How to Use the DonorsChoose MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: How do I share the DonorsChoose MCP server configuration in VS Code Copilot?

Add the server details to a .vscode/mcp.json file in your repository root. This allows your entire team to access the same DonorsChoose tools upon opening the project.

Deploy the DonorsChoose MCP Server in VS Code Copilot to manage classroom data across your entire engineering team.

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Connect DonorsChoose MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect DonorsChoose 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 DonorsChoose with VS Code Copilot

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Team-wide DonorsChoose tool access

Commit your `mcp.json` to the repository so every team member uses the same `list_latest_classroom_proposals` and `search_classroom_projects` tools. It ensures consistency across your dev environment. When the team needs to investigate a project, everyone executes the same `get_classroom_project_details` call. No more fragmented data or missing context during peer reviews.

Urgency-based filtering for teams

Standardize how your team identifies critical needs by using `list_urgent_funding_needs`. You can write agents that automatically flag projects nearing their deadline for the whole team to see. This approach keeps your development focused on high-impact areas. By using `list_high_poverty_needs` as a shared baseline, your team builds features that prioritize the most vulnerable classrooms.

Subject-based project monitoring

Organize your data retrieval by subject using `list_projects_by_subject`. Your team can create specialized agent workflows for different educational focuses without writing custom scrapers. It keeps your infrastructure lightweight. The agent calls the tools directly, providing the team with structured data that integrates into your existing CI/CD or monitoring pipelines.

Setup guide

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

.vscode/mcp.json

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

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Common questions about DonorsChoose MCP in VS Code Copilot

Add the server details to a `.vscode/mcp.json` file in your repository root. This allows your entire team to access the same DonorsChoose tools upon opening the project.

The infrastructure hosting the server is secure, and the integration follows standard MCP security practices. It ensures that your classroom project data fetching remains isolated and controlled.

Yes. By utilizing the available tools, your team can build agents that run scheduled audits using `quick_regional_funding_audit` and report the findings directly into your team chat.

The data is transient. Once the agent process concludes, the specific classroom project information retrieved from the server is cleared from the active memory.

The server only processes the requests you send to the DonorsChoose API. It maintains strict privacy by not storing your team's queries or the specific classroom project results you view.

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