Endor Labs MCP server in Visual Studio Code

The Endor Labs MCP server integrates directly into Visual Studio Code to scan your code as you write, catching security issues before they reach production.

The following sections walk you through setting up the Endor Labs MCP server:

• Prerequisites for Endor Labs MCP server
• One-click installation
• Tools in the Endor Labs MCP server
• Choose your edition
• Developer Edition
• Enterprise Edition
• Manage MCP server tools
• Use the MCP server with GitHub Copilot
• Example Copilot rules
• Troubleshooting

Prerequisites for Endor Labs MCP server

Ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

• Visual Studio Code version 1.99 or later
• MCP support enabled: set chat.mcp.enabled to true in your Visual Studio Code settings
• Node.js version 18 or later (required if you don’t have endorctl installed)
• Windows users: See Prerequisites for Endor Labs MCP server on Windows for additional instructions

One-click installation

Select your edition, fill in any required fields, and click Install in VS Code to add the Endor Labs MCP server directly to Visual Studio Code.

Tools in the Endor Labs MCP server

Choose your edition

The Endor Labs MCP server has two editions:

• Developer Edition: A free edition that requires no configuration. A browser window opens on first use for authentication via GitHub, GitLab, or Google. The Developer Edition provides access to default security policies from Endor Labs.
• Enterprise Edition: A paid edition that enforces your organization’s specific security policies. Authenticate using GitHub, GitLab, Google, or SSO. You must specify your namespace to access your organization’s policies.

Additionally, if you already have Endor Labs configured locally (for example, from a previous endorctl init command), the MCP server can use your pre-existing configuration.

Developer Edition

You can use the one-click installation tool above or set up the MCP server manually.

Developer Edition: Manual installation

If you prefer to configure the MCP server manually, add the configuration to a .vscode/mcp.json file in the root of your repository.

1. Navigate to the root of your repository.

2. Create a .vscode directory if it doesn’t exist and create an mcp.json file in the .vscode directory.

   mkdir -p .vscode && touch .vscode/mcp.json
   

3. Add the following configuration to the .vscode/mcp.json file.

   {
     "servers": {
       "endor-cli-tools": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "-y",
           "endorctl",
           "ai-tools",
           "mcp-server"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

Developer Edition: Verify the installation

1. Open the Chat view by pressing Cmd+Option+I (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+I (Windows/Linux).

2. Switch to Agent mode.

3. Click the Settings icon and confirm that MCP Server: endor-cli-tools appears and is enabled.

Try a test prompt

After installing the MCP server, try the following prompt in your AI chat or CLI to verify that the tools are working.

Check if the npm package lodash version 4.17.20 has any vulnerabilities

The MCP server uses the check_dependency_for_vulnerabilities tool to check for known vulnerabilities and return the results. If you see a response with vulnerability details, the MCP server is working correctly.

Enterprise Edition

For Enterprise Edition, you need your organization’s Endor Labs namespace and an authentication method. Ensure that your developers have Read-Only permissions to Endor Labs. See Authorization policies for more details.

You can use the one-click installation tool above or set up the MCP server manually.

Enterprise Edition: Manual installation

Add the following configuration to a .vscode/mcp.json file in the root of your repository.

{
  "servers": {
    "endor-cli-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "endorctl",
        "ai-tools",
        "mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ENDOR_NAMESPACE": "<namespace>",
        "ENDOR_MCP_SERVER_AUTH_MODE": "<google|github|gitlab|sso>",
        "ENDOR_TOKEN": "automatic"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace <namespace> with your Endor Labs namespace and choose your authentication mode. If you choose sso, you must also add ENDOR_MCP_SERVER_AUTH_TENANT to the env section.

Enterprise Edition: Verify the installation

1. Open the Chat view by pressing Cmd+Option+I (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+I (Windows/Linux).

2. Switch to Agent mode.

3. Click the Settings icon and confirm that MCP Server: endor-cli-tools appears and is enabled.

Try a test prompt

After installing the MCP server, try the following prompt in your AI chat or CLI to verify that the tools are working.

Check if the npm package lodash version 4.17.20 has any vulnerabilities

The MCP server uses the check_dependency_for_vulnerabilities tool to check for known vulnerabilities and return the results. If you see a response with vulnerability details, the MCP server is working correctly.

Manage MCP server tools

1. Open the Chat view by pressing Cmd+Option+I.

2. Switch to the Agent mode.

3. Click the Settings icon.

4. Select the tools that you want to enable or disable under MCP Server: endor-cli-tools.

Use the MCP server with GitHub Copilot

To use the Endor Labs MCP server with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code:

1. Open the Chat view by pressing Cmd+Option+I.

2. Switch to the Agent mode.

3. Click the Settings icon.

4. Select MCP Server: endor-cli-tools from the dropdown menu.

5. Set up Copilot rules in .github/instructions/*.md to use the Endor Labs MCP server throughout the development process. See Example Copilot rules for more information.

You can now use Endor Labs tools in your chat prompts to scan for vulnerabilities.

Example Copilot rules

Copilot instructions define the guidelines that Copilot should follow throughout the development process. The following examples demonstrate how to use the Endor Labs MCP server within Copilot rules.

• SCA Rule Example
• Secrets Rule Example
• SAST Rule Example

---
description: "Ensure newly added dependencies are checked for vulnerabilities and project stays clean"
applyTo: '**/package.json, **/package-lock.json, **/yarn.lock, **/pnpm-lock.yaml, **/requirements.txt, **/Pipfile, **/Pipfile.lock, **/pyproject.toml, **/poetry.lock, **/go.mod, **/go.sum, **/Cargo.toml, **/Cargo.lock, **/pom.xml, **/build.gradle, **/build.gradle.kts, **/gradle.lockfile, **/composer.json, **/composer.lock'
alwaysApply: true
---

# Software Composition Analysis (SCA) Rule (Endor Labs via MCP)
This project uses Endor Labs for automated dependency (SCA) scanning, integrated through the MCP server as configured in `.vscode/mcp.json`.

## Workflow

Every time a manifest or lockfile listed above is created or modified in any way immediately do the following prior to performing your next task.

**Important**: Do not proceed after creating or modifying a manifest file without running this first. Do not write any other code or continue with your existing prompt. This is top priority whenever a manifest file is created or updated.

- Run `endor-cli-tools` using the `check_dependency_for_vulnerabilities` tool via the MCP server.
- Provide the **ecosystem**, **dependency name**, and **version** always when making this tool call. Do not forget to provide a version.
- If a vulnerability or error is identified:
  - Upgrade to the suggested safe version, or
  - Replace the dependency with a non-vulnerable alternative.
  - The AI agent must attempt to automatically correct all detected errors and vulnerabilities before session completion.
- Re-run the check using `endor-cli-tools` to confirm the issue is resolved.
- If an error occurs in any MCP server tool call (such as missing required parameters like version, invalid arguments, or tool invocation failures):
  - The AI agent must review the error, determine the cause, and automatically correct the tool call or input parameters.
  - Re-attempt the tool call with the corrected parameters.
  - Continue this process until the tool call succeeds or it is determined that remediation is not possible, in which case the issue and reason must be reported.

## Notes
- All scans must be performed using the MCP server integration (`endor-cli-tools`) as configured in `.vscode/mcp.json`. Do not invoke `endorctl` directly.
- For troubleshooting, ensure the MCP server is running and `endorctl` is installed and accessible in your environment.

This rule ensures that all dependency changes are evaluated for risk at the time of introduction, and that the project remains clean and secure after each coding session. The scan may be performed at the end of an agent session, provided all modifications are checked and remediated before session completion.

---
description: "Scan for leaked secrets on file modification"
applyTo: '**/*'
alwaysApply: true
---

# Leaked Secrets Detection Rule (Endor Labs via MCP)
This project uses @Endor Labs for automated security scanning, integrated through the MCP server as configured in `.vscode/mcp.json`.

## Workflow
Whenever a file is modified in the repository, and before the end of an agent session:
- Run `endor-cli-tools` using the `scan` tool via the MCP server to check for leaked secrets.
- Ensure the scan includes all file types and respects `.gitignore` unless otherwise configured.
- If any secrets or errors are detected:
  - Remove the exposed secret or correct the error immediately.
  - The AI agent must attempt to automatically correct all detected secrets and errors before session completion.
  - Re-run the scan to verify the secret or error has been properly removed or resolved.
- If an error occurs in any MCP server tool call (such as missing required parameters like version, invalid arguments, or tool invocation failures):
  - The AI agent must review the error, determine the cause, and automatically correct the tool call or input parameters.
  - Re-attempt the tool call with the corrected parameters.
  - Continue this process until the tool call succeeds or it is determined that remediation is not possible, in which case the issue and reason must be reported.
- Save scan results and remediation steps in a security log or as comments for audit purposes.

## Notes
- All scans must be performed using the MCP server integration (`endor-cli-tools`) as configured in `.vscode/mcp.json`. Do not invoke `endorctl` directly.
- For troubleshooting, ensure the MCP server is running and `endorctl` is installed and accessible in your environment.
- **Important**: This scan must use the path of the directory from which the changed files are in. Do not attempt to set the path directly to a file as it must be a directory. Use absolute paths like /Users/username/mcp-server-demo/backend rather than relative paths like 'backend'

This rule ensures no accidental credentials, tokens, API keys, or secrets are committed or remain in the project history. The scan may be performed at the end of an agent session, provided all modifications are checked and remediated before session completion.

---
description: "Run SAST scan using endor-cli-tools on source code changes"
applyTo: '**/*.c, **/*.cpp, **/*.cc, **/*.cs, **/*.go, **/*.java, **/*.js, **/*.jsx, **/*.ts, **/*.tsx, **/*.py, **/*.php, **/*.rb, **/*.rs, **/*.kt, **/*.kts, **/*.scala, **/*.swift, **/*.dart, **/*.html, **/*.yaml, **/*.yml, **/*.json, **/*.xml, **/*.sh, **/*.bash, **/*.clj, **/*.cljs, **/*.ex, **/*.exs, **/*.lua'
alwaysApply: true
---

# Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Rule (Endor Labs via MCP)

This project uses @Endor Labs for automated SAST, integrated through the MCP server as configured in `.vscode/mcp.json`.

## Workflow

Whenever a file is modified in the repository, and before the end of an agent session perform the following workflow:

- Run `endor-cli-tools` using the `scan` tool via the MCP server to perform SAST scans as described above.
- If any vulnerabilities or errors are found:
  - Present the issues to the user.
  - The AI agent must attempt to automatically correct all errors and vulnerabilities, including code errors, security issues, and best practice violations, before session completion.
  - Recommend and apply appropriate fixes (e.g., input sanitization, validation, escaping, secure APIs).
  - Continue scanning and correcting until all critical issues have been resolved or no further automated remediation is possible.
- If an error occurs in any MCP server tool call (such as missing required parameters like version, invalid arguments, or tool invocation failures):
  - The AI agent must review the error, determine the cause, and automatically correct the tool call or input parameters.
  - Re-attempt the tool call with the corrected parameters.
  - Continue this process until the tool call succeeds or it is determined that remediation is not possible, in which case the issue and reason must be reported.
- Save scan results and remediation steps in a security log or as comments for audit purposes.

## Notes
- All scans must be performed using the MCP server integration (`endor-cli-tools`) as configured in `.vscode/mcp.json`. Do not invoke `endorctl` directly.
- For troubleshooting, ensure the MCP server is running and `endorctl` is installed and accessible in your environment.
- Do not invoke Opengrep directly.
- **Important**: This scan must use the path of the directory from which the changed files are in. Do not attempt to set the path directly to a file as it must be a directory. Use absolute paths like /Users/username/mcp-server-demo/backend rather than relative paths like 'backend'

This rule ensures all code changes are automatically reviewed and remediated for common security vulnerabilities and errors using `endor-cli-tools` and the MCP server, with Opengrep as the underlying engine.

Watch how to use Endor Labs with Visual Studio Code

Troubleshooting

"command": "endorctl",
"args": ["ai-tools", "mcp-server"]

Prerequisites for Endor Labs MCP server on Windows

npx --version