API Ninjas MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 8 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
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.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install API Ninjas and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"api-ninjas": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* 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 API Ninjas MCP Server
Connect to API Ninjas and access a comprehensive suite of health and fitness tools through natural conversation.
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings API Ninjas data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 8 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
What you can do
- Exercise Search — Search 1000+ exercises by name, type, muscle group and difficulty with step-by-step instructions
- Calories Burned — Calculate calories burned for various activities based on weight and duration
- Body Fat — Estimate body fat percentage using the US Navy method
- BMR & TDEE — Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate and Total Daily Energy Expenditure
- Nutrition — Get nutritional info for any food item (calories, protein, carbs, fat)
- Sleep — Get recommended sleep duration based on age and gender
- Steps — Calculate calories burned and distance from step count
The API Ninjas MCP Server exposes 8 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 API Ninjas to VS Code Copilot via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the API Ninjas 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 API Ninjas
Ask Copilot: "Using API Ninjas, help me...". 8 tools available
Why Use VS Code Copilot with the API Ninjas MCP Server
GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with API Ninjas 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
API Ninjas + VS Code Copilot Use Cases
Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the API Ninjas 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
API Ninjas MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (8)
These 8 tools become available when you connect API Ninjas to VS Code Copilot via MCP:
get_bmr
Requires weight (kg), height (cm), age and gender. Returns BMR value in calories/day. Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate
get_body_fat
Requires waist, neck and height measurements (in cm). For women, also requires hip measurement. Returns body fat percentage and category (lean, fitness, acceptable, obese). Estimate body fat percentage
get_calories_burned
Requires activity name, weight (kg) and duration (minutes). Returns activity name, duration, calories burned and MET value. Calculate calories burned for an activity
get_exercises
Supports filtering by name, type (cardio, olympic_weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, strength, stretching, strongman), muscle (abdominals, abductors, adductors, biceps, calves, chest, forearms, glutes, hamstrings, lats, lower_back, middle_back, neck, quadriceps, traps, triceps) and difficulty (beginner, intermediate, expert). Returns exercise name, type, muscle worked, equipment needed, difficulty level and step-by-step instructions. Search exercises by name, type, muscle or difficulty
get_nutrition
Returns calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber and sugar per 100g serving. Get nutrition info for a food item
get_sleep
Returns recommended sleep range and whether current sleep is adequate. Get recommended sleep duration
get_steps
Requires step count and optionally weight (kg), height (cm), age and gender for more accurate calculations. Calculate calories and distance from steps
get_tdee
Requires weight (kg), height (cm), age, gender and activity level. Returns TDEE value in calories/day with breakdown by activity level. Calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Example Prompts for API Ninjas in VS Code Copilot
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with API Ninjas immediately.
"Find chest exercises for beginners."
"What's the nutritional info for a banana?"
"Calculate my BMR. I'm 30 years old, male, 80kg, 180cm."
Troubleshooting API Ninjas MCP Server with VS Code Copilot
Common issues when connecting API Ninjas to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
MCP tools not available
API Ninjas + VS Code Copilot FAQ
Common questions about integrating API Ninjas MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
.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.Connect API Ninjas with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
AI-first code editor with integrated LLM-powered coding assistance.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect API Ninjas to VS Code Copilot
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 8 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.