How to Use the HotDocs MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: How can my whole team use the same HotDocs tools in VS Code Copilot?

Add the HotDocs MCP Server details to a .vscode/mcp.json file and commit it to your project's Git repository. Everyone who pulls the repo will automatically have the tools configured in Copilot.

Q: Can I use VS Code Copilot to generate test data for my HotDocs integration?

Better. You can use Copilot to call createworkitem and updateanswers to create real test items in your HotDocs sandbox. This makes your integration tests much more reliable.

Q: How do I find a specific HotDocs work item using VS Code Copilot?

Just tell Copilot Chat to listworkitems with a user ID or date range. It will call the tool and show you the results directly in the chat panel.

Q: What's the best way to start a new document assembly with HotDocs in VS Code?

Ask Copilot to show you the available templates using listtemplatepackages. Then, tell it to start a new job with createworkitem, using the ID of the template you chose.

Q: What happens to the document data I send to HotDocs through the VS Code Copilot integration?

Your data, like the answerxml for updateanswers, is passed through the ephemeral Vinkius MCP server directly to the HotDocs Advance API. The MCP server doesn't log or store the contents of your documents.

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Connect HotDocs MCP to VS Code Copilot

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

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Standardize Team Workflows

Commit the MCP server config to your repo's `.vscode/mcp.json` file. Now, every developer on your team has access to the same HotDocs tools inside Copilot Chat. No individual setup required. A junior dev can ask Copilot to `list_template_packages` and `create_work_item` with the same confidence as a senior. This standardizes how your team interacts with the HotDocs API, reducing one-off scripts and errors.

Build and Test Integrations

When you're building a service that connects to HotDocs, you need to test against the real thing. Copilot's agent can use `create_work_item` and `update_answers` to set up test scenarios for your CI/CD pipeline. Before finalizing, you can have the agent run `get_unanswered_variables` to validate that your integration provided all the required data. This catches bugs before they hit production, which is a huge step up from using mocked data.

Audit and Report from Your Editor

Your product manager needs a report on document volume from last quarter. Instead of logging into another system, just ask Copilot to run `list_work_items_by_date` with the correct date range. Copilot can format the output as a Markdown table or CSV, ready to be pasted into a report. You can also use `list_work_items` with a user ID to audit a specific person's activity, all from within VS Code.

Setup guide

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

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hotdocs-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 HotDocs Advance. 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 HotDocs MCP in VS Code Copilot

Add the HotDocs MCP Server details to a `.vscode/mcp.json` file and commit it to your project's Git repository. Everyone who pulls the repo will automatically have the tools configured in Copilot.

Better. You can use Copilot to call `create_work_item` and `update_answers` to create real test items in your HotDocs sandbox. This makes your integration tests much more reliable.

Just tell Copilot Chat to `list_work_items` with a user ID or date range. It will call the tool and show you the results directly in the chat panel.

Ask Copilot to show you the available templates using `list_template_packages`. Then, tell it to start a new job with `create_work_item`, using the ID of the template you chose.

Your data, like the `answer_xml` for `update_answers`, is passed through the ephemeral Vinkius MCP server directly to the HotDocs Advance API. The MCP server doesn't log or store the contents of your documents.

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