Can I search for candidates by their name or status?

Yes! Use the `search_candidates` tool with a filter like `first_name:"John"`. The agent will return matching profiles from your CATS database.

How do I see the latest notes added to a candidate?

Use the `list_recruitment_activities` tool. Your agent will fetch the recent activity feed, which includes notes, status changes, and emails for all candidates.

Where do I find my CATS v3 API Key?

Log in to your CATS account, go to 'Administration' and look for the 'API' section. You can generate and copy your v3 key from there.

CATS ATS MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 8 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: CATS ATS
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

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

Built by Vinkius GDPR 8 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 CATS ATS and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

Download Free Open SourceNo signup required

Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cats-ats": {
      "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 CATS ATS MCP Server

Connect your CATS Applicant Tracking System (ATS) account to any AI agent and take full control of your recruitment pipeline through natural conversation. Streamline candidate sourcing and job management.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings CATS ATS 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

Candidate Discovery — Search and list candidate profiles with detailed contact information and status natively
Job Oversight — List and retrieve details for all active job orders and open positions flawlessly
Activity Tracking — Monitor recent recruitment activities, notes, and interactions securely
Organizational Mapping — List client companies and associated contacts within your ATS flawlessly
HAL-native Integration — Access deep object relationships through the CATS v3 HAL API structure in real-time
Pipeline Analysis — Audit candidate progress across different recruitment stages directly within your workspace

The CATS ATS 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 CATS ATS to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the CATS ATS 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 CATS ATS

Ask Copilot: "Using CATS ATS, help me...". 8 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the CATS ATS MCP Server

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

CATS ATS + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the CATS ATS 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

CATS ATS MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (8)

These 8 tools become available when you connect CATS ATS to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

get_candidate_details

Get detailed information for a specific candidate

get_job_details

Get detailed information for a specific job order

list_candidates

List recruitment candidates

list_job_orders

List job orders and open positions

list_recruitment_activities

List recent recruitment activities and notes

list_recruitment_companies

List client companies in the ATS

list_recruitment_contacts

List contacts associated with companies

search_candidates

Search for candidates using filters

Example Prompts for CATS ATS in VS Code Copilot

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

"Search for candidates named 'Sarah' in my CATS ATS."

"What are the active job orders right now?"

"Show me the last 10 recruitment activities."

Troubleshooting CATS ATS MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting CATS ATS 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.

CATS ATS + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating CATS ATS 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.