GitHub Copilot

Copilot has no plugin marketplace, so register the MCP server directly. The CLI and the desktop app read the same MCP configuration (~/.copilot/mcp-config.json), so registering the server once makes it available in both. OAuth is the preferred auth path. Use an API key for long-running background agents.

Because there’s no plugin, the bundled skill prompt that ships with the Claude Code and Codex installs isn’t included. The MCP tools work the same, the assistant just starts without the extra prompt guidance.

OAuth install (preferred)

From your shell:

copilot mcp add --transport http within https://api.within.ai/mcp

Or in the desktop app: open settings, go to MCP servers, click Add server, then Add custom server. Name the server within, switch the type from Local to HTTP, and enter https://api.within.ai/mcp as the URL. Leave Headers and OAuth Client ID empty.

Copilot prompts you to authenticate the first time it uses the server. The CLI shows the prompt when you open a session, and the desktop app shows a Sign in button on the within row under MCP servers in settings. Complete the sign-in in your browser once; the credential is shared between the CLI and the app.

API key install

Use this for long-running background agents. Generate an API key from Settings → MCP in your Within workspace (see Authentication), then register the server with an Authorization header:

copilot mcp add --transport http \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  within https://api.within.ai/mcp

Or add it to ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "within": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.within.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

In the desktop app, the same header goes in the Headers fields of the add-server form: Authorization as the name, Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY> as the value.

Treat the API key like a password. Anyone with the key can query your Within workspace. Rotate it from Settings → MCP in Within if it’s exposed.

Verify

Run /mcp show in a CLI session (or check MCP servers in the desktop app’s settings) to confirm within is listed. If it isn’t, quit and reopen Copilot. The configuration is read at startup, so a server added while a session was open, or added from the other surface, won’t appear until a restart. Then ask:

Search Within for AI transformation opportunities across our processes — where could we build skills or deploy agents?

The assistant should call get_agent_builder_instructions and start working from your workspace’s processes.

Getting started

Install

Concepts

How-to guides

Help

OAuth install (preferred)

API key install

Verify

​OAuth install (preferred)

​API key install

​Verify

OAuth install (preferred)

API key install

Verify