Connect HelpDocs to VS Code

Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets you connect Visual Studio Code to your HelpDocs account so Copilot can read, search, and work with your Knowledge Base content directly from your editor. This guide shows you how to set up the connection with VS Code and what you can do with it.

MCP needs to be switched on for your account first. Head to Settings > AI, check Enable AI Tools, and select MCP Access. Our overview of HelpDocs MCP has the full walkthrough.

Before you start. You'll need a recent version of VS Code with GitHub Copilot set up and signed in. If your organization manages Copilot, an admin may need to allow MCP servers before HelpDocs shows up.

Connecting VS Code to HelpDocs MCP

Open the Command Palette with Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
Run MCP: Add Server
Choose HTTP as the server type
Paste in the HelpDocs MCP URL below, then press Enter


              https://••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Enter HelpDocs as the server name
Choose Global to use HelpDocs in every project, or a workspace option to add it to the current project only
Confirm you trust the server, then follow the authorization flow to give VS Code access to your Knowledge Base

If you have multiple Knowledge Bases with us, you'll need to select one to connect to.

Once authorization is complete, the HelpDocs tools show up in Copilot Chat. Ask Copilot to use HelpDocs and it can pull your Knowledge Base in alongside your code 🙌

Adding HelpDocs with mcp.json

Want to commit the config so your whole team gets it? Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project and add HelpDocs to the servers object:

{
            "servers": {
              "helpdocs": {
                "type": "http",
                "url": "https://api.helpdocs.io/v1/mcp"
              }
            }
          }

Save the file and VS Code picks up the new server. Each person still authorizes with their own HelpDocs login the first time they use it, so no credentials end up in your repo.

Copilot's global config file (~/.copilot/mcp-config.json) uses the same entry, but its top-level key is mcpServers instead of servers. Copying one into the other without changing the key is the most common reason a server doesn't appear.

Setting Up Tool Permissions

You can control exactly which HelpDocs actions Copilot has access to. In the Chat view, click Configure Tools in the chat input to see every tool the HelpDocs server provides, then switch individual tools on or off.

By default, VS Code asks you to confirm each tool call before it runs. You can approve a single call, or allow that tool for the rest of the session or workspace.

We recommend keeping write actions (like creating or editing articles) on manual confirmation when you're first getting started. This gives you control while you learn how Copilot interacts with your Knowledge Base.

Actions Available to Copilot

Here's everything the connection can do, grouped by what you'd use it for. Read actions only look at your content. Write actions change it, so those are the ones worth keeping on manual confirmation.

What you want to do	Actions	Read or write
Search and read your content	`search`, `fetch`, `list_articles`, `list_categories`, `get_category`	Read
See how your content is performing	`get_analytics`	Read
Check who has access to what	`list_permission_groups`	Read
Draft something new	`create_article`, `create_category`	Write
Edit content you already have	`update_article`, `update_category`	Write
Push edits live	`publish_working_copy`	Write
Remove content	`delete_article`, `delete_category`	Write
Recover something deleted	`list_deleted_articles`, `restore_article`	Read and write

Editing a published article doesn't change your live Knowledge Base straight away. Copilot stacks the edits up as a working copy, and your help center stays exactly as it is until the changes are published.

What You Can Ask Copilot to Do

Copilot can use your Knowledge Base alongside your codebase, which makes it handy for keeping docs in step with what you ship. A few examples:

Have we covered the new export feature in our HelpDocs yet?

I just changed the API endpoint in this file. Check whether any HelpDocs articles mention the old one

Create a draft HelpDocs article for this feature based on the implementation

Troubleshooting

Run MCP: List Servers, select HelpDocs, and choose Show Output to see the server logs. The same list lets you start, stop, and restart the server.

No HelpDocs tools in Copilot. The server may not have started. Check you accepted the trust prompt, then restart it from MCP: List Servers
Nothing happened after a config change. Restart the server so VS Code discovers its tools again
Trust prompt never appeared. Run MCP: Reset Trust, then start the server again