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CMake Tools Onboarding MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that helps new contributors onboard to the vscode-cmake-tools extension. It provides Copilot agent mode with structured, repo-specific knowledge about setup, code structure, and PR requirements.

Install and build

cd tools/onboarding-mcp
yarn install
yarn build

Wire it up in VS Code

Create (or add to) .vscode/mcp.json at the workspace root:

{
    "servers": {
        "cmake-tools-onboarding": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "node",
            "args": ["${workspaceFolder}/tools/onboarding-mcp/dist/index.js"],
            "env": {
                "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${env:GITHUB_TOKEN}"
            }
        }
    }
}

The GITHUB_TOKEN env var is optional but recommended. Without it, GitHub API calls are limited to 60 requests/hour. With a token, the limit is 5,000/hour. You can create a personal access token at https://github.com/settings/tokens — no scopes are needed for public repos.

Once configured, the MCP server is available to Copilot agent mode (and any other MCP client) in VS Code.

Usage

The MCP server works inside GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code. After building and wiring it up (see above), just open Copilot Chat and go:

cd tools/onboarding-mcp
yarn install
yarn build

Then open a Copilot Chat panel (press Ctrl+Shift+I or click the Copilot icon in the sidebar) and switch to Agent mode (the dropdown at the top of the chat panel). VS Code may show a notification asking you to start the MCP server — click Start.

Once it's running, just ask questions in natural language. Copilot will automatically call the right tools. Here are some things you can try:

Getting started

  • "How do I set up this repo for local development?"
  • "Walk me through building and running the extension."

Understanding the codebase

  • "What is a kit? How is it different from a preset?"
  • "Explain how the CMake driver works."
  • "Where is the code that handles CTest?"
  • "Which source file should I look at for build logic?"

Finding documentation

  • "Show me the docs page about CMake Presets."
  • "Where can I find troubleshooting info?"

Exploring issues to work on

  • "What are some good issues for a new contributor?"
  • "Show me recent open issues labeled 'enhancement'."

Understanding recent activity

  • "What areas of the codebase have changed recently?"
  • "Show me the last 5 commits to main."

Preparing a PR

  • "I changed the preset loading logic and added a new setting. Is my PR ready?"
  • "What do I need to check before submitting a PR?"

Tip: You don't need to name the tools or remember their inputs. Just describe what you need and Copilot will figure out which tool to call.

Development

# Run the server in dev mode (uses tsx, no build step needed):
yarn dev

# Build for production:
yarn build

# Run the production build:
yarn start

Available tools

Tool Input Description
get_setup_guide (none) Returns an ordered list of setup steps for new contributors to build and run the extension locally. Each step includes a number, title, optional shell command, and optional notes.
check_pr_readiness { "changes": "..." } Given a free-text description of changes, returns a checklist of PR requirements from CONTRIBUTING.md. Each item includes the rule, a status ("pass", "warn", or "manual_check_required"), and a helpful hint. Items are flagged as "warn" when the description suggests a potential issue (e.g. mentioning package.json changes).
explain_concept { "concept": "..." } Explains a CMake Tools concept (e.g. kit, preset, driver, ctest, build, configure, debug, settings). Returns a summary, detailed explanation, related concepts, relevant source files, and a link to the docs page. If the concept is unknown, lists all known concepts.
find_source_file { "feature": "..." } Given a natural-language description (e.g. "kit scanning", "build logic", "test runner"), returns matching source files with GitHub links, descriptions, and relevance notes. Useful for quickly navigating to the right file.
get_docs_page { "topic": "..." } Given a topic (e.g. presets, kits, debugging, troubleshooting, faq), returns the matching documentation page with file path, GitHub URL, summary, and key section headings.
get_contributor_issues { "limit?": 20, "label?": "..." } Fetches recently updated open issues and enriches each with contributor-friendliness signals. Optionally filter by label (e.g. "bug", "enhancement", "good first issue", "help wanted"). Requires a network connection; set GITHUB_TOKEN for higher rate limits (see above).
get_recent_changes { "limit?": 10 } Fetches the most recent commits to main and annotates each with affectedAreas derived from the codebase source map. Includes a summary of the most active areas so new contributors can see what's currently in flux.