Use Arcade in GitHub Copilot

To use Arcade’s hosted gateway, install the Arcade agent plugin. This guide connects your client to a gateway you configure.

Outcomes

Connect GitHub Copilot to an Arcade Gateway.

Prerequisites

Create an Arcade
Get an Arcade API key
Create an Arcade MCP Gateway and select the you want to use

Production end with their own identities? If your end users already sign in to Entra ID, Okta, Auth0, Clerk, or another OIDC provider, configure a User Source on your gateway. Arcade redirects each end user to your identity provider on sign-in and identifies them by an OIDC subject claim.

Set up GitHub Copilot

VS Code

In VS Code, Github Copilot will automatically detect the configured servers. Read the VS Code instructions to set both of them up.

JetBrains IDEs

The GitHub Copilot extension for JetBrains IDEs does not currently support remote servers with Dynamic Client Registration. To use an Arcade with GitHub Copilot on a JetBrains IDE, you must configure the MCP gateway as Arcade Headers in the dashboard.

In the lower right corner, click the GitHub Copilot icon.
From the menu, select “Open Chat”, make sure you are in mode, then click the icon.
A dialog will open with a list of . On the bottom left, select Add Tools.
This will open the mcp.json file in the editor. In the mcp.json file, define your servers.

Arcade Headers

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-arcade": {
      "url": "https://api.arcade.dev/mcp/<YOUR-GATEWAY-SLUG>",
      "requestInit": {
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer {arcade_api_key}",
          "Arcade-User-ID": "{arcade_user_id}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Arcade Auth

Once you save the mcp.json file, a start button will appear over the new server name. Click it to start the server.

tools are only available in mode.

Visual Studio

The GitHub Copilot extension for Visual Studio does not currently support every remote server with Dynamic Client Registration. To use an Arcade with GitHub Copilot on Visual Studio, you must configure the MCP gateway as Arcade Headers in the dashboard.

In Visual Studio,

In the menu bar, select View, then GitHub Copilot Chat.
At the bottom of the chat panel, select .
Select the tools icon, then the plus icon in the picker.
In Configure server, set Server ID (for example, mcp-arcade), set Type to HTTP/SSE, and paste your URL. For Arcade Headers, add Authorization and Arcade-User-ID under Headers, then select Save.

The saved entry uses requestInit for those headers:

Arcade Headers

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-arcade": {
      "url": "https://api.arcade.dev/mcp/<YOUR-GATEWAY-SLUG>",
      "requestInit": {
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer {arcade_api_key}",
          "Arcade-User-ID": "{arcade_user_id}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Arcade Auth

Eclipse

Use Arcade Headers for this setup. GitHub’s Copilot docs show an OAuth sign-in only for GitHub’s own server.

Select the Copilot icon in the status bar at the bottom of Eclipse.
Select Open Chat, then Configure …. You can also select Edit preferences, expand GitHub Copilot, and select .
Under Server Configurations, add the gateway and select Apply:

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-arcade": {
      "url": "https://api.arcade.dev/mcp/<YOUR-GATEWAY-SLUG>",
      "requestInit": {
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer {arcade_api_key}",
          "Arcade-User-ID": "{arcade_user_id}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Set the gateway’s Authorization field to Arcade Headers in the dashboard.

Xcode

Use Arcade Headers for this setup. GitHub’s Copilot docs show an OAuth sign-in only for GitHub’s own server.

Open GitHub Copilot for Xcode settings. In an Xcode workspace, select Editor → GitHub Copilot → Open GitHub Copilot for Xcode Settings.
Select the tab, then Edit Config.
Add the gateway:

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-arcade": {
      "url": "https://api.arcade.dev/mcp/<YOUR-GATEWAY-SLUG>",
      "requestInit": {
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer {arcade_api_key}",
          "Arcade-User-ID": "{arcade_user_id}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Set the gateway’s Authorization field to Arcade Headers in the dashboard.

Try it out

Open the chat pane.
Make sure you are in mode.
Ask the to use a .

Use Arcade in GitHub Copilot

Outcomes

Prerequisites

Set up GitHub Copilot

VS Code

JetBrains IDEs

Arcade Headers

Arcade Auth

Visual Studio

Arcade Headers

Arcade Auth

Eclipse

Xcode

Try it out

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