How to Use the HHS Open Payments MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: Can I use HHS Open Payments to track physician trends in VS Code?

Yes. You can use the querydataset tool to filter for specific payment trends over time. Your agent can then graph or summarize these trends for your team.

Deploy HHS Open Payments tools across your entire engineering team in VS Code. Standardize your healthcare data audits.

See Vinkius in Action

Works with every AI agent you already use

…and any MCP-compatible client

MCP Servers - Free for Subscribers

Connect HHS Open Payments MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect HHS Open Payments 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 HHS Open Payments with VS Code Copilot

Ask AI about this MCP

ChatGPT

Claude

Perplexity

Standardize data access in VS Code

Commit your MCP configuration to the repo so every dev uses the same tools. Use `query_dataset` to ensure your team is auditing against the same source of truth. This prevents the fragmentation that happens when everyone uses different scripts. You manage the tools once, and the whole team gets consistent access to the data.

Automate audit tasks in VS Code Copilot

Set up your agent to run `search_hospitals` whenever you need to check a new entity. It is a simple way to bring government financial data into your team's workflow. Your agent can interpret the output and flag potential issues before you even commit your code. It turns a manual research chore into an automated part of your CI process.

Verify payment records at scale

Use `search_physicians` to pull data for your compliance checks. By running this through VS Code Copilot, you can build a library of trusted verification tests for your app. This gives your team the ability to audit thousands of transactions without writing custom scrapers. The tools handle the API communication, leaving you to focus on the results.

Setup guide

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

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hhs-open-payments-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 HHS Open Payments. 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 HHS Open Payments 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 HHS Open Payments MCP in VS Code Copilot

Define the server in your .vscode/mcp.json file and commit it to your repository. Every developer will then have access to the same HHS Open Payments tools.

The data is fetched directly from the public government API. It is encrypted in transit and never stored on our servers, ensuring your team's audit process stays clean.

Yes. You can use the `query_dataset` tool to filter for specific payment trends over time. Your agent can then graph or summarize these trends for your team.

The data reflects the latest updates provided by the government portal. Since it connects directly to the API, you are always working with the current public version.

It accesses public records containing physician, hospital, and payment information. This is strictly non-sensitive, government-issued financial data, not private health records.

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