Bring Video Rendering
to VS Code Copilot
Learn how to connect Shotstack to VS Code Copilot and start using 10 AI agent tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code.
What is the Shotstack MCP Server?
Connect your Shotstack account to any AI agent and take full control of your high-volume video editing and media orchestration through natural conversation. Shotstack provides a powerful API-first platform for rendering videos, managing cloud templates, and ingesting assets directly from your chat interface.
What you can do
- Video Rendering Orchestration — Trigger professional video renders from JSON-based templates or custom edits programmatically.
- Template Lifecycle Management — Create and monitor cloud-based video templates to ensure consistent automated outputs directly from the AI interface.
- Asset & Ingest Control — Ingest source media and manage your hosted assets to maintain a clear overview of your production resources.
- Render Intelligence — Retrieve real-time render statuses and detailed metadata to track the progress of your video pipeline via natural language.
- Operational Monitoring — List available renders, templates, and source assets using simple AI commands to ensure your production is optimized.
How it works
1. Subscribe to this server
2. Enter your Shotstack API Key from your dashboard (Stage or Production)
3. Start generating cloud videos from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
No more manual status checking or template hunting. Your AI acts as a dedicated video producer or media coordinator.
Who is this for?
- Video Developers — quickly test render configurations and monitor template performance without writing complex scripts.
- Content Marketers — automate the generation of personalized video content and monitor render progress via natural conversation.
- Operations Teams — streamline the management of cloud assets and monitor production usage directly within the chat.
Built-in capabilities (10)
Save an edit as a reusable template
Get details for a hosted file
Check the status of a render job
Upload or fetch a source asset
) associated with a specific job ID. Find all files created by a specific render
List all hosted media files
List all ingested media sources
List recent render history
List available video templates
Returns a render ID. Start a new video render job
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Shotstack 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.
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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
Shotstack in VS Code Copilot
Shotstack and 3,400+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect Shotstack 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 Shotstack in VS Code Copilot
The Shotstack 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 10 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
Shotstack for VS Code Copilot
Every tool call from VS Code Copilot to the Shotstack MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
Can my AI automatically check the progress of a video render just by providing its ID?
Yes! Use the get_render_status tool with the Render ID. Your agent will respond with the current status (e.g., 'rendering', 'done') and the final video URL if completed.
How do I list all my available cloud video templates?
Simply ask the agent to run the list_templates action. It will retrieve the full catalog of video templates configured in your Shotstack account.
How do I find my Shotstack API Key?
Log in to your Shotstack dashboard and navigate to the API Keys section. You will find both Stage and Production keys there.
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.