Integrations · Visual Studio Code (GitHub Copilot)
VS Code MCP Enrichment — Connect RichAPI to Copilot
VS Code reads MCP servers from .vscode/mcp.json, under a servers key rather than Claude's mcpServers, and can prompt for the API key instead of storing it. That makes the RichAPI server the one enrichment integration you can commit to the repo and hand to the whole team without handing them a key.
In short: RichAPI operates a hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server at https://mcp.richapi.ai/mcp, authenticated with an x-api-key header. It works in Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot agent mode. VS Code reads MCP configuration from .vscode/mcp.json in a workspace (or from user settings), using a top-level servers object, which differs from the mcpServers object used by Claude Desktop and Cursor; VS Code also supports an inputs array that prompts for a secret at first use and stores it outside the config file. A remote HTTP MCP server can be declared directly with a url and headers, or reached through the mcp-remote npx shim. Tools mirror the RichAPI REST API at https://api.richapi.ai/api/v1 and include email_finder, email_verifier, phone_finder, enrich_company, enrich_profile, people_search and web_tech_stack. All tools are read-only lookups. MCP and REST share one key and one prepaid credit pool. On the waterfall endpoints (email_finder, email_verifier, phone_finder) a call that finds nothing costs zero credits; all other endpoints bill on any 2xx response including an empty result. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card.
Last updated November 4, 2026
Connect it
1. Create a RichAPI account at app.richapi.ai/signup and copy your API key.
100 free credits, no card.
2. Create .vscode/mcp.json in the repo.
VS Code uses a servers object, not Claude's mcpServers, and supports an inputs array so the key is prompted for and stored by VS Code rather than written into the file.
3. Reload the window.
Copilot Chat in agent mode lists the RichAPI tools; the first call asks you to approve the tool.
4. Commit .vscode/mcp.json.
Every teammate who opens the repo gets the server and is prompted for their own key on first use.
5. Reference a tool directly in chat when you want a specific one rather than whatever the model picks.
Visual Studio Code (GitHub Copilot)
What you can ask for
Use email_verifier on every address in db/seeds/contacts.sql and tell me how many are risky before we load this into staging.
Our onboarding form takes a work email. Call email_finder for these five test accounts so I have realistic signup fixtures instead of jane@example.com.Run enrich_company on the LinkedIn URLs in customers.csv and generate the migration that adds industry and headcount columns with real values.
web_tech_stack across the domains in our churn list. Group by CMS and show me whether the churned accounts cluster on anything.
Before I write the retry logic: call phone_finder twice against an input you expect to miss, and show me exactly what a miss looks like.
Why it Matters
Every other MCP client stores your key in a file on your machine. VS Code can prompt for it and keep it out of the config, so the config becomes a repo artifact like a launch task, reviewed in a pull request and shared with the team.
VS Code MCP enrichment: one config, committed, no key in the repo
RichAPI runs a hosted MCP server, and VS Code is the client where connecting it is a team decision rather than a personal one. The config lives in the repo. The key does not.
Install
Create an account at app.richapi.ai/signup and copy your key. Then create .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"inputs": [
{
"type": "promptString",
"id": "richapi-key",
"description": "RichAPI API key",
"password": true
}
],
"servers": {
"richapi": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.richapi.ai/mcp",
"headers": {
"x-api-key": "${input:richapi-key}"
}
}
}
}
Two differences from the Claude config that cost people twenty minutes if they copy the wrong one. VS Code uses servers, not mcpServers. And it can talk to a remote server directly, so there is no npx mcp-remote shim in the picture.
The inputs block is what keeps the key out of the file. VS Code prompts for the key the first time the server starts and stores it itself, so ${input:richapi-key} is what sits in the file. That file is then safe to commit, review in a pull request, and hand to everyone with clone access. Each person supplies their own key, and because usage attributes per key you can see who spent what.
The type field name has moved across VS Code releases (http, sse, and earlier variants). If the direct form refuses to start, the mcp-remote shim block from the Claude page works here too, under servers rather than mcpServers.
Reload the window, open Copilot Chat, switch to agent mode, and the RichAPI tools appear in the tool picker. The first call asks for approval.
What it is good for in an editor
The tools are the REST endpoints under their own names:
email_finderandemail_verifierphone_finderenrich_companyandenrich_profile, both taking a LinkedIn URL rather than a domainpeople_search, priced per resultweb_tech_stack
The use that earns its place in an editor is test data. Seed files and fixtures are where fake enrichment data does the most damage: jane@example.com verifies as nothing in particular, so your handling of a risky address never runs until a customer hits it.
Run
email_verifieroverdb/seeds/contacts.sqland replace the invented addresses with real ones, keeping the same row count.
Call
phone_findertwice with input you expect to miss, then write the retry branch against what actually came back.
The second prompt is the one that matters. A miss on a waterfall endpoints endpoint is a 2xx with success: false, not an error status. Code that branches on HTTP status alone treats it as a success and writes an empty phone number into your database. Seeing the real shape once in the editor is cheaper than finding it in a report.
Receipts and cost
On waterfall responses, execution_log shows who ran and what each returned. The response also carries a billed field.
We do not publish a source list, because it changes. The log is the per-call version of that answer, and it is machine-readable, so you can log it alongside your own request id.
Billing is prepaid credits from one pool shared between MCP and REST: each endpoint bills its published per-call rate, with people_search billed per result. Tiers are on /pricing, and the waterfall cost calculator will do the arithmetic for a list.
A miss costs zero on email_finder, email_verifier and phone_finder. Every other endpoint bills on a 2xx, empty results included.
One warning is specific to agent mode. Approve a tool for the session, then ask for something list-shaped, and the agent will loop through the list. Nothing here sends email or writes to a CRM, so the damage is credits rather than a mail-merge disaster, but approve per call until you have a feel for it, and put bulk work in n8n or code where the iteration count is visible.
VS Code FAQ
Does this need Copilot? You need an MCP-capable chat client in VS Code, and Copilot agent mode is the one most people have. The server itself does not care who calls it.
Can I configure it once for every workspace? Yes, through user settings rather than .vscode/mcp.json. The repo-level file is the version worth committing, because it travels with the project.
Is the key safe in a committed config? The key is never in the config. ${input:richapi-key} is, and VS Code prompts each person for their own.
Is this an official GitHub or Microsoft integration? No. Standard MCP server, standard client, no marketplace listing.
Same key as my backend? Yes, and the same credit pool. https://api.richapi.ai/api/v1/{endpoint} with an x-api-key header.
Start with VS Code
100 free credits, no card. Drop the config in, commit it, and let the next person on the team enrich a fixture without filing a ticket for a key. Other clients on the integrations hub: Claude and Windsurf.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
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