How do I get an AfterShip API Key?

Sign up at [**AfterShip**](https://www.aftership.com/), go to Settings > API Keys, and generate a new key. Free tier includes 100 shipments/month.

How many couriers are supported?

AfterShip supports 1,000+ courier companies worldwide including FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS, Royal Mail, Canada Post, Australia Post, and many regional carriers.

Can I automatically detect which courier handles my tracking number?

Yes! Use the `detect_courier` tool with just the tracking number. It returns a ranked list of likely courier companies based on the tracking number format.

AfterShip MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 9 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: AfterShip
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

Built by Vinkius GDPR 9 Tools IDE

GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

RecommendedModern Approach — Zero Configuration

Vinkius Desktop App

The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install AfterShip and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

Download Free Open SourceNo signup required

Classic Setup·json

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

Fully ManagedVinkius Servers

60%Token savings

High SecurityEnterprise-grade

IAMAccess control

EU AI ActCompliant

DLPData protection

V8 IsolateSandboxed

Ed25519Audit chain

<40msKill switch

Stream every event to Splunk, Datadog, or your own webhook in real-time

* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About AfterShip MCP Server

Connect AfterShip tracking platform to any AI agent and track packages from 1,000+ couriers worldwide, auto-detect shipping companies, and manage all your shipments through natural language.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings AfterShip data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 9 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Package Tracking — Create and monitor shipments from FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS, and 1,000+ other couriers
Auto-Detect Courier — Automatically identify the shipping company from just a tracking number
Tracking History — View complete delivery history with checkpoint timestamps and locations
Delivery Management — Mark trackings as completed, retrack expired ones, or delete old entries
Customer Notifications — Set up email and SMS notifications for delivery updates
Courier Directory — Browse all supported courier companies with their contact info and requirements

The AfterShip MCP Server exposes 9 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect AfterShip to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the AfterShip MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Create MCP config

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above

Enable Agent mode

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown

Start using AfterShip

Ask Copilot: "Using AfterShip, help me...". 9 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the AfterShip MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with AfterShip through the Model Context Protocol.

VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor

Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access

Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop

GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services

AfterShip + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the AfterShip MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step

DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review

Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses

Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples

AfterShip MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (9)

These 9 tools become available when you connect AfterShip to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

create_tracking

Requires at least the tracking number. Optionally specify the courier slug, title, customer emails, SMS phone numbers, order ID, and custom fields. Create a new package tracking

delete_tracking

This action cannot be undone. Delete a tracking entry

detect_courier

Useful when the user provides a tracking number but doesn't know which courier it belongs to. Returns a ranked list of likely couriers. Auto-detect courier from tracking number

get_tracking

Get details of a specific tracking

list_couriers

) that can be used for tracking packages. List all supported courier companies

list_trackings

Supports extensive filtering by courier (slug), tag, keyword, origin, destination, date ranges, and delivery status. List all package trackings

mark_tracking_completed

Useful when the package has been delivered but the courier hasn't updated the final status. Mark a tracking as completed

retrack_tracking

This restarts monitoring and will fetch new checkpoint updates. Retrack an expired tracking

update_tracking

Does not affect the tracking number or courier. Update an existing tracking

Example Prompts for AfterShip in VS Code Copilot

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with AfterShip immediately.

"Track my package with tracking number 1Z999AA10123456784."

"What courier handles tracking number 9400111899223344556677?"

"Show me all my active trackings."

Troubleshooting AfterShip MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting AfterShip to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCP tools not available

Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.

AfterShip + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating AfterShip MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Which VS Code version supports MCP?

MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.

How do I switch to Agent mode?

Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.

Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?

Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.

Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?

Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.