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Configure HoloViz MCP for Copilot + VS Code

This guide shows you how to configure HoloViz MCP with GitHub Copilot and VS Code.

Prerequisites

  • VS Code installed
  • GitHub Copilot extension installed
  • HoloViz MCP installed (Installation guide)

Add the MCP Server

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS)
  3. Type "MCP: Add Server" and press Enter
  4. Select "Command (stdio)"
  5. Enter the command "holoviz-mcp"
  6. Enter Server ID "holoviz"
  7. Select the "Global" Configuration Target

This will add the following configuration to your user mcp.json file:

{
  "servers": {
    "holoviz": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "holoviz-mcp"
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

Remote Development

For remote development (SSH, Dev Containers, Codespaces), use Workspace or Remote settings to ensure the MCP server runs on the remote machine.

See the VS Code | MCP Servers guide for more details.

Start the MCP Server

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS)
  2. Type "MCP: List Servers"
  3. Select holoviz from the dropdown
  4. Select "Start Server"

VS Code Start HoloViz MCP

Test Your Configuration

After starting the server, test it with Copilot:

  1. Simple Query - Open Copilot Chat and ask:
List available Panel input components
  1. Detailed Query - Ask for specific information:
What parameters does the Panel TextInput component have?
  1. Code Generation - Ask Copilot to generate code:
Create a simple Panel dashboard with a slider

If you get detailed, accurate responses with specific Panel component information, your configuration is working! 🎉

Force MCP Usage

In VS Code, you can include #holoviz in your prompt to explicitly request that Copilot use the holoviz-mcp server for your query.

Advanced Configuration

Set Log Level

For debugging, increase the log level:

{
  "servers": {
    "holoviz": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "holoviz-mcp",
      "env": {
        "HOLOVIZ_MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "DEBUG"
      }
    }
  }
}

Custom Configuration Directory

Use a custom directory for configuration and data:

{
  "servers": {
    "holoviz": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "holoviz-mcp",
      "env": {
        "HOLOVIZ_MCP_USER_DIR": "/path/to/custom/dir"
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Server Not Starting

Check the command:

# Test the server directly
holoviz-mcp

Verify installation:

uv --version  # Check uv is installed
python --version  # Should be 3.11 or higher

Copilot Not Recognizing Components

  1. Verify documentation index exists:
ls ~/.holoviz-mcp
  1. Recreate the index:
holoviz-mcp update index
  1. Restart VS Code

Configuration File Not Found

Use Command Palette → "MCP: Edit Settings" to create or edit the file.

Permission Errors

Linux/macOS: Ensure the configuration file is readable:

chmod 644 ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/github.copilot/mcp.json

Next Steps