Bring International Trade
to VS Code Copilot
Create your Vinkius account to connect UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity to VS Code Copilot and start using all 3 AI tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code. No hosting, no server setup — just connect and start using.
GDPR Free for SubscribersCompatible with every major AI agent and IDE
Gemini
What is the UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity MCP Server?
UK trade and business data.
What you can do
- Trade — Imports/exports by country and commodity
- Business Counts — Enterprises by industry and region
- Traffic Activity — Experimental real-time indicator
Built-in capabilities (3)
Dataset: uk-business-by-enterprises-and-local-units. Source: Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR). Get UK business counts by enterprises and local units, by industry and geography
Dataset: trade. Monthly data on UK trade in goods: imports, exports, trade balance by partner country and commodity. Non-seasonally adjusted. Values in £ million. Get UK trade in goods data — country by commodity, imports and exports
Dataset: traffic-camera-activity. Used as a real-time indicator to understand economic activity and social change. Get UK traffic camera activity — experimental economic indicator
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 3 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
UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity in VS Code Copilot
Why run UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity with Vinkius?
The UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity connection runs on our fully managed, secure cloud infrastructure. We handle the hosting, maintenance, and security so you don't have to deal with servers or code. All 3 tools are ready to work instantly without any complex setup.
You stay in complete control of your data. Your AI only accesses the information you approve, keeping your sensitive passwords and private details completely safe. Plus, with automatic optimizations, your AI works faster and more efficiently.
* Every connection is hosted and maintained by Vinkius. We handle the security, updates, and infrastructure so you don't have to write code or manage servers. See our infrastructure
Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents
Explore a vast library of pre-built integrations, optimized and ready to deploy.
Connect securely in under 30 seconds
Generate tokens to authenticate and link external services in a single step.
Complete visibility into every agent action
Audit live requests, latency, success rates, and active security compliance policies.
Optimize spending and track token ROI
Analyze real-time token consumption and cost metrics detailed by connection.
Explore our live AI Agents Analytics dashboard to see it all working
This dashboard is included when you connect UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity using Vinkius. You will never be left in the dark about what your AI agents are doing with your tools.
UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity and 4,000+ other AI tools. No hosting, no code, ready to use.
Professionals who connect UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity to VS Code Copilot through Vinkius don't need to write code, manage servers, or worry about security. Everything is pre-configured, secure, and runs automatically in the background.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-use MCPs | Find and configure each manually | 4,000+ MCPs ready to use |
| Connection Setup | Manual coding & server setup | 1-click instant connection |
| Server Hosting | You host it yourself (needs 24/7 uptime) | 100% hosted & managed by Vinkius |
| Security & Privacy | Stored in plaintext config files | Bank-grade encrypted vault |
| Activity Visibility | Blind execution (no logs or tracking) | Live dashboard with real-time logs |
| Cost Control | Runaway AI token spend risk | Automatic budget limits |
| Revoking Access | Must delete files or code to stop | 1-click disconnect button |
How Vinkius secures
UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity for VS Code Copilot
Every request between VS Code Copilot and UK ONS Trade — International Trade & Business Activity is protected by our secure gateway. We automatically keep your sensitive data private, prevent unauthorized access, and let you disconnect instantly at any time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IDBR?
The Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) is a comprehensive list of UK businesses used for all government statistical surveys. It covers 2.7 million+ live enterprises across all sectors.
Does this cover both goods and services?
Currently, the primary datasets focus extensively on the trade in goods by commodity and country. Trade in services data is also available but categorized separately in larger macroeconomic releases.
What kind of traffic activity data is available?
The ONS provides experimental real-time indicators compiled from traffic camera activity, which measure vehicle counts and traffic movement as a proxy for economic and supply chain activity.
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.
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