VS Code + Serp MCP

Copilot is very smart, but its knowledge has a cutoff date. If you ask it "How is the node:http2 compatibility in Bun 1.2," it might confidently make up an answer.

Now there is a way: connect Copilot to a real-time search engine. You ask questions as usual, and when Copilot finds itself uncertain, it will proactively Google the query and then answer you based on the latest results.

This is the value of Serp MCP—not to replace Copilot, but to give it the missing ability to "go online."

  1. Open the VS Code Extensions Marketplace (Cmd+Shift+X)
  2. Search for Serp MCP, or directly search the extension ID: acedatacloud.mcp-serp
  3. Click Install, then reload the window as prompted after installation

Step 2: Obtain and Fill in the API Key

  1. Open Ace Data Cloud Console / Applications
  2. Copy your API Key (the same key works for all Ace Data Cloud MCPs)
  3. Press Cmd+Shift+P and execute: Serp MCP: Set Ace Data Cloud API Key
  4. Paste the API Key and press Enter to save (stored in VS Code SecretStorage / system keychain)

If you want to change the key, run Serp MCP: Clear Ace Data Cloud API Key and then set it again.

Step 3: Verify Connectivity

  1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode
  2. Directly make a request and specify serp, for example: Use serp to help me complete this task
  3. On the first call, it will automatically route to this extension and use your saved API Key

Advanced: Manual mcp.json (Optional)

If you prefer manual configuration, you can also create .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "serp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://serp.mcp.acedata.cloud/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:acedata-api-key}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "acedata-api-key",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Ace Data Cloud API Key",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Verify Connectivity

  1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode
  2. Directly make a request and specify serp, for example: Use serp to help me complete this task
  3. On the first call, it will automatically route to this extension and use your saved API Key

Advanced: Manual mcp.json (Optional)

If you prefer manual configuration, you can also create .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "serp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://serp.mcp.acedata.cloud/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:acedata-token}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "acedata-token",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Ace Data Cloud API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Verify Connectivity

  1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode
  2. Directly make a request and specify serp, for example: Use serp to help me complete this task
  3. On the first call, it will automatically route to this extension and use your saved API Key

Advanced: Manual mcp.json (Optional)

If you prefer manual configuration, you can also create .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "serp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://serp.mcp.acedata.cloud/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:acedata-token}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "acedata-token",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Ace Data Cloud API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

When to Use It

Tracking Framework Breaking Changes

Search for Next.js 15 fetch caching behavior changes and compare what’s different from 14

After getting search results, Copilot will automatically summarize the differences, much faster than you reading 5 GitHub Issues yourself.

Technical Selection Research

Search "Kafka vs RabbitMQ vs NATS" performance comparison and selection advice for 2024

After searching, Copilot will directly help you create a comparison table.

Troubleshooting Rare Errors

Search for solutions to Node.js http2 stream ECONNRESET after idle timeout

Real-time search can find recent Stack Overflow answers and GitHub Issues from the past few months, much more reliable than model hallucinations.

Complete Tool List

Tool Description
serp_google_search Google Search (web/images/news/videos, etc.)

Supports specifying country, language, and time range.

Other Editor Configurations

  • Cursor — Add the same configuration under mcpServers in .cursor/mcp.json
  • Claude Code — Terminal CLI configuration, see Claude Code + Google Search MCP Tutorial
  • Windsurf — .windsurf/mcp.json, format same as Cursor