How do I get an NCREIF API Key?

NCREIF API access is typically provided to member organizations. You can find or request your API key through the NCREIF Member Portal or by contacting their data services team.

What is the difference between NPI and ODCE indices?

The NPI (NCREIF Property Index) tracks the performance of individual institutional properties, while the ODCE (Open End Diversified Core Equity) tracks the performance of diversified real estate funds.

Can I filter data by property type?

Yes! Use the `get_property_type_data` tool to retrieve performance metrics specifically for categories like Office, Industrial, Retail, or Apartment.

NCREIF MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: NCREIF
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

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

Built by Vinkius GDPR 10 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.

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Classic Setup·json

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

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* 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 NCREIF MCP Server

Connect your NCREIF account to your AI agent and gain authoritative insights into the institutional commercial real estate market through natural conversation.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings NCREIF data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 10 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Index Performance — List and retrieve historical data for NCREIF indices such as the NPI (Property Index) and ODCE (Fund Index).
Property Oversight — List indexed properties and fetch detailed historical returns and performance metrics.
Market Analysis — Access high-level real estate market data and aggregated performance by region or property type (Office, Retail, etc.).
Fund Tracking — View all tracked real estate investment funds and their performance history.
Data Series Access — Browse granular data series and categories for in-depth real estate research.
Deep Inspection — Fetch complete metadata for specific indices, properties, or funds using their unique IDs.

The NCREIF MCP Server exposes 10 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 NCREIF to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the NCREIF 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 NCREIF

Ask Copilot: "Using NCREIF, help me...". 10 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the NCREIF MCP Server

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

NCREIF + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the NCREIF 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

NCREIF MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (10)

These 10 tools become available when you connect NCREIF to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

get_fund_performance

Get specific fund performance

get_index_data

Get specific index data

get_property_returns

Get property-level returns

get_property_type_data

g., Office, Retail, Industrial). Get data by property type

get_region_data

Get performance data by region

list_data_series

List available data series

list_funds

List real estate funds

list_indices

g., NPI, ODCE). List NCREIF performance indices

list_market_data

List real estate market data

list_properties

List indexed properties

Example Prompts for NCREIF in VS Code Copilot

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

"List all commercial real estate indices available via NCREIF."

"Show me the performance data for the 'Office' property type."

"What is the recent performance history for the ODCE Fund Index?"

Troubleshooting NCREIF MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting NCREIF 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.

NCREIF + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating NCREIF 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.