OpenStates MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 7 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
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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{
"mcpServers": {
"openstates": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* 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 OpenStates MCP Server
Equip your AI agent with the most comprehensive US state-level legislative intelligence via OpenStates. This unified server provides your agent with instant access to bills, legislators, and committee metadata across all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Your agent can instantly search for specific legislation, audit legislator profiles, and retrieve committee memberships without you ever manually checking a government site. Whether you are tracking policy trends or verifying legislative actions, your agent acts as a dedicated political analyst through natural conversation.
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings OpenStates data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 7 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
What you can do
- Bill Discovery — Search for thousands of legislative bills by keyword, jurisdiction, and session.
- Legislator Auditing — Fetch complete profiles, contact information, and current roles for state legislators.
- Committee Intelligence — List all legislative committees in a jurisdiction and retrieve their detailed membership lists.
- Jurisdiction Lookup — List and inspect all supported states and jurisdictions to understand current legislative coverage.
- Deep Metadata — Retrieve detailed actions and versions for specific bills to analyze the legislative process.
The OpenStates MCP Server exposes 7 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 OpenStates to VS Code Copilot via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the OpenStates 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 OpenStates
Ask Copilot: "Using OpenStates, help me...". 7 tools available
Why Use VS Code Copilot with the OpenStates MCP Server
GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with OpenStates 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
OpenStates + VS Code Copilot Use Cases
Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the OpenStates 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
OpenStates MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (7)
These 7 tools become available when you connect OpenStates to VS Code Copilot via MCP:
get_bill_details
Get bill details
get_committee_details
Get committee details
get_legislator_details
Get legislator details
list_committees
List committees in a jurisdiction
list_jurisdictions
List all jurisdictions
search_bills
Search for legislative bills
search_legislators
Search for legislators
Example Prompts for OpenStates in VS Code Copilot
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with OpenStates immediately.
"Search for education bills in California."
"Who are the members of the New York Senate Finance Committee?"
"Get the latest actions for bill TX HB-500."
Troubleshooting OpenStates MCP Server with VS Code Copilot
Common issues when connecting OpenStates to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
MCP tools not available
OpenStates + VS Code Copilot FAQ
Common questions about integrating OpenStates MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
.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.Connect OpenStates with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
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Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect OpenStates to VS Code Copilot
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 7 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.