Graph Indexer for VS Code Copilot

Graph Indexer for VS Code Copilot is a local MCP server that lets Copilot’s agent mode call exact reference, call-graph and change-impact tools on your workspace. Run npx graph-indexer init; it writes .vscode/mcp.json in VS Code’s own format, which uses servers and "type": "stdio".

How do I add Graph Indexer to VS Code Copilot?

From the repository root, with Node.js 22.5 or later:

npx graph-indexer init

init picks VS Code when the repository contains a .vscode directory. To target it explicitly, run npx graph-indexer init --agents vscode.

What does npx graph-indexer init write for VS Code?

For VS Code Copilot, init writes:

What does the VS Code MCP configuration look like?

VS Code differs from most agents in two ways: the top-level key is servers, and each server declares "type": "stdio". The entry init writes is:

{
  "servers": {
    "graph-indexer": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "graph-indexer@3", "serve", "--repo", "${workspaceFolder}"]
    }
  }
}

The ${workspaceFolder} variable makes the file portable across machines.

Does Graph Indexer add hooks for VS Code?

Graph Indexer’s hook command reads the Claude Code payload format, which the source documents as shared by VS Code, Codex, Copilot CLI and Devin. init --hooks only writes hooks to .claude/settings.json for Claude Code and Devin; it does not write a VS Code-specific hook file. For VS Code Copilot, rely on the MCP tools, which work without hooks.

What does VS Code Copilot gain from Graph Indexer?

In agent mode Copilot can call eight read-only tools. Typical replies are 400 to 1,500 tokens: the right function with line numbers instead of a 2,000-line file.

• find_references separates the real callers of UserService.find from every other method named find, and states whether the list is complete.
• change_impact lists dependents by distance and the tests to run.
• search_code finds where a behaviour lives from a natural-language query.
• read_code reads several symbols or line ranges in one call, with the definition of each name they use.

The index re-syncs with the files on disk before each answer, so edits Copilot made a moment ago are included. Reference accuracy is measured against compilers and type checkers; see the benchmarks and the tools reference.