Kobiton for Copilot in VS Code

Kobiton for Copilot in VS Code connects GitHub Copilot to the Kobiton mobile testing platform. Discover devices, work with apps, run automation test workflows, and review sessions using natural language prompts, without leaving Visual Studio Code.

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VS Code 1.129.1 introduced the Agent Plugins workflow. For the terminal-first path, see Kobiton for Copilot CLI.

Get started

Enable Copilot in Chat

  1. Update VS Code to the latest approved version.

  2. Sign in to VS Code with the GitHub account that has Copilot access.

  3. Open the Chat view. Use View > Chat, or press Command + Shift + P and run Chat: Focus on Chat View.

  4. Set the interaction mode to Agent.

  5. At the bottom of Chat, use the dropdown that shows the current AI agent. If it says Local, switch it to Copilot.

VS Code Chat agent dropdown with Copilot available for selection

For a walkthrough of setting up GitHub Copilot, see GitHub Copilot quickstart.

Enable agent plugins in VS Code

  1. Press Command + Shift + P to open the Command Palette.

  2. Run Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON).

  3. Add the Agent Host and agent-plugin settings to settings.json.

    If the file is empty, paste this complete example:

    {
  "chat.agentHost.enabled": true,
  "chat.plugins.enabled": true
}

    If the file already contains other settings, insert these entries inside the existing object and adjust commas so the JSON stays valid:

    "chat.agentHost.enabled": true,
"chat.plugins.enabled": true

  4. Save settings.json.

  5. Press Command + Shift + P and run Developer: Reload Window.

VS Code settings.json with chat.agentHost.enabled and chat.plugins.enabled set to true

An administrator can set chat.plugins.enabled centrally. If you cannot change it on your machine, ask your VS Code or GitHub Copilot administrator to allow agent plugins and MCP usage.

Install the Kobiton Automate plugin

For Standalone and Cloud with custom domain environments, follow the local plugin guide instead. The local plugin is required to configure a custom MCP server URL, and the following steps do not apply.

For standard Cloud environment, install directly from the public repository:

  1. Press Command + Shift + P.

  2. Run Chat: Install Plugin From Source.

  3. Paste the Kobiton Automate repository URL:

    https://github.com/kobiton/automate

  4. Review the source and accept the trust prompt.

  5. Reload VS Code when prompted, or run Developer: Reload Window if no prompt appears.

  6. Open the Extensions view and search for @agentPlugins. Confirm that automate is listed and turned on.

VS Code Extensions Agent Plugins view showing the automate plugin installed

For details on the VS Code plugin installation flow, see VS Code agent plugins.

Authentication

Kobiton MCP supports:

  • OAuth authentication (recommended)

  • API key authentication

OAuth is the default for interactive VS Code sessions.

OAuth authentication (recommended)

  1. Return to the VS Code Chat panel and confirm Agent and Copilot are selected.

  2. Send a read-only prompt that requires a Kobiton tool, for example:

    Use the Kobiton MCP tools to list my available Android devices.
This is a read-only request. Do not reserve, modify, reboot, or release any devices.

  3. Approve the Kobiton tool call when VS Code asks for permission.

  4. A browser window opens. Sign in with Kobiton credentials, Google, or GitHub.

  5. After the browser confirms sign-in, return to VS Code. VS Code opens a localhost callback (for example, 127.0.0.1) to return the OAuth result to the local client.

Browser page showing successful Kobiton sign-in returning control to VS Code

API key authentication

Use API key authentication for:

  • CI/CD pipelines

  • headless environments

  • systems without browser access

Generate an API key in Kobiton Portal > Settings > API Keys. Then set:

export KOBITON_AUTH="Basic $(echo -n '<username>:<api-key>' | base64)"

Replace <username> with your Kobiton username and <api-key> with the key you generated.

Update the MCP configuration file used by your VS Code host to include the Authorization header.

OAuth and API key authentication cannot be used together for the same server.

OAuth uses browser-based authentication and token management. API key authentication uses explicit authorization headers. Configure only one method at a time.

Verify the MCP server and tools

  1. Press Command + Shift + P and run MCP: List Servers.

  2. Confirm that kobiton appears and is running. Select the server to restart it or review output when troubleshooting.

  3. In Chat, open Configure Tools and search for kobiton. Confirm the Kobiton tools are turned on.

  4. Run the read-only device-list prompt again. A successful response includes device names, platforms, OS versions, and availability from your Kobiton organization.

  5. Type / in Chat and check for the optional /automate:setup and /automate:doctor commands. These commands are documented for Copilot CLI. If they are not exposed by the current VS Code host, the MCP tools can still be used directly.

For managing MCP servers in VS Code, see VS Code MCP servers.

Run a command

After authentication, enter commands in Chat using natural language.

Show available Android devices
Show results for session 12345
Upload app.apk and run tests/smoke_test.js

For a complete reference of available Kobiton tools, skills, and commands, see the Kobiton AI plugin and tools reference.

Troubleshooting

Kobiton does not appear under @agentPlugins

Confirm chat.plugins.enabled is true, save settings.json, run Developer: Reload Window, and install from https://github.com/kobiton/automate using Chat: Install Plugin From Source.

Kobiton is not in the MCP server list

Confirm the plugin is turned on, reload VS Code, run MCP: List Servers, and inspect the MCP output. Turning off the plugin also stops its MCP server.

Kobiton tools do not appear in Chat

Open Configure Tools, search for kobiton, and turn on the required tools. Start a new Copilot agent session after plugin updates.

OAuth browser does not open

Send a prompt that uses a Kobiton tool, confirm a default browser is configured, and verify that localhost callback ports are not blocked by security software or firewall policy.

OAuth succeeds but tool calls fail

Restart the kobiton server from MCP: List Servers, review Show Output, and retry a read-only tool call. Reauthenticate if the cached token cannot refresh.

Slash commands are missing

The MCP tools can still work directly. Use the Copilot CLI path when /automate:setup or /automate:doctor is required.

Custom Kobiton URL or Standalone deployment

See the local plugin guide. The default URL does not apply to these environments.

Settings are locked by the organization

Ask your administrator to allow GitHub Copilot MCP access and VS Code agent plugins. Enterprise policies can restrict both features.

Additional resources