feat: enhance onboarding documentation with MCP server usage instructions and examples

Author: Hannia Valera

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -2,6 +2,22 @@
 
 This article is for developers who want to contribute to the CMake Tools open source project.
 
+## New here? Try the onboarding assistant
+
+This repo includes an MCP server that gives GitHub Copilot structured knowledge about the codebase. It can walk you through setup, explain concepts like kits and presets, point you to the right source files, and help you find issues to work on.
+
+To set it up, build it once:
+
+```bash
+cd tools/onboarding-mcp
+npm install
+npm run build
+```
+
+Then open **Copilot Chat** in VS Code (`Ctrl+Shift+I`), switch to **Agent mode**, and ask anything — for example *"How do I set up this repo?"* or *"What's a good first issue?"*
+
+See [`tools/onboarding-mcp/README.md`](tools/onboarding-mcp/README.md) for full details and example prompts.
+
 ## Build the CMake Tools extension
 
 As with most VS Code extensions, you'll need [Node.JS](https://nodejs.org/en/) installed. We use yarn to compile the code (run `npm install -g yarn` to install it).

tools/onboarding-mcp/README.md

@@ -33,6 +33,48 @@ The `GITHUB_TOKEN` env var is **optional** but recommended. Without it, GitHub A
 
 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. There's nothing extra to install — the `.vscode/mcp.json` in this repo already registers the server. Just build it and go:
+
+```bash
+cd tools/onboarding-mcp
+npm install
+npm run 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
 
 ```bash