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GitHub Copilot CLI

Why this agent

GitHub Copilot CLI brings the GitHub Copilot coding agent directly to the terminal. Per its upstream README:

MCP-powered extensibility: Take advantage of the fact that the coding agent ships with GitHub’s MCP server by default and supports custom MCP servers to extend capabilities.

So espctl can be added as a custom MCP server in Copilot CLI — but the exact config-file schema is documented at docs.github.com/copilot/concepts/agents/about-copilot-cli, not in the open-source repo.

Prerequisites

  • GitHub Copilot CLI installed (brew install copilot-cli, npm install -g @github/copilot, or curl -fsSL https://gh.io/copilot-install | bash).
  • Active GitHub Copilot subscription.
  • copilot --version succeeds.
  • espctl installed somewhere stable on disk.

Install snippet (or alternative)

This agent is currently a documented-stub in this MCP coverage — not because Copilot CLI lacks MCP support (it has it), but because the canonical config-file schema isn’t published in any public-repo .md file we can mechanically fetch. The user-facing docs at docs.github.com cover it but require runtime access we don’t currently script.

Recommended path — check Copilot CLI’s runtime MCP commands. Per the README: “Other subcommands … are in copilot --help.” Try:

copilot mcp list          # see registered MCP servers
copilot mcp add --help    # see add-server syntax

The expected shape is likely Claude Code’s mcpServers format (most modern MCP-supporting agents converge on it), but the exact config-file location and key names need verification from copilot mcp output or the GitHub docs.

Alternative — drive the browser-side HTTP MCP endpoint:

https://esphome.cloud/mcp/esp-idf

GitHub Copilot CLI can be pointed at this URL via HTTP-MCP transport (if its config supports HTTP MCP, which most Microsoft-aligned agents do for first-class GitHub MCP server compat).

First-run verification

Verify the alternative endpoint is reachable:

curl -fsSL https://esphome.cloud/mcp/esp-idf | head -1

Expected: 200 OK JSON response.

If you’ve figured out the config-file path via copilot mcp list, verify by asking inside Copilot CLI:

copilot
> What espctl tools can you call?

Expected: ~40 espctl tools listed.

Troubleshooting

  • mcp/esp-idf returns 404 / 5xx — check esphome.cloud status.
  • copilot mcp add reports unknown subcommand — your Copilot CLI version may predate MCP support. Update via the install method you used.
  • Want a verified static install snippet? Once you’ve found the canonical config-file path via copilot mcp list or the docs.github.com pages, file an issue against this project’s repository and an install:// arm can be added.

Tested as-of 2026-05-19

GitHub Copilot CLI-specific notes

  • The CLI uses ~/.copilot/lsp-config.json for LSP config; by convention the MCP-server config is likely ~/.copilot/mcp.json or similar (unverified).
  • GitHub Copilot CLI’s “MCP server” feature is partially server-side (GitHub’s own MCP server is built-in); custom MCP servers extend beyond what GitHub provides.
  • The CLI requires a GitHub Copilot subscription — different from the gh copilot suggest extension that’s been part of gh for years.