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Step 10: Connect VS Code / Copilot to the Cloud MCP Endpoint

Finally, configure VS Code and Copilot Chat to use the tools running on your deployed Azure Function App.

  1. Get the MCP System Key:

    The cloud MCP endpoint (/runtime/webhooks/mcp) is protected by a system key. You'll need this key to authenticate calls. Run the following commands in your VS Code terminal to retrieve the system key:

    macOS/Linux:

    appName=$(azd env get-value AZURE_FUNCTION_NAME)
az functionapp keys list -n $appName --query "systemKeys.mcp_extension" -g rg-snippymcplab-<unique-suffix> --output tsv

    Windows:

    $appName = azd env get-value AZURE_FUNCTION_NAME
az functionapp keys list -n $appName --query "systemKeys.mcp_extension" -g rg-snippymcplab-<unique-suffix> --output tsv

    Note: Replace <unique-suffix> with the suffix you chose in Step 1.3.

    The output will be a long string - copy this value. This is your system-key required for calling the MCP endpoint.

  2. Add Cloud Endpoint to .vscode/mcp.json:

    After retrieving your Function App name and MCP system key, you can now configure the cloud endpoint in .vscode/mcp.json.

    Stop the local-snippy server if it is still running.

    Select Start above remote-snippy in mcp.json - this will prompt you to enter: - The Function App name - The MCP system key

    You don't need to manually replace any values in the JSON - just copy the following values from your Terminal:

    macOS/Linux:

    # Print the Function App name
echo $appName

    Windows:

    # Print the Function App name
$appName

    Use the $appName value for the functionapp-name input, and paste the system key you retrieved earlier.

    This setup allows the cloud-hosted MCP to receive and stream events securely.

    MCP Remote

  3. Switch Copilot to Cloud Server:

    • Open Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Alt+I or Cmd+Alt+I)
    • Ensure Agent mode is selected
    • Verify the tools are loaded correctly

  4. Test Cloud hosted Tools:

    Repeat the tests from earlier, but this time with the remote-snippy server:

    • Select some code

    • Ask Copilot:

      #remote-snippy save the selected snippet as my-cloud-mcp-test

    • Confirm the tool usage

    • Ask Copilot:

      #remote-snippy get the snippet named my-cloud-mcp-test

    • Try other tools like deep_wiki as we did earlier

    Verify that the tools work correctly by interacting with your deployed Azure Function App.