Connect GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot can call the Operata MCP Server from agent mode, so you can ask about call quality, traces, and agent experience without leaving your editor. This page covers the Copilot surfaces that connect to a remote MCP server directly. If you want to build an agent for non-technical colleagues instead, see Connect Microsoft Copilot Studio. For authentication, groups, and regions, start with the Operata MCP server overview.

MCP tools only appear in agent mode. They’re invisible in Ask and Edit modes.

Before you start

An active Operata subscription and credentials for your chosen endpoint — see Choose how to connect.
A GitHub Copilot subscription.
One of: VS Code 1.101 or later, Visual Studio 2022 17.14 or later, a JetBrains IDE with the Copilot plugin, or GitHub Copilot CLI.
If your organization is on Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise, an administrator must enable the MCP servers in Copilot policy. Without it, the server won’t load and Copilot gives no error.

Configuration file locations

Client	File
VS Code (workspace)	`.vscode/mcp.json`
VS Code (user)	Command Palette → MCP: Open User Configuration
Visual Studio	`mcp.json`, created by the Configure MCP server dialog
JetBrains IDEs	`mcp.json`, created by Add MCP Tools
Copilot CLI	`~/.copilot/mcp-config.json`

In VS Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains, the configuration root key is servers, not mcpServers. Cursor and Claude Desktop use mcpServers, so a config copied from one of those pages silently fails to load. This is the most common setup mistake. The Copilot CLI is the exception — it uses mcpServers (see GitHub Copilot CLI).

Connect with OAuth

Recommended when a person is at the keyboard. OAuth signs you in as your Operata user and reaches every group your account can access. Add the server to your configuration file:

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "operata": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.operata.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

In VS Code, a Start button appears above the server entry. Select it. Copilot opens an Operata sign-in in your browser and stores the session for later. If the server is already running, use the Auth action in the CodeLens above the entry to re-authenticate.

Connect with an API key

Use an API key only for automated, non-interactive work. The key is fixed to the single group it was created in. Reference the key through an input variable so it’s never written into the file:

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "operata": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.operata.io/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:operata-api-key}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "operata-api-key",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Operata API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

Copilot prompts for the key the first time the server starts and keeps it for later sessions.

Never commit an API key to .vscode/mcp.json. If the file is in a shared repository, use the user-level configuration or an input variable as shown above.

Client-specific setup

VS Code

Open the Command Palette and run MCP: Open User Configuration, or create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace root.
Add one of the configurations above.
Select Start above the server entry.
Open Copilot Chat and select Agent from the mode dropdown.
Select the tools icon to confirm the Operata tools are listed.

Visual Studio

From the menu bar, select View → GitHub Copilot Chat.
At the bottom of the chat panel, select Agent from the mode dropdown.
Select the tools icon, then the plus icon.
In Configure MCP server, set Server ID to operata, Type to HTTP/SSE, and URL to https://mcp.operata.io/mcp.
Select Save.

JetBrains IDEs

In the lower right corner, open the Copilot menu and select Open Chat.
Switch to Agent mode.
Select the tools icon, then Add MCP Tools.
Add one of the configurations above to mcp.json.

GitHub Copilot CLI

The CLI uses the mcpServers root key, not servers like the IDEs. Add the Operata server to ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json with "type": "http":

~/.copilot/mcp-config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "operata": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.operata.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

For an API key, use the API endpoint and add an Authorization header:

~/.copilot/mcp-config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "operata": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.operata.io/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-operata-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

The CLI supports both local and remote servers.

Verify the connection

Open Copilot Chat in agent mode and ask:

List my Operata groups.

Copilot asks permission before calling a tool. Allow it. You should see the groups your account can reach, each with its ID and region. Then set a group and try a real question:

Switch to the group named Demonstrata, then show me the average MOS score by queue for the last 7 days.

Select a group

Every query runs against one group. Over OAuth, call list_groups then switch_group, and override on a single call with a groupId parameter. An API key is fixed to its own group. See Groups and regions. For more example prompts, see Questions to ask your AI client.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause and fix
No Operata tools in the tool picker	You’re in Ask or Edit mode. Switch to Agent.
Server does not appear at all	Wrong root key. VS Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains use `servers`; the Copilot CLI uses `mcpServers`.
`MCP server "operata" has a "url" but no "type"`	Add `"type": "http"` to the entry. Without it, the client reads the entry as a local stdio server.
Server loads but every call fails with 401	The API key is missing, expired, or the `Authorization` header is malformed. Confirm the value starts with `Bearer` .
`403 API key access is restricted to its own group`	The session is authenticated with an API key and something tried to switch groups. Use OAuth, or query the key’s own group.
Nothing loads, no error, organization-managed device	The MCP servers in Copilot policy is disabled. Ask your GitHub administrator to enable it.
Repeated timeouts on large queries	Narrow the time range, and paginate `traces_list` with the cursor. See Performance.

For more, see Troubleshoot the MCP server.

Operata MCP server — authentication, groups, and regions.
Connect Microsoft Copilot Studio — build an agent for non-technical users.
MCP tools reference — every tool, its parameters, and examples.
Troubleshoot the MCP server — common failure modes and fixes.
Authentication — mint the API keys the server uses.
Rate limits — the 100 requests per minute per key limit.

Overview & quickstart

API essentials

Endpoints — Contacts

Endpoints — Logs

Endpoints — Users

Endpoints — Data redaction

Events & webhooks

Streaming & backends

AI & MCP

Before you start

Configuration file locations

Connect with OAuth

Connect with an API key

Client-specific setup

VS Code

Visual Studio

JetBrains IDEs

GitHub Copilot CLI

Verify the connection

Select a group

Troubleshooting

​Before you start

​Configuration file locations

​Connect with OAuth

​Connect with an API key

​Client-specific setup

​VS Code

​Visual Studio

​JetBrains IDEs

​GitHub Copilot CLI

​Verify the connection

​Select a group

​Troubleshooting

​Related

Before you start

Configuration file locations

Connect with OAuth

Connect with an API key

Client-specific setup

VS Code

Visual Studio

JetBrains IDEs

GitHub Copilot CLI

Verify the connection

Select a group

Troubleshooting

Related