How to Use the Apify MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: How do I share the Apify MCP Server setup with my team in VS Code?

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your repository root and commit it to Git. Every team member with VS Code Copilot will automatically get access to the scraping tools.

Q: Can VS Code Copilot run Apify actors asynchronously?

Yes, Copilot can call runactor to start a scraper in the background and poll its status using getrun while you continue working.

Q: How do I fetch scraped JSON data into my VS Code editor?

Use the getdatasetitems tool through the Copilot chat interface to pull the raw scraped records directly into your workspace.

Q: Can we monitor our team's Apify usage limits inside VS Code Copilot?

Yes, you can run getaccountlimits to check your remaining compute units and subscription limits directly in the chat.

Bring Apify web scraping tools to your entire team inside VS Code Copilot with shared workspace configurations.

See Vinkius in Action

Works with every AI agent you already use

…and any MCP-compatible client

MCP Servers - Free for Subscribers

Connect Apify MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect Apify 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.

GDPR Free for Subscribers

Setup Apify with VS Code Copilot

Ask AI about this MCP

ChatGPT

Claude

Perplexity

Run Apify scrapers directly inside VS Code Copilot

The `run_actor` tool lets your team launch web scrapers asynchronously from the Copilot chat window. Your developers can trigger complex crawls using custom JSON inputs and track their progress using `get_run` without switching to a browser. For shorter scraping tasks, `run_actor_sync` blocks until the run completes, delivering the final dataset ID immediately. If a shared test run starts consuming too many resources, anyone on the team can call `abort_run` to stop the actor.

Pull raw Apify datasets into your VS Code workspace

The `get_dataset_items` tool fetches structured JSON data from your active crawls directly into your workspace files. Copilot can analyze the raw scraped fields to write typed interfaces, database migrations, or API endpoints. To verify scraper outputs like screenshots or cached HTML, `get_key_value_store` retrieves specific keys like SCREENSHOT or OUTPUT. This gives developers immediate visual context for debugging failed extractions directly in the editor.

Control your scraping infrastructure with this MCP Server

The `list_actors` tool queries your Apify account to show all accessible scrapers, ensuring your team uses the correct actor IDs. You can inspect active webhooks with `list_webhooks` to verify that your CI/CD pipelines receive the proper event notifications. To manage shared team budgets, `get_account_limits` checks your compute unit limits before launching heavy automated runs. If you need to expand a run dynamically, `push_to_queue` lets you feed new URLs to the active scraper queue.

Setup guide

Set up Apify 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 Apify 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 Apify tools listed. Try asking: "List my recent Apify transactions" and Copilot will invoke them automatically.

.vscode/mcp.json

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

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by Apify. 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.

Why Choose Vinkius

Vinkius connects your tools to AI with real-time monitoring and automatic cost savings — all from one dashboard.

Connect Apify now

Real-time monitoring

Live

visibility into every interaction

Connect your favorite tools to your AI and see exactly what's happening — every request, every response, in real time.

Built-in savings

60%

lower AI costs

Vinkius compresses data between your apps and your AI automatically. Lower bills every month — no configuration required.

Single dashboard

One

place for every integration

Every tool your AI connects to, managed from a single screen. One account, complete control.

Common questions about Apify MCP in VS Code Copilot

Create a `.vscode/mcp.json` file in your repository root and commit it to Git. Every team member with VS Code Copilot will automatically get access to the scraping tools.

Yes, Copilot can call `run_actor` to start a scraper in the background and poll its status using `get_run` while you continue working.

Use the `get_dataset_items` tool through the Copilot chat interface to pull the raw scraped records directly into your workspace.

Yes, you can run `get_account_limits` to check your remaining compute units and subscription limits directly in the chat.

Vinkius utilizes an ephemeral V8 sandbox environment that isolates all tool execution. Your scraping credentials, account limits, and dataset items are never exposed to other environments or stored on disk.

Use it with your favorite AI tools

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

OpenAI Agents SDK sdk-python

Google ADK sdk-python

Pydantic AI sdk-python

Vercel AI SDK sdk-typescript