Bring Data Extraction
to VS Code Copilot
Learn how to connect Apify to VS Code Copilot and start using 7 AI agent tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code.
What is the Apify MCP Server?
Connect your Apify account to any AI agent and simplify how you manage your web scraping, automation actors, and data storage through natural conversation.
What you can do
- Actor Control — List and trigger serverless actors for web scraping and automation directly from your agent.
- Dataset Retrieval — Fetch the resulting data records (items) from your datasets to analyze or process values via AI.
- Run Monitoring — Track the history and status of recent actor executions to ensure reliability.
- Task Management — List and query configured actor tasks to reuse saved scraper settings.
- Data Insights — Retrieve detailed metadata and logs for specific runs to debug complex automations.
- Storage Visibility — List all datasets in your account to manage your collected web data.
How it works
1. Subscribe to this server
2. Enter your Apify API Token (found in your account settings under Integrations)
3. Start running your scrapers from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client
Who is this for?
- Data Scientists & Researchers — quickly retrieve scraped data from datasets and analyze trends via simple AI commands.
- Automation Engineers — trigger actor runs and monitor execution health directly from the workspace.
- Product Managers — get instant bird's-eye views of automated data collection tasks and results.
Built-in capabilities (7)
Get items from a dataset
Get details for a specific run
List recent actor executions
List configured actor tasks
List Apify actors
List Apify datasets
Trigger an actor run
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Apify 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.
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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
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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
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GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
Apify in VS Code Copilot
Apify and 3,400+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect Apify to VS Code Copilot through Vinkius don't need to source, host, or maintain individual MCP servers. Every tool call runs inside a hardened runtime with credential isolation, DLP, and a signed audit chain.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Server catalog | Find and host yourself | 3,400+ managed |
| Infrastructure | Self-hosted | Sandboxed V8 isolates |
| Credential handling | Plaintext in config | Vault + runtime injection |
| Data loss prevention | None | Configurable DLP policies |
| Kill switch | None | Global instant shutdown |
| Financial circuit breakers | None | Per-server limits + alerts |
| Audit trail | None | Ed25519 signed logs |
| SIEM log streaming | None | Splunk, Datadog, Webhook |
| Honeytokens | None | Canary alerts on leak |
| Custom domains | Not applicable | DNS challenge verified |
| GDPR compliance | Manual effort | Automated purge + export |
Why teams choose Vinkius for Apify in VS Code Copilot
The Apify 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. All 7 tools execute in hardened sandboxes optimized for native MCP execution.
Your AI agents in VS Code Copilot only access the data you authorize, with DLP that blocks sensitive information from ever reaching the model, kill switch for instant shutdown, and up to 60% token savings. Enterprise-grade infrastructure, zero maintenance.
* 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
How Vinkius secures
Apify for VS Code Copilot
Every tool call from VS Code Copilot to the Apify MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I provide input parameters when running an actor?
Yes! Use the run_actor tool and provide the optional input JSON object to configure specific scraper settings for that run.
How do I see the items collected in a dataset?
Run the get_dataset_results query with your Dataset ID. The agent will retrieve the data records, which you can then ask the AI to summarize or analyze.
Is it possible to check the status of a specific actor run?
Absolutely. Use the get_run_details tool and provide the Run ID. Your agent will retrieve the status (RUNNING, SUCCEEDED, FAILED) and metadata for that specific execution.
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.
MCP tools not available
Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.