Chapter 6 of 15 7 min beginner

Connect VS Code Copilot

Agent mode and tool approval

Verified against a working setup on 2026-08-10

VS Code supports MCP through Copilot's agent mode. If you already have Copilot, this is the least additional software of any option — and it puts Unity tools next to the C# editing you were doing anyway.

Where the config lives

Scope	File	Note
`User (Windows)`	`%APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json`	Applies to every workspace.
`User (macOS)`	`~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json`	Same file, different home.
`Workspace`	`.vscode/mcp.json`	Committed with the project.

VS Code uses servers as the top-level key, not mcpServers. Copying a Claude or Cursor config across without changing that key is a very easy mistake — and it fails silently.

The config

  
json 
{
  "servers": {
    "unity-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\Users\\you\\.unity\\relay\\relay_win.exe",
      "args": ["--mcp"]
    }
  }
}
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json 
{
  "servers": {
    "unityMCP": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\Users\\you\\.local\\bin\\uvx.exe",
      "args": [
        "--offline",
        "--from", "mcpforunityserver==10.0.0",
        "mcp-for-unity",
        "--transport", "stdio"
      ]
    }
  }
}
 14 lines

Turning it on

1
Write mcp.json
Use the user-level path for a setup that follows you across projects.
2
Open the Chat view and pick Agent
The mode dropdown sits at the top of the chat panel. Ask and Edit modes cannot call tools.
3
Open the tools picker
The tools icon lists every MCP tool available. Your Unity tools should be there and ticked.
4
Open your Unity project
As always, the Editor must be running.
5
Verify
Ask for something only the live project knows.
text
What compile errors are in my Unity console right now?
1 lines

Tool approval

VS Code asks before running a tool and offers to remember your choice. That prompt is a real safety boundary, so it is worth being deliberate about what you make permanent.

Tool kind	Approval	Why
`Read console, read scene`	`Always allow`	No side effects, and this is most of the value.
`Search and inspect assets`	`Always allow`	Read-only.
`Create or edit scripts`	`Allow per session`	Recoverable, but only if git is clean.
`Modify scenes or GameObjects`	`Ask every time`	Hardest thing to review after the fact.
`Delete anything`	`Ask every time`	Obvious.
`Run menu items`	`Ask every time`	A menu item can do literally anything.

Copilot has a "always allow for this workspace" option. Applying it to scene-editing tools means the agent can restructure your hierarchy with no prompt at all. Keep write tools on ask.

Why this one is convenient for Unity

The obvious benefit: VS Code is already many people's C# editor for Unity, so the model can read your scripts through the workspace and your scene through MCP at the same time. That combination catches a class of bug — script expects a component the scene does not have — that neither source alone would reveal.

What to take away

VS Code uses servers, not mcpServers.
User config lives at %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json.
Only Agent mode can call tools.
Always-allow reads; keep scene and delete tools on ask.
Workspace files plus MCP scene access catches script/scene mismatches.