Human-in-the-loop for GitHub Copilot
Copilot's agent mode in VS Code can carry a task across files, and MCP is how you extend what it can reach. Register Orako in .vscode/mcp.json and Copilot gains an ask_specialist tool: the question goes to the teammate who owns the domain, and the claimed answer comes back into the session.
Connect Orako to GitHub Copilot
- 01
Run
orako init --agent copilotin the workspace, or create .vscode/mcp.json with the snippet below. - 02
VS Code starts the server and Copilot's agent mode lists the
ask_specialisttool. - 03
Copilot routes human-only decisions through Orako and picks the task back up on reply.
Prompts for your token on first run and stores it in ~/.orako/credentials.json, never in agent config files.
{
"servers": {
"orako": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "orako",
"args": ["mcp", "--server", "https://app.orako.io"],
"env": { "ORAKO_TOKEN": "<your token>" }
}
}
}Note the top-level key is servers (not mcpServers) and "type": "stdio" is required. orako init is project-scope only here: VS Code's user-level mcp.json lives in the profile folder with no stable path.
New to MCP in GitHub Copilot? See GitHub’s docs.
What GitHub Copilot can ask
Copilot's agent mode, with your team one tool call away.
Workspace conventions that aren't written down
Copilot needs to know whether this repo wraps errors or returns them raw. It asks the maintainer once; the answer is saved and every later session gets it from the knowledge base.
Cross-team dependencies
The change touches a shared component owned by another squad. Copilot asks that squad's owner for the constraint instead of relying on a stale comment.
Acceptance criteria gaps
The issue lists three criteria and the fourth case is unspecified. Copilot asks the issue author and implements the intended behavior.
GitHub Copilot + Orako, answered
Does GitHub Copilot support MCP natively?
Yes, in VS Code: workspace MCP servers are declared in .vscode/mcp.json under a top-level servers key, with "type": "stdio" required for local servers. Copilot's agent mode exposes those tools during a run.
Why is the Orako install project-scope only for Copilot?
VS Code keeps user-level MCP configuration inside the profile folder, reachable only through the "MCP: Open User Configuration" command, with no stable documented path. orako init refuses to guess at it, so it writes the workspace .vscode/mcp.json instead, which also means the config ships with the repo.
Do my teammates need this agent installed to answer?
No. Only the developer running the agent connects Orako. The people answering receive each question in Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, or the Orako dashboard, claim it there, and reply in the thread. They never touch an editor, a terminal, or an MCP config.
What happens to the answers?
Every resolved conversation is saved to your organization's knowledge base with a confidence score. Agents call search_knowledge before asking, so a question your team already answered is served from the knowledge base instead of pinging anyone again.
Put a human in the loop for GitHub Copilot
Give GitHub Copilot the one thing it can’t generate: the answer only your team knows.