How do I find air quality near my address?

Use the `get_sensors_near_me` tool with your latitude and longitude. Alternatively, search for sensors by bounding box using `get_sensors_by_bounding_box` with corner coordinates. The API will return nearby sensors with current PM2.5, temperature, and humidity readings.

Can I get historical air quality data?

Yes. Use `get_sensor_history` with a sensor index and time range (Unix timestamps). You can specify which fields to retrieve (PM2.5, temperature, humidity) and set an averaging interval (e.g. 3600 for hourly averages). For spreadsheet analysis, use `get_sensor_history_csv` to get data in CSV format.

What does PM2.5 mean and why is it important?

PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers — about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles can penetrate deep into lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³ annual average. PurpleAir sensors measure PM2.5 in real-time, making them essential for health advisories and pollution monitoring.

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

Name: PurpleAir
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": {
    "purpleair": {
      "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 PurpleAir MCP Server

Access the world's largest hyperlocal air quality dataset through PurpleAir — a global network of over 50,000 low-cost air quality sensors measuring PM2.5, PM10.0, temperature, humidity, pressure, and more. Connect PurpleAir to your AI agent to monitor real-time air quality, track wildfire smoke, analyze pollution trends, and access historical data for any location — all through natural conversation.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings PurpleAir 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

Real-Time Air Quality — Get current PM2.5 readings from sensors near any address or coordinate.
Historical Analysis — Retrieve time-series data for trend analysis, pollution events, and compliance reporting.
Geographic Mapping — Find all sensors within a bounding box for city-wide or regional air quality mapping.
Wildfire Smoke Tracking — Monitor PM2.5 spikes during wildfire events across affected areas.
Indoor Air Quality — Access indoor sensor data for workplace health and HVAC optimization.
CSV Export — Download historical data in CSV format for spreadsheet analysis.
Location-Based Queries — Find the closest sensor to any GPS coordinate.
Sensor Filtering — Filter sensors by type (indoor/outdoor), fields, and update recency.

The PurpleAir 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 PurpleAir to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the PurpleAir 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 PurpleAir

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

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the PurpleAir MCP Server

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

PurpleAir + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the PurpleAir 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

PurpleAir MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (10)

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

get_indoor_sensors

These sensors measure air quality inside buildings, homes, and enclosed spaces. Useful for indoor air quality assessments, HVAC monitoring, and workspace health studies. Get all indoor PurpleAir sensors

get_outdoor_sensors

These are sensors measuring ambient outdoor air quality. Returns current PM2.5, temperature, humidity and other measurements for each sensor. Useful for regional air quality monitoring, wildfire smoke tracking, and urban pollution studies. Get all outdoor (outside) PurpleAir sensors

get_pm25_sensors

5 (fine particulate matter) measurements. PM2.5 is the most important air quality indicator — particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers that can penetrate deep into lungs and bloodstream. Returns current PM2.5 concentrations along with location data. Essential for health advisories, wildfire smoke tracking, and urban pollution monitoring. Get sensors with PM2.5 measurements

get_sensor_data

Returns PM2.5, PM1.0, PM10.0 particle concentrations, temperature, humidity, pressure, VOC levels, and other measurements depending on the sensor model. Use the fields parameter to specify which measurements to return. Essential for monitoring air quality at a specific location. Get real-time data from a specific PurpleAir sensor

get_sensor_history

Returns time-series data for the requested fields (PM2.5, temperature, humidity, etc.) at regular intervals. Use start_timestamp and end_timestamp (Unix timestamps) to define the time range. The average parameter controls data aggregation (e.g. 60 for 1-minute averages, 3600 for hourly). Essential for analyzing air quality trends, identifying pollution events, and compliance reporting. Get historical air quality data from a PurpleAir sensor

get_sensor_history_csv

Same functionality as get_sensor_history but returns data as CSV instead of JSON. Use for offline analysis, charting, or compliance reporting. Requires start_timestamp and end_timestamp parameters. Get historical sensor data in CSV format for analysis

get_sensors_by_bounding_box

Provide the northwest (nwlat, nwlng) and southeast (selat, selng) corner coordinates. Perfect for mapping air quality across a city, neighborhood, or region. Returns all sensors in the area with current readings. Use with fields parameter to customize returned data. Get all sensors within a geographic bounding box

get_sensors_by_index

Provide comma-separated sensor indices in the show_only parameter. Useful when you already know the sensor indices from a previous query and want to get fresh readings without fetching all sensors. Get data for specific sensor(s) by their indices

get_sensors_near_me

Internally uses a bounding box around the point to find nearby sensors. Useful for identifying the closest PurpleAir monitor to any address or coordinate. Returns sensors sorted by proximity with current air quality readings. Find PurpleAir sensors near a specific location

list_sensors

Use the location_type parameter to filter by sensor type (outside=0, inside=1). Use the fields parameter to specify which data fields to return (e.g. name,latitude,longitude,pm2.5_atm,temperature,humidity). By default returns basic sensor info. Use show_only to filter by specific sensor indices (comma-separated). Use modified_since (Unix timestamp) to get only sensors updated after a specific time. Results include sensor metadata and real-time air quality measurements. List PurpleAir air quality sensors with optional filters

Example Prompts for PurpleAir in VS Code Copilot

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

"What's the air quality near San Francisco right now?"

"Show me the PM2.5 trend for sensor 12345 over the last 24 hours."

"Find all outdoor sensors in Los Angeles and show me their PM2.5 readings."

Troubleshooting PurpleAir MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting PurpleAir 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.

PurpleAir + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating PurpleAir 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.