agent uses `push_publish` and `batch_push_publish` to trigger instant notifications. This lets you test background push handlers on active devices directly from your editor.

Setup guide

Set up Ably MCP in VS Code Copilot

Prerequisites

VS Code 1.99 or later with GitHub Copilot extension
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open MCP configuration

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run "MCP: Add Server". Select HTTP (Streamable) as the server type. VS Code will create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.
2

Add the Ably MCP

Paste the JSON snippet shown on the right into your .vscode/mcp.json. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Switch to Agent mode

Open Copilot Chat (Cmd+Shift+I / Ctrl+Shift+I) and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode — they do not appear in Edit or Ask modes.
4

Verify the connection

In the Copilot Chat input, type # to list available tools. You should see the Ably tools listed. Try asking: "List my recent Ably transactions" and Copilot will invoke them automatically.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ably-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by Ably. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about Ably MCP in VS Code Copilot

Tell your agent to send a payload to a specific topic. It uses `publish_message` to broadcast the data instantly, letting you test your application's real-time reactions.

Yes, the agent runs `get_presence` to fetch the current list of online clients. You can see who is connected to your channel without leaving your editor.

Ask your agent to audit your streams. It calls `list_channels` and `get_channel_metadata` to return active rates and connection counts directly in the chat panel.

The agent triggers `revoke_tokens` to invalidate active credentials immediately. This is useful for testing how your client applications handle authentication expiration and token renewal.

Vinkius runs this MCP Server inside a secure, ephemeral V8 isolate. Your API keys and message payloads are processed in memory, and we never log or inspect the contents of your streams.

Use it with your favorite AI tools

Connect this server to Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and more.

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