What types of physical mail can I send with Lob?

Lob supports three main mail types: Letters (formal correspondence, invoices, notifications with customizable color, double-sided printing), Postcards (marketing campaigns, invitations, reminders in 4x6, 6x9, or 6x11 sizes), and Checks (vendor payments, payroll, refunds, rebates with customizable memo lines and company logos). All mail is printed and mailed within 24 hours via USPS.

How does Lob address verification work?

Lob's address verification validates and standardizes addresses using USPS data. It corrects formatting, adds missing ZIP+4 codes, fixes typos, and confirms deliverability. The service returns a deliverability status: 'deliverable' (valid and deliverable), 'undeliverable' (cannot be delivered), or 'deliverable_unnecessary' (valid but additional info not needed). This reduces returned mail by up to 5% and ensures your mailings reach the correct destination.

Can I use HTML templates for personalized mailings?

Yes! Lob supports HTML templates with merge variables using the Handlebars templating engine. Create a template with placeholders like {{name}}, {{order_number}}, {{delivery_date}}, then pass actual values when creating letters or postcards. This enables personalized, scalable direct mail campaigns. Templates are reusable and can be referenced by ID when creating mailings. You can also embed CSS styling for professional-looking mail designs.

How long does it take for mail to be delivered?

Lob prints and mails all items within 24 hours of creation. Delivery time depends on the mail type selected: USPS First Class Mail typically delivers in 2-5 business days, while USPS Standard Mail takes 3-7 business days. You receive a tracking number for each piece of mail to monitor delivery status. Lob also provides expected delivery dates in API responses for planning purposes.

Lob MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 21 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: Lob
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

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

Built by Vinkius GDPR 21 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

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

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

Download Free Open SourceNo signup required

Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lob": {
      "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 Lob MCP Server

Lob MCP Server enables AI agents to send physical mail directly from your applications. Create and mail letters, postcards, and checks programmatically through Lob's print and mail API. Verify US and international addresses, autocomplete partial addresses, and manage your address book. Build reusable HTML templates for personalized mailings. Perfect for automating vendor payments, customer communications, marketing campaigns, payroll checks, and direct mail operations. All mail is printed, processed, and delivered within 24 hours via USPS integration.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Lob data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 21 tools — Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

The Lob MCP Server exposes 21 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 Lob to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Lob 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 Lob

Ask Copilot: "Using Lob, help me..." — 21 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the Lob MCP Server

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

Lob + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the Lob 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

Lob MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (21)

These 21 tools become available when you connect Lob to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

autocomplete_us_address

Autocomplete a partial US address

cancel_letter

Only works if status is still "processing". Cancel a letter before it enters production

create_address

Requires name and address_line1. Create a new address in your Lob address book

create_bank_account

Requires description, routing_number, account_number, account_type (company/individual), and signatory. Add a bank account for sending checks

create_check

Requires recipient (to), bank account ID, and amount. Optional: memo, logo, description. Create and mail a physical check through Lob

create_letter

Requires recipient (to), sender (from), and file content. Supports HTML templates with merge variables, color options, and mail type selection. Create and mail a physical letter through Lob

create_postcard

Requires recipient (to) and front design. Optional: back design, message, merge variables. Create and mail a physical postcard through Lob

create_template

Create a reusable HTML template for mailings

delete_address

Delete an address from your Lob address book

get_address

Get details of a specific address

get_check

Get details of a specific check by ID

get_letter

Get details of a specific letter by ID

get_postcard

Get details of a specific postcard by ID

get_template

Get details of a specific template

list_addresses

Use optional limit to control result count. List addresses in your Lob address book

list_bank_accounts

Use optional limit to control result count. List bank accounts in your Lob account

list_checks

Track payments, audit disbursements. List physical checks sent through Lob

list_letters

Each letter includes status, tracking number, and expected delivery date. Use optional limit to control result count. List physical letters sent through Lob. Track mailings, check delivery status, and review letter history

list_postcards

Use optional limit to control result count. List physical postcards sent through Lob

list_templates

List HTML templates for mailings

verify_us_address

Verify and standardize a US address

Example Prompts for Lob in VS Code Copilot

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

"Send a letter to John Doe at 123 Main St, New York, NY 10001 with our welcome package HTML template"

"Verify if this address is deliverable: 185 Berry St, San Francisco, CA 94107"

"Send a $500 check to ABC Consulting for consulting services rendered in March"

Troubleshooting Lob MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting Lob 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.

Lob + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating Lob 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.