Bring Direct Mail
to VS Code Copilot
Learn how to connect Lob to VS Code Copilot and start using 9 AI agent tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code.
What is the Lob MCP Server?
Connect your Lob account to any AI agent and manage direct mail through natural conversation.
What you can do
- Letter Sending — Create and send letters with PDF or HTML content
- Postcard Campaigns — Send postcards with front/back designs
- Check Printing — Create and mail checks with payment details
- Address Verification — Verify and standardize US addresses
- Template Management — Browse and manage mail templates
- Delivery Tracking — Track mail pieces through the postal system
How it works
1. Subscribe to this server
2. Enter your Lob API Key (test or live)
3. Start sending mail from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
Who is this for?
- Marketing — run direct mail campaigns with postcards and letters
- Finance — automate check printing and mailing
- Operations — verify addresses and track mail delivery
Built-in capabilities (9)
Suggest address completions
Send a physical check
Supports certified mail and custom inserts. Send a physical letter
Supports HTML or PDF for front and back. Send a physical postcard
Track a mail piece
List sent letters
List sent postcards
Verify an international address
Verify a US address
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Lob data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 9 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
- —
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
Lob in VS Code Copilot
Lob and 3,400+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect Lob 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 Lob in VS Code Copilot
The Lob 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 9 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
Lob for VS Code Copilot
Every tool call from VS Code Copilot to the Lob MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send letters and postcards through the AI agent?
Yes. Create and send letters with PDF/HTML content and postcards with custom designs. Track delivery through the postal system.
Does Lob use Basic Auth?
Yes. Lob uses HTTP Basic Auth with the API Key as username (no password) against api.lob.com/v1.
Can I verify US addresses?
Yes. Verify and standardize US addresses with CASS certification. Returns deliverability status, corrected addresses, and coordinates.
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.