How do I find my IQAir API Key?

Log in to your [**IQAir dashboard**](https://www.iqair.com/dashboard/api), create a new key in the API section, and copy it. Copy and paste it below.

Does the agent use the server's IP for nearest city?

Yes. The `get_nearest_city_air_quality` tool automatically uses the requester's IP address to identify and audit the nearest monitored location.

Are weather details included with air quality?

Yes. Every city data retrieval includes current weather metadata such as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure alongside the AQI.

IQAir MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 6 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: IQAir
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

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

Built by Vinkius GDPR 6 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

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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 IQAir and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

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Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iqair": {
      "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 IQAir MCP Server

Empower your AI agent to orchestrate your entire environmental research and air quality auditing workflow with IQAir, the world's most popular platform for air quality data. By connecting the AirVisual API to your agent, you transform complex pollution searches into a natural conversation. Your agent can instantly retrieve real-time air quality indices (AQI), audit weather conditions, and identify the most polluted areas without you ever touching a technical portal. Whether you are conducting climate research or monitoring local health constraints, your agent acts as a real-time environmental assistant, ensuring your data is always precise and localized.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings IQAir data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 6 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Pollution Auditing — Retrieve real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) data for the nearest city or specific global locations instantly.
Weather Oversight — Audit current weather conditions, including temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, to maintain a clear view of environmental scale.
Geographic Discovery — List all supported countries, states, and cities in the IQAir catalog to understand the geographic reach of air quality monitoring.
Local Intelligence — Query specific city data to understand local pollution markers and main pollutants (e.g., p2, p1).
Operational Monitoring — Check API status to ensure your environmental research workflow is always operational.

The IQAir MCP Server exposes 6 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 IQAir to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the IQAir 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 IQAir

Ask Copilot: "Using IQAir, help me...". 6 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the IQAir MCP Server

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

IQAir + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the IQAir 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

IQAir MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (6)

These 6 tools become available when you connect IQAir to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

check_api_status

Check if the IQAir API is operational

get_city_air_quality

Get real-time air quality and weather for a specific city

get_nearest_city_air_quality

Get real-time air quality and weather for the city nearest to the requester IP

list_supported_cities

List all cities supported for a specific state and country

list_supported_countries

List all countries supported by IQAir

list_supported_states

List all states supported for a specific country

Example Prompts for IQAir in VS Code Copilot

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

"What is the air quality in 'Los Angeles, California, USA' using IQAir?"

"Check air quality for my nearest city."

"List all cities supported in the state of 'Sao Paulo', Brazil."

Troubleshooting IQAir MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting IQAir 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.

IQAir + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating IQAir 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.