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Connecting to Norce via VS Code

This guide covers connecting the Norce Backend MCP Servers to VS Code using GitHub Copilot agent mode. Once connected, you can query and update your Norce environment directly from the Copilot chat panel — useful for environment exploration, data model design, integration debugging, and pre-go-live validation without leaving your editor.

If you use a different MCP-capable extension (Continue, Cline, Roo Code), the connection principles are the same — refer to that extension's documentation for the config file location and format.

Prerequisites

  • VS Code with the GitHub Copilot extension installed and signed in
  • A Norce OAuth2 client with ClientId, ClientSecret, and AccountId — see Security and access for how to set this up
  • Your Norce application ID for the environment you are working with

No additional tooling is required. VS Code connects to the Norce MCP Servers directly over HTTP — no mcp-remote bridge needed.

Step 1 — Create the MCP config file

MCP servers in VS Code are configured in a file called mcp.json. You can place it at the workspace level (applies to one project) or at the user level (applies to all projects).

Workspace config (recommended for project-specific Norce environments):

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in the root of your workspace.

User config (applies across all workspaces):

Open the VS Code command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run MCP: Open User Configuration. This opens a user-level mcp.json that uses the same format as the workspace file below.

For most Norce integration work, the workspace config is the better choice — it keeps environment-specific credentials tied to the project.

Step 2 — Add the server configuration

Add the following to your .vscode/mcp.json. Replace the placeholder values with your own credentials, customer slug, and environment — YOUR-ENVIRONMENT is the environment part of the hostname, for example playground, the same as in that environment's other Norce API URLs.

{
  "servers": {
    "norce-config": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://YOUR-CUSTOMER-SLUG.api-se.YOUR-ENVIRONMENT.norce.tech/mcp/config/v1",
      "headers": {
        "ClientId": "your-client-id-here",
        "ClientSecret": "your-client-secret-here",
        "AccountId": "your-account-id-here"
      }
    },
    "norce-product": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://YOUR-CUSTOMER-SLUG.api-se.YOUR-ENVIRONMENT.norce.tech/mcp/product/v1",
      "headers": {
        "ClientId": "your-client-id-here",
        "ClientSecret": "your-client-secret-here",
        "AccountId": "your-account-id-here"
      }
    },
    "norce-pricing": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://YOUR-CUSTOMER-SLUG.api-se.YOUR-ENVIRONMENT.norce.tech/mcp/pricing/v1",
      "headers": {
        "ClientId": "your-client-id-here",
        "ClientSecret": "your-client-secret-here",
        "AccountId": "your-account-id-here"
      }
    },
    "norce-inventory": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://YOUR-CUSTOMER-SLUG.api-se.YOUR-ENVIRONMENT.norce.tech/mcp/inventory/v1",
      "headers": {
        "ClientId": "your-client-id-here",
        "ClientSecret": "your-client-secret-here",
        "AccountId": "your-account-id-here"
      }
    },
    "norce-supplier": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://YOUR-CUSTOMER-SLUG.api-se.YOUR-ENVIRONMENT.norce.tech/mcp/supplier/v1",
      "headers": {
        "ClientId": "your-client-id-here",
        "ClientSecret": "your-client-secret-here",
        "AccountId": "your-account-id-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add or remove servers based on what your project needs. The five available server paths are: config/v1, product/v1, pricing/v1, inventory/v1, supplier/v1.

Credentials in version control: .vscode/mcp.json should not be committed with credentials in it. Add .vscode/mcp.json to your .gitignore, or use VS Code's input variables (${input:clientId}) to prompt for credentials at runtime rather than storing them in the file.

Step 3 — Enable agent mode in Copilot

MCP tools are available in Copilot's agent mode. Open the Copilot chat panel (Ctrl+Alt+I / Cmd+Option+I), click the mode selector at the top of the panel, and switch from Ask to Agent.

In agent mode, Copilot can discover and call MCP tools automatically based on what you ask.

Step 4 — Verify the connection

Click the tools icon (or the @ mention area) in the Copilot chat panel to see which MCP tools are available. Your Norce tools should appear listed under their server names.

You can also ask Copilot directly:

"Which Norce MCP tools do you have access to?"

If the tools do not appear, check that the mcp.json file is valid JSON and that the server URLs and credentials are correct. See Troubleshooting and FAQ for common problems.

Step 5 — Add your instructions

Give Copilot context about your environment so it knows which storefront you are working with and how to coordinate across servers. The best place for this in VS Code is a .github/copilot-instructions.md file in your repository root — Copilot reads this automatically in agent mode.

Create .github/copilot-instructions.md with content like:

## Norce environment

You have access to the Norce Backend MCP Servers for [client name].

Application IDs:
- [Storefront name] (stage): [application ID]
- [Storefront name] (production): [application ID]

Use stage by default. Never write to production without explicit confirmation.

When a task spans multiple domains, coordinate the servers automatically.
For imports that involve products, prices, and supplier data, import product
content first, then run price and supplier imports in parallel.

You may also want to connect the Norce Assistant MCP alongside the Backend servers — it knows the full Norce API reference and is useful for understanding unfamiliar fields or constructing OData filters without leaving the editor. See Working across MCP servers for how to combine it with the Backend servers and what to add to your instructions.

Adjust for the servers you have connected and the environments available in this workspace. For a full instruction block covering all five servers, see Suggested LLM instructions.

You are ready

Try a first prompt in agent mode:

"Give me a full overview of this Norce environment — applications, active price lists, and warehouse codes."

Copilot will coordinate calls across the Config, Pricing, and Inventory servers and return a structured summary. From there you can explore the environment, validate configuration, debug integrations, or design data models — all within the editor.

For a full list of developer workflows, see Norce Backend MCP Servers for Developers and Solution Architects.

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