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 tool: the question goes to the teammates who own the domain, and a reply comes back into the session.
Connect Orako to GitHub Copilot
- 01
Create .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace with the snippet below.
- 02
VS Code prompts you to authorize in the browser on first use, then Copilot's agent mode lists the
asktool. - 03
Copilot routes human-only decisions through Orako and picks the task back up on reply.
{
"servers": {
"orako": { "type": "http", "url": "https://app.orako.io/mcp" }
}
}Note the top-level key is servers (not mcpServers). VS Code's user-level mcp.json lives in the profile folder with no stable path, so the workspace file below is the reliable place to add Orako. Approve access in the browser the first time Copilot calls an Orako tool.
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 resolved conversation is searchable by later sessions.
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. Remote servers just need "type": "http" and a url, no local process. Copilot's agent mode exposes those tools during a run.
Why is the Orako config project-scope 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. The workspace .vscode/mcp.json is the reliable place to add Orako, 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, Discord, or the Orako dashboard and reply in the thread. They never touch an editor, a terminal, or an MCP config.
What happens to the answers?
Every resolved conversation becomes searchable team history with its authors, date, tags and full context. Agents call search_history before asking, so a question your team already answered can be reused 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.