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Set Up MCP with Visual Studio Code

This guide will walk you through configuring Visual Studio Code to connect with the SailPoint Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server using the mcp.json configuration file.

VS Code connects to the SailPoint MCP Server using OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, so you no longer need to generate or paste in an authentication token. Instead, you supply a Client ID and VS Code handles the login and consent flow for you.

warning

Before configuring this integration, please confirm with your organization's administrator whether the integration is allowed with this AI provider. SailPoint does not bear any responsibility in this regard.

Prerequisites​

  • Visual Studio Code (v1.101+) installed
  • GitHub Copilot extension installed and enabled
  • An ISC tenant with the MCP Access Requests feature enabled
  • Permission to create an API client in ISC, or a Client ID provided by your administrator
note

The global MCP URL is not available for FedRAMP tenants or tenants with data sovereignty requirements. Those environments should continue to use their tenant-specific URL.

Step 1: Create an API client in ISC​

In ISC, go to Admin > Security Settings > API Management and create a new API client:

  1. Set the client type to Public.
  2. Enable the Authorization Code and Refresh Token grant types.
  3. Set the Redirect URLs to both of the URLs VS Code uses for its OAuth callback:
    • http://127.0.0.1:33418
    • https://vscode.dev/redirect
  4. Set the Scope to sp:scopes:all.

Save the client and copy the Client ID — you will need it in Step 3.

note

VS Code uses the loopback port 33418 for its OAuth callback by default. If that port is unavailable, VS Code may fall back to a different port and authentication can fail with a redirect URI mismatch. If you hit this, set a fixed callbackPort in the server's oauth configuration and register the matching redirect URL on the API client.

Step 2: Enable MCP Support in VS Code​

Before configuring the server, make sure MCP support is enabled in your VS Code settings:

  1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux).
  2. Search for and select Preferences: Open Settings (JSON).
  3. Add the following line to your settings if it is not already present:
"chat.mcp.discovery.enabled": true

This setting allows VS Code to discover and connect to MCP servers defined in your mcp.json file.

Step 3: Add the SailPoint MCP Server to mcp.json​

  1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux).
  2. Search for and select MCP: Open User Configuration.
  3. Add the following configuration to mcp.json:

The configuration uses the global MCP URL (https://mcp.sailpoint.com/latest/access-requests/mcp), which works for all tenants without any tenant-specific changes. Your tenant is identified automatically during authentication. If the tenant name cannot be detected, you will be prompted to enter it on first connect.

{
  "servers": {
    "sailpoint-access-requests": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.sailpoint.com/latest/access-requests/mcp",
      "oauth": {
        "clientId": "your-client-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-client-id with the Client ID from Step 1, then save the file.

Step 4: Connect and authenticate​

  1. Open the Command Palette.
  2. Search for and select MCP: Open User Configuration.
  3. Select Start above the configuration for "sailpoint-access-requests". vs code mcp
  4. VS Code opens a browser window to complete the OAuth flow:
    1. Log in with your ISC credentials (SSO is supported if it is configured for your tenant).
    2. Approve the consent screen.
    3. You are connected — tokens refresh automatically, so you will not need to re-enter your credentials mid-session.

Step 5: Verify the Connection​

Once connected, you should be able to interact with the SailPoint MCP Server directly from VS Code.

Begin a new VS Code chat and select the Tools icon.

vs code chat

This will bring up the Tools menu. You should see the SailPoint MCP Server and the available tools listed:

vs code tools

Try it out!​

You can now ask VS Code things like "What can I request access to?” or “What is the status of my access request?” or “Cancel access request XYZ”

For more information about the tools, refer to the SailPoint MCP tool documentation.