Bring Government Contracts
to VS Code Copilot
Learn how to connect HigherGov to VS Code Copilot and start using 12 AI agent tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code.
What is the HigherGov MCP Server?
Connect your HigherGov account to any AI agent and take full control of your government market research and procurement tracking through natural conversation.
What you can do
- Opportunity Discovery — Search for federal, state, and local government contract opportunities using precise keywords and filters
- Award Analysis — Analyze past contract and grant awards to understand market trends, competitor performance, and agency spending
- Entity Research — Research detailed profiles of awardees, government agencies, and key decision-makers programmatically
- Document Extraction — Access and retrieve opportunity documents, attachments, and solicitations directly through your agent
- Market Monitoring — Track upcoming solicitations and follow specific agencies or industries for real-time intelligence
How it works
1. Subscribe to this server
2. Retrieve your API Key from the HigherGov dashboard (Settings > API)
3. Start uncovering government opportunities from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client
No more manual searching through fragmented government portals. Your AI acts as your dedicated B2G market analyst.
Who is this for?
- Government Contractors — instantly identify relevant RFPs and solicitations matching your core capabilities
- Market Analysts — perform deep-dive competitor research and agency spending analysis through automated queries
- Business Development Leads — track procurement pipelines and find key agency contacts without leaving your workspace
Built-in capabilities (12)
Get agency details
Get awardee details
Get contract award details
Get opportunity documents
Get grant award details
Get opportunity details
List government agencies
List awardees (companies/orgs)
List government contract awards
List government grant awards
List government contract opportunities
Search using a HigherGov Search ID
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings HigherGov 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.
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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
HigherGov in VS Code Copilot
HigherGov and 3,400+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect HigherGov 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 HigherGov in VS Code Copilot
The HigherGov 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 12 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
HigherGov for VS Code Copilot
Every tool call from VS Code Copilot to the HigherGov MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search for contract opportunities by industry code (NAICS)?
Yes! You can use industry codes like NAICS as parameters in the list_opportunities and list_contracts tools to precisely target your market sector.
How do I retrieve solicitation documents for an opportunity?
First, use the get_opportunity tool to find document paths. Then, use the get_documents tool with the opportunity ID to retrieve secure, temporary download links.
Does the integration allow monitoring competitor awards?
Absolutely. You can search past awards by company name or unique identifier using the list_contracts tool to understand your competitors' government footprint.
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.