How to Use the PurpleAir MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: How do I setup PurpleAir for my team in VS Code Copilot?

Commit an mcp.json file to your project root. This ensures every team member has the server configured once they pull the latest code.

Deploy PurpleAir sensor monitoring across your engineering team in VS Code Copilot.

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Connect PurpleAir MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect PurpleAir to VS Code Copilot — we handle the hosting, security, and runtime updates so you don't have to. No server setup required.

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Setup PurpleAir with VS Code Copilot

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Standardize air quality tools in VS Code Copilot

Commit your `mcp.json` to the repository to ensure every dev on your team has access to the same `get_pm25_sensors` tool. This keeps everyone aligned on the same data sources. It eliminates configuration drift across the team. You manage the tool access from one central file in your codebase.

Analyze historical logs in VS Code Copilot

Retrieve CSV-formatted data using `get_sensor_history_csv` to perform bulk analysis on pollution trends. The agent helps you write scripts to process these files immediately. This is ideal for teams working on compliance reporting or environmental research. You get the raw data you need without leaving the editor.

Geospatial queries in VS Code Copilot

Use `get_sensors_by_bounding_box` to pull sensor arrays for specific urban zones. The agent can ingest this data to help you build maps or monitoring dashboards. It allows for quick iteration when you need to verify sensor coverage in a new area. You define the box, and the tools return the relevant hardware list.

Setup guide

Set up PurpleAir MCP in VS Code Copilot

Prerequisites

VS Code 1.99 or later with GitHub Copilot extension
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open MCP configuration

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run "MCP: Add Server". Select HTTP (Streamable) as the server type. VS Code will create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.
2

Add the PurpleAir MCP

Paste the JSON snippet shown on the right into your .vscode/mcp.json. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Switch to Agent mode

Open Copilot Chat (Cmd+Shift+I / Ctrl+Shift+I) and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode — they do not appear in Edit or Ask modes.
4

Verify the connection

In the Copilot Chat input, type # to list available tools. You should see the PurpleAir tools listed. Try asking: "List my recent PurpleAir transactions" and Copilot will invoke them automatically.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "purpleair-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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