Balena MCP Server for VS Code CopilotGive VS Code Copilot instant access to 10 tools to Create Device Env Var, Create Device Tag, Get Os Download Url, and more

Name: Balena
Price: 29 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)
Author: Vinkius

GDPR Free for Subscribers

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.

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The Balena MCP Server for VS Code Copilot is a standout in the Cloud Infrastructure category — giving your AI agent 10 tools to work with, ready to go from day one.

Built for AI Agents by Vinkius

Vinkius delivers Streamable HTTP and SSE to any MCP client

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+ other MCP clients

Classic Setup·json

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

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The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Balena and 4,000+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

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High SecurityEnterprise-grade

IAMAccess control

EU AI ActCompliant

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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 Balena MCP Server

Connect your BalenaCloud account to any AI agent to orchestrate your IoT infrastructure through natural language. Monitor device health, manage fleet configurations, and handle deployments without leaving your chat interface.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Balena data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 10 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Fleet & Device Monitoring — List all fleets (applications) and query specific devices using OData filters for precise status updates.
Configuration Management — Dynamically create device-specific environment variables and metadata tags to organize your edge hardware.
Release Tracking — Inspect deployment history and releases across your organizations to ensure your fleet is running the correct software.
OS Provisioning — Query available balenaOS versions for specific device types and retrieve direct download URLs for rapid prototyping.
Identity Management — Verify your current user profile, organizations, and active API keys associated with your account.

The Balena MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — credentials fully managed, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

All 10 Balena tools available for VS Code Copilot

When VS Code Copilot connects to Balena through Vinkius, your AI agent gets direct access to every tool listed below — spanning fleet-management, edge-computing, device-monitoring, and more. Every call runs in a secure, isolated environment with full audit visibility. Beyond a simple connection, you get real-time monitoring of agent activity, enterprise governance, and optimized token usage.

create

Create device env var on Balena

Create a device environment variable

create

Create device tag on Balena

Create a device tag

get

Get os download url on Balena

Get the download URL for a balenaOS image

list

List api keys on Balena

List Balena API keys

list

List devices on Balena

Use OData $filter, $select, and $expand for advanced querying (e.g., $filter=uuid eq '<UUID>'). List devices in Balena fleets

list

List fleets on Balena

Use OData $filter, $select, and $expand for advanced querying (e.g., $filter=slug eq '<SLUG>'). List Balena fleets (applications)

list

List organizations on Balena

List Balena organizations

list

List os versions on Balena

g., raspberrypi3). List available balenaOS versions for a device type

list

List releases on Balena

Use OData $filter to filter by fleet (e.g., $filter=belongs_to__application eq <FLEET_ID>). List Balena releases

action

Whoami on Balena

Get current Balena user details

Connect Balena to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to wire Balena into VS Code Copilot. The entire setup takes under two minutes — your credentials stay safe behind Vinkius.

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 Balena

Ask Copilot: "Using Balena, help me...". 10 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the Balena MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with Balena 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

Balena + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the Balena 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

Example Prompts for Balena in VS Code Copilot

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

"List all my Balena fleets and their associated IDs."

"Add a tag 'location' with value 'warehouse-north' to device 1234567."

"What are the available balenaOS versions for a raspberrypi4-64?"

Troubleshooting Balena MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting Balena to VS Code Copilot through 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.

Balena + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating Balena 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.

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