VS Code MCP website builder set-up: a remote server, an OAuth sign-in, a page preview
Anticode has no VS Code extension, and doesn't need one. VS Code's agent connects to Anticode's remote MCP server like any client that supports OAuth: add the URL with the MCP: Add Server command, sign in on Anticode's page, and the agent can work with your projects. VS Code can also draw Anticode's page preview inside the chat, through the MCP Apps extension.
Add the server
VS Code's guide to MCP servers describes the steps:
- Open the Command Palette and run MCP: Add Server.
- Choose HTTP (HTTP or Server-Sent Events) and enter
https://anticode.dev/mcp. - Give it an ID that isn't already used, such as
anticode. - Pick where to save it. For a personal set-up, the guide suggests the global Copilot configuration; workspace
.vscode/mcp.jsonand user-profile files are also offered. - Review the trust and sign-in prompts, and approve the connection on Anticode's consent page when it opens.
If you edit configuration files by hand, note the guide's warning that VS Code's own files use a servers object while portable configuration uses mcpServers, the shape Cursor and Anticode's setup page show. Copying an entry between them means renaming that key.
How VS Code finds the sign-in
There's no client ID to paste and no secret to store, because the discovery happens over standard OAuth metadata. When VS Code first calls the server without credentials, Anticode answers 401 with a WWW-Authenticate header naming its protected-resource metadata and the scopes projects:read projects:write. From there a client can find Anticode's authorization server, register (Anticode accepts dynamic registration or a client metadata document, for public clients only) and run the authorization-code flow with PKCE. You see Anticode's consent page, which shows the client's name and where the code will go, and lets you narrow the grant to read-only.
Access tokens last an hour and refresh tokens rotate each time they're used, lapsing after 30 days of disuse. The token only works at /mcp, never on Anticode's other APIs, and Disconnect on anticode.dev/mcp ends it at once.
The page preview in the chat
VS Code lists MCP Apps support as experimental: servers can show interactive forms or visualisations in the chat. Anticode uses it for one thing, preview_project. The agent asks for a preview and VS Code draws the page as it would publish, with the project name, its design system and whether it's live in a small header above. The page sits in a sandboxed frame where nothing can run, submit or navigate, and the HTML never enters the model's context; the agent only gets a summary.
That's handy while you're working on related code. A developer adjusting the exported Next.js app in one pane can ask the agent to change the hosted landing page's headline and see the result next to the code before publishing it.
Check it's working
VS Code's guide recommends prompting the agent to use the server by name, then expanding the tool call to confirm which server answered. Try "Using anticode, list my projects" and look for list_projects in the expanded call. It's read-only and free, so it's a safe first test.
What the agent can and can't reach
| Job | Tools |
|---|---|
| Find and read projects | list_projects, get_project, get_project_file |
| Change a project | create_project, update_project_file, request_change |
| Build with the model | get_build_quote, then start_build with the quote id |
| Look before publishing | preview_project |
| Go live or offline | publish_project, unpublish_site, list_sites |
| See results | get_analytics, list_form_submissions |
File uploads, deletions and account settings are deliberately not exposed. Form submissions arrive labelled as untrusted content, since a visitor could have typed instructions into them.
Limits
- Experimental preview. MCP Apps support in VS Code may change between releases; without it,
preview_projectfalls back to a text summary. - Builds use your allowance, quoted first; a quote id lasts 15 minutes and is used once.
- CMS data sections aren't filled in the preview, though publishing through MCP renders them from your entries; check those sections in the builder.
- No stored sessions on Anticode's side. Each request is independent, so long agent tasks are a series of separate calls.
Troubleshooting
- The sign-in never appears
- Check the URL is exactly
https://anticode.dev/mcpand the server type is HTTP. - Tools return an insufficient-scope error
- You approved read-only. Disconnect on anticode.dev/mcp and connect again with write access.
- The preview shows as text
- Your VS Code build doesn't have MCP Apps support switched on; the summary still describes the page.
More on the server itself on the MCP server page, and on the protocol in what an MCP server is. For Cursor's set-up, see Cursor.
Questions people ask
Is there an Anticode extension for VS Code?
No. VS Code connects to the remote MCP server directly, which gives the agent the same tools other assistants get.
Do I need a token?
Not with OAuth. A personal token from anticode.dev/mcp is an alternative for set-ups where a browser sign-in isn't possible.
Can the agent publish without me knowing?
Publishing is a tool call you can see in the chat, and VS Code shows trust prompts for MCP servers. Connect read-only if the agent should only read.