How to Use the Substack MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: How do I set up Substack integration for my team using VS Code Copilot?

You add the server to the shared .vscode/mcp.json in your project root. This commits the configuration, ensuring every developer on the team has access automatically.

Q: Can I use Substack MCP Server to list recent posts via VS Code Copilot?

Yes. The listposts tool pulls a feed of article metadata. You can then iterate over this array in your code, building out preview components or content indexes.

Q: If I need performance data, how do I get it with VS Code Copilot?

Use getpoststats to fetch the necessary metrics. The output is structured and ready for your code—no messy copy/pasting required.

Q: What if we need a Substack leaderboard view using VS Code Copilot?

The getleaderboard tool pulls ranking information, which you can then structure into data tables or visualization components directly in your code base.

Q: What exact data type does the Substack MCP Server touch when listing subscribers?

When calling listsubscribers, the server touches subscriber records. This includes user identifiers and their current subscription status for your Substack publication.

Manage Substack content and audience using Copilot Chat in VS Code.

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Connect Substack MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect Substack 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 Substack with VS Code Copilot

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Verify Publication Metadata

Use `get_publication_info` to pull the core details about a Substack publication. This is useful for team members setting up boilerplate code or documentation that requires accurate source context. The entire engineering team shares this tool via the `.vscode/mcp.json`, keeping configuration consistent across all repos.

Analyze Audience Growth

The `list_subscribers` tool allows Copilot Chat to access and report on your subscriber data. Team members can use this to write code that processes bulk user lists or tracks growth rates. It’s a reliable, centralized way to get the latest numbers without leaving VS Code.

Get Detailed Post Information

The `get_post` tool fetches the full content of any Substack article. This lets developers write code that needs to ingest and display rich, actual text data from a specific piece. It eliminates manual steps and keeps your workflow entirely within the editor.

Setup guide

Set up Substack 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 Substack 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 Substack tools listed. Try asking: "List my recent Substack transactions" and Copilot will invoke them automatically.

.vscode/mcp.json

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

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Common questions about Substack MCP in VS Code Copilot

You add the server to the shared `.vscode/mcp.json` in your project root. This commits the configuration, ensuring every developer on the team has access automatically.

Yes. The `list_posts` tool pulls a feed of article metadata. You can then iterate over this array in your code, building out preview components or content indexes.

Use `get_post_stats` to fetch the necessary metrics. The output is structured and ready for your code—no messy copy/pasting required.

The `get_leaderboard` tool pulls ranking information, which you can then structure into data tables or visualization components directly in your code base.

When calling `list_subscribers`, the server touches subscriber records. This includes user identifiers and their current subscription status for your Substack publication.

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