How to Use the D2L Brightspace MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: How do I share the D2L Brightspace tools with my team in VS Code Copilot?

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project's root directory and add the server configuration there. Commit this file to Git, and everyone who pulls the repo will have the tools enabled in Copilot automatically.

Equip your entire dev team to manage D2L Brightspace from within VS Code Copilot.

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Connect D2L Brightspace MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect D2L Brightspace 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.

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Setup D2L Brightspace with VS Code Copilot

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One Config for the Whole Team

This server is built for teams. Add the configuration to your project's `.vscode/mcp.json` file and commit it to your repo. Now every developer on the team gets the same set of D2L Brightspace tools inside VS Code Copilot, automatically. This makes administrative tasks consistent. A junior developer can use the `copy_course` tool to clone a course from a template retrieved with `get_course_template`, ensuring all new courses follow the same standard. No more "it works on my machine" issues for your D2L workflows.

Manage Org Structure in VS Code Copilot

Handle institutional organization directly from your editor. This MCP server gives your team tools to manage the hierarchy of your D2L instance. You can create new departments or programs with `create_org_unit` or get details on existing ones with `get_org_unit`. This is great for IT and administrative teams that live in code. You can ask Copilot to list all child units of a faculty with `list_org_unit_children` or retrieve all available system roles with `list_roles`. It puts key structural information right where you're already working.

Query Course Data for Reports

Give your team a direct line to D2L's data for building reports and dashboards. With Copilot in Agent mode, any developer can ask to `list_grades` for a course or `list_surveys` and get the live data back instantly. This speeds up development for any project that needs D2L data. Instead of waiting for a data dump, a dev can use `list_quiz_attempts` or `list_users` to immediately get the information they need to build and test their code. It removes a major bottleneck.

Setup guide

Set up D2L Brightspace 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 D2L Brightspace 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 D2L Brightspace tools listed. Try asking: "List my recent D2L Brightspace transactions" and Copilot will invoke them automatically.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "d2l-brightspace-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by D2L Brightspace. 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.

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Common questions about D2L Brightspace MCP in VS Code Copilot

Create a `.vscode/mcp.json` file in your project's root directory and add the server configuration there. Commit this file to Git, and everyone who pulls the repo will have the tools enabled in Copilot automatically.

Yes. Once the MCP server is configured for the project, any team member can use tools like `create_org_unit` and `list_org_unit_children` to manage your institution's structure, subject to their individual permissions.

The user running the command needs to have the appropriate permissions in D2L Brightspace. If their account can create users, then the `create_user` tool will work for them in Copilot.

Yes. The VS Code Copilot integration is client-side. As long as developers can add the `.vscode/mcp.json` file to the repo, the tools will be available regardless of where your Git server is hosted.

Your API token for D2L Brightspace is stored securely by the Vinkius platform. All requests touching student grades or user data are executed in isolated, single-use environments that are destroyed after the request completes. No data is logged or stored.

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