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Set up GitHub Copilot for Kanera MCP

GitHub Copilot in VS Code connects to Kanera through the Model Context Protocol. This guide covers the VS Code desktop application; Copilot CLI and the GitHub.com coding agent use different MCP configuration locations.

For a remote connection, add Kanera's MCP address and authenticate in your browser. You do not need to create or store an API key.

  1. Run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette for a personal connection available across projects, or create .vscode/mcp.json for the current workspace.

  2. Add Kanera as a remote HTTP server:

    {
      "servers": {
        "kanera": {
          "type": "http",
          "url": "https://mcp.kanera.app/mcp"
        }
      }
    }

  3. In mcp.json, choose Start, then choose Auth from the CodeLens above the server.

  4. Sign in to Kanera, review the requested access, and choose Allow access.

  5. Open Copilot Chat in Agent mode and confirm that the Kanera tools appear in the tools picker.

See Connect an AI agent for scopes and disconnecting an agent.

Install the Kanera skill​

The MCP connection gives Copilot access to Kanera's tools. The optional Kanera agent skill teaches it how to use those tools reliably: resolve names to stable IDs, read live state before reporting or changing work, distinguish completed work from newly created work, use idempotency keys, and handle permission or rate-limit failures safely.

Install the skill globally with the open Agent Skills installer:

npx -y skills add https://github.com/happendev/Kanera/tree/main/integrations/skills/kanera --yes --global

For a manual installation, download the complete kanera skill directory and place it in one of these locations:

  • ~/.agents/skills/kanera/ or ~/.copilot/skills/kanera/ for a personal skill available across projects.
  • .agents/skills/kanera/ or .github/skills/kanera/ in a repository to share the skill with that project.

In Copilot Chat, use /skills to confirm the skill is available. Copilot can load it automatically when a request involves Kanera, or you can invoke the kanera skill explicitly.

Connect with an API key​

Use an API key for a local stdio server, or as a fallback when remote OAuth is unavailable. Replace kanera_live_... with a personal key from Profile settings -> API keys or a workspace key from Workspace settings -> API, and set KANERA_PUBLIC_API_URL to https://api.kanera.app. For a personal VS Code setup, a personal key is usually the right fit because it follows your own board access across workspaces.

Workspace API settings where a workspace API key can be created for Kanera MCP.

VS Code desktop app​

GitHub Copilot reads MCP servers from a .vscode/mcp.json file in your workspace. For a personal configuration available across projects, run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette and edit the user mcp.json file.

For a local stdio server:

{
  "servers": {
    "kanera": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "pnpm",
      "args": ["--filter", "@kanera/mcp", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "KANERA_API_KEY": "kanera_live_...",
        "KANERA_PUBLIC_API_URL": "https://api.kanera.app"
      }
    }
  }
}

For a remote HTTP endpoint with a static API key:

{
  "servers": {
    "kanera": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.kanera.app/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer kanera_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Use the tools​

Open the Copilot Chat view, switch to Agent mode, and the Kanera tools appear in the tools picker once the server starts.

Do not commit an API key in .vscode/mcp.json. Put personal configuration in the user-level file, or use VS Code's input-variable support so the secret is requested instead of stored in the repository.