Pax8 MCP Server Setup Guide for VS Code

This guide instructs users on setting up the MCP Server and enabling VS Code integration for both Windows and macOS systems.

Prerequisites

Before beginning the setup process, you will need to:

• Access to a Pax8 account (app.pax8.com)
• VS Code with GitHub Copilot access
• Internet connection for accessing required services

Step 1: Access the Pax8 Integrations Page

1. Sign in to app.pax8.com
2. On the left pane, select Settings > Integrations

Step 2: Generate Authentication Token

1. Navigate to the Integrations page
2. On the Integrations page, select the MCP server tab
3. Under MCP Token and Authentication, select Generate Token
   • The page will refresh automatically after token generation
4. Copy and save your MCP token for use in Step 4

Step 3: Configure VS Code Settings

Enable Agent Mode

1. Open VS Code
2. Access VS Code Settings using the keyboard shortcut:
   • macOS: ⌘ + ,
   • Windows: Ctrl + ,
3. In the Settings search bar, type: chat.agent.enabled
4. Check the box to enable Chat: Agent Enabled
5. See vscode docs for more details.

Enable MCP Support

5. In the Settings search bar, type: chat.mcp.enabled
6. Check the box to enable Chat: MCP Enabled

Step 4: Configure MCP Server Settings

Access Settings Configuration File

You can configure the MCP server through Workspace settings or User settings by editing your .vscode/settings.json file:

Option 1: Workspace Settings (Recommended)

1. In your project root, create or open the .vscode/settings.json file
2. This will apply MCP settings only to the current workspace

Option 2: User Settings (Global)

1. Open VS Code Settings (⌘ + , on macOS or Ctrl + , on Windows)
2. Click the Open Settings (JSON) icon in the top right
3. This will apply MCP settings globally across all VS Code instances

Add MCP Configuration

Add the following configuration to your settings.json file:

{
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [],
    "servers": {
      "supergateway-pax8": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "supergateway",
          "--header",
          "x-pax8-mcp-token:YOUR-MCP-TOKEN-HERE",
          "--sse",
          "https://mcp.pax8.com/v1/sse"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace YOUR-MCP-TOKEN-HERE with the MCP token you generated in Step 2.

Save Configuration

1. Replace YOUR-MCP-TOKEN-HERE with your actual Pax8 MCP token
2. Save the settings file (⌘ + S on macOS or Ctrl + S on Windows)
3. See vscode docs for more details.

Step 5: Apply Configuration Changes

1. Save the MCP configuration file
2. Restart VS Code to apply the changes:

All Platforms

• Close VS Code completely
• Reopen VS Code

Step 6: Enable Pax8 Tools in Agent Mode

Access Agent Mode

1. Open a new AI chat in VS Code using the keyboard shortcut:
   • macOS: ⌃⌘I
   • Windows: Ctrl+Alt+I
2. In the chat interface, look for the toggle at the bottom that displays Edit, Ask, or Agent
3. Click the toggle and select Agent mode

Enable Pax8 Tools

4. In Agent mode, you should see a tools icon in the chat interface
5. Click the tools icon
6. You should see a list of available tools with the Pax8 option
7. Check the box next to Pax8 to enable the Pax8 tools

Step 7: Test the Integration

1. Ensure you are in Agent mode in the AI chat
2. Type the following test prompt: "Can you get me a list of companies using the pax8 mcp server?"
3. This should trigger the MCP server tool call
4. You may need to click the "Start Server" or "Continue" button to see the tool call in action
5. Verify that VS Code can successfully communicate with the Pax8 MCP Server

Verification Checklist

Ensure the following to confirm successful integration:

• Pax8 MCP token has been generated and saved
• VS Code Agent mode is enabled (chat.agent.enabled)
• MCP support is enabled in VS Code (chat.mcp.enabled)
• Configuration file has been updated with your specific MCP token
• VS Code has been restarted after configuration changes
• Pax8 tools are enabled in Agent mode
• Test prompt successfully triggers MCP server tool calls