VS Code + GitHub Copilot Integration

Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot provides an excellent environment for interactive dataset exploration using Eclair. This integration brings AI-powered dataset discovery and analysis directly into your development workflow.

Prerequisites

Before setting up VS Code with Copilot and Eclair:

• ✅ Eclair server is installed and running
• ✅ Visual Studio Code is installed
• ✅ GitHub Copilot subscription (individual, business, or enterprise)
• ✅ MCP extension for VS Code

Installation & Setup

1. Install Required Extensions

Install these VS Code extensions if you don't already have them (but you probably do)

1. GitHub Copilot - The AI pair programmer
2. MCP Extension - For Model Context Protocol support

# Install via command line
code --install-extension GitHub.copilot
code --install-extension mcp.mcp-vscode

Or install through VS Code Extensions marketplace.

2. Configure MCP Server

Register Eclair as an MCP server in VS Code:

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
3. Type >mcp and select "MCP: Add Server"
4. Choose HTTP as the transport type
5. Enter URL: http://0.0.0.0:8080/mcp
6. Set ID: Eclair
7. Choose Global or Workspace scope

VS Code may open an mcp.json file to confirm the configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Eclair": {
      "httpUrl": "http://0.0.0.0:8080/mcp",
      "timeout": 5000
    }
  }
}

3. Start the MCP Server

1. Go to Extensions view (sidebar box icon)
2. Scroll down to MCP servers section
3. Find Eclair and click the gear icon
4. Select "Start Server"

4. Activate Agentic mode

1. Open Copilot Chat panel
2. Select "Agent" instead of "Ask"
3. Choose your preferred AI model
4. You should see mcp.json added to the context

VS Code + Copilot + Eclair is ready! You now have AI-powered dataset discovery and analysis directly in your IDE.

Usage Examples

Fashion Dataset Tutorial

Prompt:

Find a fashion-related dataset and visualize some data examples

Step 1: Search for Fashion Datasets

Copilot identifies that it can use Eclair tools and asks for permission:

Step 2: Dataset Discovery Results Copilot returns a comprehensive list of fashion-related datasets:

Step 3: Download and Analysis Request Ask Copilot to download and visualize the data:

Download the Fashion-MNIST dataset and create visualizations

Copilot uses Eclair's download-dataset tool and generates a Jupyter notebook:

Step 4: Generated Notebook Copilot creates a complete Jupyter notebook with proper code:

Step 5: Visualization Results When run, the notebook produces the requested visualizations:

Step 6: Summary and Next Steps Copilot concludes with a summary and suggestions:

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"MCP server not found"

• Verify Eclair server is running: curl http://localhost:8080/mcp
• Check MCP extension is installed and enabled
• Restart VS Code

"Permission denied for MCP operations"

• Grant permission when Copilot requests it
• Check that MCP server is properly registered
• Verify server URL in mcp.json

"No datasets found"

• Check internet connectivity
• Try broader search terms
• Verify Eclair server has access to upstream sources

Copilot not using Eclair tools

• Ensure mcp.json appears in chat context
• Try more explicit requests: "Use Eclair to find datasets about..."
• Restart the MCP server from Extensions panel

Debug Steps

1. Check MCP Configuration:

   # Verify config file
   cat .vscode/mcp.json
   # or check global config
   

2. Test Eclair Connection:

   curl http://0.0.0.0:8080/mcp/health
   

3. Restart Components:

4. Restart VS Code
5. Restart Eclair server
6. Disable/enable MCP extension

Configuration Verification

Check that everything is properly set up:

1. Extensions: Ensure GitHub Copilot and MCP extensions are active
2. MCP Server: Verify Eclair appears in Extensions > MCP servers
3. Connection: Confirm server status shows as "Running"
4. Chat Context: Check that mcp.json appears in Copilot chat context