Using IconVectors with VS Code / GitHub Copilot

This page explains the recommended local setup for Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot.

Overview

For Visual Studio Code and GitHub Copilot, the recommended setup is:

Start IconVectors yourself so the local bridge is available.
Let Visual Studio Code launch the IconVectors MCP helper.
Keep the configured port aligned with the IconVectors bridge port.

That keeps the responsibilities clear:

the IconVectors desktop app owns the document and UI state,
the MCP helper is the stdio server that VS Code starts,
Copilot Agent mode consumes the tools exposed by that helper.

Prerequisites

Before you configure the integration, make sure you have:

access to GitHub Copilot,
Visual Studio Code 1.99 or later,
the IconVectors editor and MCP helper for your platform,
the per-user MCP helper files installed in the MCP folder.

Windows application files:

C:\Program Files\Axialis\IconVectors\IconVectors.exe
C:\Program Files\Axialis\IconVectors\IconVectorsMcp.exe

Windows helper files:

%APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\iconvectors-mcp-tools.json
%APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\iconvectors-mcp-command-reference.md
%APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\vscode-copilot-AGENTS.md.template

macOS application bundle:

/Applications/IconVectors.app

macOS executables inside the bundle:

/Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectors
/Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp

macOS helper files:

~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/iconvectors-mcp-tools.json
~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/iconvectors-mcp-command-reference.md
~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/vscode-copilot-AGENTS.md.template

You can open the helper-files folder directly from IconVectors with Help ‣ Open MCP Files Folder.

Start IconVectors

Start the editor first, then leave it running while VS Code launches the MCP helper.

Windows:

& 'C:\Program Files\Axialis\IconVectors\IconVectors.exe'

macOS:

open /Applications/IconVectors.app

Do not normally start the editor with --mcp when using VS Code. In the normal Copilot workflow, VS Code should be the process that launches the MCP helper.

Create the MCP configuration

The recommended repository-local configuration file is:

.vscode/mcp.json

Windows example

{
  "servers": {
    "iconvectors": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Axialis\\IconVectors\\IconVectorsMcp.exe",
      "args": ["--port", "61337"]
    }
  }
}

macOS example

{
  "servers": {
    "iconvectors": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp",
      "args": ["--port", "61337"]
    }
  }
}

Replace the path if IconVectors is installed elsewhere. If you changed the default bridge port through ICONVECTORS_MCP_PORT or application settings, use the same port here.

Note

VS Code also supports storing MCP configuration in the user-profile mcp.json if you want the server available across workspaces.

Optional: add the server from the command line

Windows:

code --add-mcp "{\"name\":\"iconvectors\",\"type\":\"stdio\",\"command\":\"C:\\\\Program Files\\\\Axialis\\\\IconVectors\\\\IconVectorsMcp.exe\",\"args\":[\"--port\",\"61337\"]}"

macOS:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"iconvectors","type":"stdio","command":"/Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp","args":["--port","61337"]}'

Start the MCP server in VS Code

After saving .vscode/mcp.json:

Open the file in VS Code.
Start the configured server from the CodeLens at the top of the file, or use the MCP commands from the Command Palette.
If prompted, confirm that you trust the server configuration.

Open Copilot Chat and use the tools

Once the server is running:

Open Copilot Chat in Visual Studio Code.
Switch the chat mode to Agent.
Inspect the available MCP servers and tools from the tools UI.

Verify the connection

Suggested first prompts:

Use the IconVectors MCP server to call app.ping.
Use IconVectors and call app.getInfo.
Create a new 32x32 document named test icon, use the current palette, and export it as SVG.

Optional: use AGENTS.md

If you want Copilot Agent mode to prefer IconVectors for icon work, start from the installed template:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\vscode-copilot-AGENTS.md.template
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/vscode-copilot-AGENTS.md.template

Copy it to the repository root as:

AGENTS.md

Troubleshooting

If Copilot does not connect:

make sure IconVectors is already running,
make sure the path to the MCP helper is correct,
make sure the port in mcp.json matches the IconVectors bridge port,
make sure the server is started in VS Code,
make sure Copilot Chat is in Agent mode,
on macOS, if you installed the app outside /Applications, update the helper path accordingly,
on macOS, confirm that the helper exists at IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp,
on macOS, if Gatekeeper or signing policies block launch, reinstall a properly signed copy of the app.