How to Use the YC Startup Prover MCP in VS Code Copilot

Force VS Code Copilot to evaluate your team's product spec against strict Y Combinator principles. Stop building features nobody wants.

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Connect YC Startup Prover MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect YC Startup Prover 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 YC Startup Prover with VS Code Copilot

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Audit specs with this MCP Server

Teams waste thousands of hours building the wrong thing. The `validate_yc_startup` tool makes your AI client tear down your product requirements document using Paul Graham's five axes. It demands proof of a painful problem and a defined audience. If your team is building a complex technical solution without a single user conversation, the audit halts the process. The system requires you to name specific people who have the problem and describe their current, inadequate solution. It acts as an automated reality check for engineering teams who get too insulated from the actual market. You get a stark assessment of your product strategy before the first sprint begins.

Kill vanity metrics

Celebrating activity instead of measuring value kills companies. Your agent will review your success criteria and reject signups, page views, or downloads as proof of traction. It forces the team to track weekly retention curves, monthly recurring revenue, and default alive status. The evaluation also targets feature bloat. It asks what the core product does ten times better than existing alternatives. If your spec reads like a food truck menu with forty-seven items, the system tells you to cut scope and focus on the one feature that actually drives revenue.

Force manual user discovery

Engineering teams default to building automated onboarding flows immediately. The audit challenges this by asking how you will manually onboard and support the first cohort of users. You have to prove you are doing things that do not scale to learn what the market actually needs. It demands proof of weekly user conversations. Not surveys, but actual talks. If your team cannot list what surprised them or what they changed based on user feedback this week, the evaluation fails. You cannot learn at scale what you refuse to learn manually.

Setup guide

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

.vscode/mcp.json

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

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by YC Startup Prover. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about YC Startup Prover MCP in VS Code Copilot

Commit a .vscode/mcp.json file to your repository with the server configuration. Everyone who pulls the repo gets the identical evaluation tool in their Copilot Agent automatically.

No. They evaluate the business logic behind your code. The system checks if your product specification actually solves a validated problem for a paying user.

Because premature scaling is fatal. The system forces you to manually deliver and support your product early on so you learn exactly what users value before you automate the wrong things.

Yes. By forcing you to answer hard questions about user retention and willingness to pay, the system highlights exactly when an idea is dead and a pivot is necessary.

Your business plan and market validation data are processed through your existing Copilot enterprise agreement. The MCP Server executes the validation logic without retaining your proprietary feature specifications.

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