Planet Labs MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 12 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.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Planet Labs and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"planet-labs": {
"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 Planet Labs MCP Server
Connect your Planet Labs API to any AI agent and take full control of daily satellite imagery search, discovery, automated delivery, and imagery analysis through natural conversation.
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Planet Labs data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 12 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
What you can do
- Quick Search — Search for satellite imagery with geometry, date range, cloud cover, and sun elevation filters
- Saved Searches — Create and manage saved searches for recurring imagery monitoring workflows
- Search Results — Execute saved searches with pagination and sorting to retrieve imagery results
- Search Statistics — Get histograms of imagery availability by time interval for planning analysis
- Item Details — View detailed metadata for specific imagery items including acquisition conditions
- Asset Discovery — List all available asset types (visual, analytic, UDM2) for each imagery item
- Item Types — Browse all available satellite imagery types (PSScene, SkySat, RapidEye, Landsat, Sentinel-2)
- Asset Types — Understand available data products (true-color, surface reflectance, uncertainty masks)
- Cloud Coverage — Estimate clear area percentage before downloading imagery for quality assessment
- Subscriptions — List and create automated subscriptions for continuous cloud delivery of imagery
- Multi-Satellite Access — Search across PlanetScope (3-5m), SkySat (sub-meter), RapidEye (5m), Landsat (30m), and Sentinel-2 (10m)
- Global Daily Coverage — Access daily imagery of Earth landmass with 200+ PlanetScope satellites
The Planet Labs MCP Server exposes 12 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 Planet Labs to VS Code Copilot via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the Planet Labs 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 Planet Labs
Ask Copilot: "Using Planet Labs, help me...". 12 tools available
Why Use VS Code Copilot with the Planet Labs MCP Server
GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with Planet Labs 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
Planet Labs + VS Code Copilot Use Cases
Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the Planet Labs 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
Planet Labs MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (12)
These 12 tools become available when you connect Planet Labs to VS Code Copilot via MCP:
create_saved_search
Accepts the same filter parameters as quick_search including geometry, date range, cloud cover, and item types. Returns a search ID that can be used with get_search_results to execute the search on demand. Essential for automated monitoring, change detection workflows, and recurring imagery retrieval. AI agents should use this when users ask "set up a search for new imagery over my field every week", "create a saved search for cloud-free images", or need to establish recurring imagery monitoring for a specific area. Create a saved search for continuous imagery monitoring
create_subscription
Accepts geometry, date range, cloud cover filters, item types, and delivery destination (cloud storage or webhook). Returns the created subscription with ID and status. Essential for setting up automated monitoring, establishing continuous data feeds for change detection, and ensuring regular imagery delivery for operational workflows. AI agents should use this when users ask "set up daily imagery delivery for my farm", "create a subscription for cloud-free images over this area", or need to establish automated imagery delivery for monitoring applications. Create a new subscription for continuous automated imagery delivery
get_cloud_coverage
Returns clear percentage, cloud percentage, and status information. Essential for quality assessment before downloading imagery, filtering cloudy images from analysis workflows, and ensuring usable imagery for visual interpretation. AI agents should use this when users ask "how cloudy is this image", "what percentage of this scene is clear", or need to assess imagery quality before committing to download. Estimate cloud coverage and clear area percentage for a specific imagery item
get_item_assets
Each asset includes download URLs, file sizes, and permissions. Essential for selecting the appropriate data product for analysis, downloading imagery for GIS processing, and understanding available data products. AI agents should use this when users ask "what assets are available for this image", "get download URLs for analytic imagery", or need to select specific asset types (visual for display, analytic for analysis) for download. List all available asset types (visual, analytic, UDM) for a specific imagery item
get_item_details
Essential for evaluating image quality before download, understanding acquisition conditions, and preparing orders for specific imagery. AI agents should reference this when users ask "show me details for this image", "what is the cloud cover and acquisition time for item X", or need to evaluate imagery quality before downloading. Get detailed metadata for a specific satellite imagery item
get_search_results
Supports pagination (page, page_size) and sorting (acquired asc/desc, published asc/desc). Returns imagery items with acquisition dates, cloud cover, geometry, and available asset types. Essential for retrieving results from pre-configured monitoring searches and executing recurring imagery queries. AI agents should use this when users ask "run my Weekly Farm Monitoring search", "get results from saved search X", or need to execute a saved search and retrieve the latest imagery results. Execute a saved search and retrieve imagery results
get_search_statistics
Essential for understanding imagery availability patterns, planning data collection schedules, and assessing temporal coverage for change detection analysis. AI agents should use this when users ask "how many images are available per month for my area", "show me imagery availability statistics", or need to understand temporal patterns of satellite coverage before setting up monitoring. Get statistical histograms of available imagery for an area and time period
list_asset_types
Returns asset type IDs, display names, and descriptions. Essential for selecting the appropriate data product for specific use cases (visual for visualization, analytic for NDVI calculation, UDM for quality filtering). AI agents should reference this when users ask "what asset types can I download", "difference between analytic and visual assets", or need to understand available data products for analysis. List all available asset types (visual, analytic, UDM, etc.) and their properties
list_item_types
Returns item type IDs, display names, and supported asset types for each. Essential for understanding available imagery sources, selecting appropriate resolution and coverage for analysis, and planning data acquisition strategies. AI agents should use this when users ask "what satellite imagery types are available", "compare PSScene vs SkySat resolution", or need to understand the full catalog of Planet imagery options. List all available satellite imagery item types and their supported assets
list_saved_searches
Returns search names, IDs, filter criteria, item types, and creation dates. Essential for managing monitoring workflows, reviewing existing search configurations, and selecting searches for execution. AI agents should reference this when users ask "show me all my saved searches", "list my monitoring configurations", or need to review existing saved searches before executing them. List all saved searches in your Planet account
list_subscriptions
Returns subscription names, IDs, filter criteria, delivery destinations, and status. Essential for monitoring automated imagery delivery, reviewing subscription configurations, and managing continuous data feeds. AI agents should reference this when users ask "show me all my subscriptions", "list automated imagery deliveries", or need to review existing subscription configurations. List all active imagery subscriptions for continuous cloud delivery
quick_search
Supports item types including PSScene (PlanetScope, 3-5m resolution, daily global coverage), SkySat (sub-meter resolution, high-detail), RapidEye (5m resolution, historical archive), Landsat 8/9 (30m resolution, USGS), and Sentinel-2 (10m resolution, ESA). Returns imagery items with acquisition dates, cloud cover percentages, sun elevation, instrument mode, geometry, and available asset types. Essential for satellite imagery discovery, change detection analysis, disaster monitoring, and agricultural assessment. AI agents should use this when users ask "find cloud-free imagery over this area from last month", "search for PSScene images of my farm", or need to discover available satellite imagery for a specific location and time period. Geometry must be provided as GeoJSON (Point, Polygon, or MultiPolygon). Date filtering uses the acquired property in ISO 8601 format. Cloud cover and sun elevation are filtered using the filter object with range operators. Search for satellite imagery from Planet Labs with geometry, date, and cloud cover filters
Example Prompts for Planet Labs in VS Code Copilot
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with Planet Labs immediately.
"Find cloud-free PSScene imagery over my farm boundary from the last 30 days."
"Show me what satellite imagery types are available and their resolutions."
"Create a daily subscription for cloud-free imagery over my monitoring area."
Troubleshooting Planet Labs MCP Server with VS Code Copilot
Common issues when connecting Planet Labs to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
MCP tools not available
Planet Labs + VS Code Copilot FAQ
Common questions about integrating Planet Labs 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 Planet Labs with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
AI-first code editor with integrated LLM-powered coding assistance.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect Planet Labs to VS Code Copilot
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 12 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.