HumanAgent MCP
Forces GitHub Copilot to chat with you before acting. Stops runaway agents, reduces wasted API calls, lets you manage multiple workspaces from one interface.
Installation
- Install from VS Code Marketplace - see
- Copilot automatically gets the
HumanAgent_Chat tool
- Done - no configuration needed
- Recommend selecting the "Create Override File" option from cog menu.
This creates a "HumanAgentOverride.json" in a .vscode directory and adds some important customisations you will want to play with. You can set some "reminder" text to be included with every ineraction - this alone is worth it.
How to Use
Basic Workflow
- Ask Copilot to do something - SPECIFY YOU WOULD LIKE A REPLY THROUGH HUMAN AGENT CHAT - Copilot will use the HumanAgent_Chat tool.
- Chat panel opens - Green dot = connected, shows Copilot's message
- You respond - Type your answer, click Send (or use Quick Replies)
- Copilot continues - Gets your response and proceeds with the task
VS Code Interface
Chat Panel (left sidebar):
- Green dot = connected to server
- Red dot = disconnected (auto-reconnects)
- Quick Replies = common responses like "Yes Please Proceed"
- Text input = always enabled, send button only active when Copilot is waiting
Status Indicators:
- Server Status
- 🟢 Green = Running and connected
- 🟠 Orange = Starting up
- 🔴 Red = Stopped or disconnected
- Proxy Status (appears when proxy server is running)
- 🟢 "Proxy (Enabled)" = Running AND enabled in VS Code
- 🟠 "Proxy (Disabled)" = Running but NOT enabled
- 🔴 "Proxy (Stopped)" = Not running
Cog Menu (⚙️):
- Show Status - check server state
- Start/Stop/Restart Server - manage server state
- Enable/Disable Proxy - toggle proxy mode (see Proxy Mode below)
- Install Proxy Certificate - install HTTPS cert (required for proxy)
- Uninstall Proxy Certificate - remove cert and disable proxy
- Create Override File - custom prompt override
- Name This Chat - set session name
- Open Web View - manage all workspaces in browser
- Help & Documentation - view this guide
- Report Issue / Request Feature - GitHub links
Web Interface
Open from cog menu → Open Web View
Access all workspace chats in one browser tab at http://localhost:3737/HumanAgent
- See all conversations
- Switch between workspaces
- Append reminders to your responses
Proxy Mode (Advanced)
Captures and displays HTTP/HTTPS traffic from VS Code for debugging extensions, marketplace requests, or other connections.
Setup:
- Cog menu → Install Proxy Certificate (follow system prompts)
- Cog menu → Enable Proxy
- View captured requests in "Proxy Logs" section of web interface
- Click any log entry to expand and see full request/response details
- Add proxy override riles in the "Proxy Rules Tab" or open a captured proxy request in "Proxy Logs" and Select create rule to open a dynamic rule builder
NOTE: Enabling Proxy does so for all VSCode workspaces.
Proxy Rules:
- Create rules to redirect, transform, or block requests
- Use JSONata expressions for advanced transformations
- Manage rules from Proxy Logs tab in web interface
- See Proxy-Rules.md for detailed documentation
Important:
- Certificate must be installed BEFORE enabling proxy
- Only captures traffic when enabled (orange/green status)
- To disable: Cog menu → Disable Proxy
- To uninstall cert: Cog menu → Uninstall Proxy Certificate
Troubleshooting
Red dot / disconnected:
- Cog menu → Start Server
- Check VS Code Output panel for errors
- Restart VS Code
Server won't start:
- Check port 3737 not in use:
lsof -i :3737
- Try manually restarting from cog menu
Copilot not using the tool:
- Tool registers automatically on startup
- Try: "Use HumanAgent_Chat to discuss this with me"
Proxy not working:
- Must install certificate first (cog menu → Install Proxy Certificate)
- Then enable proxy (cog menu → Enable Proxy)
- Check status shows "Proxy (Enabled)" with green dot
- Certificate must be trusted in system keychain (macOS: System Keychain)
Proxy shows "Disabled" (orange dot):
- Proxy server running but not enabled in VS Code settings
- Use cog menu → Enable Proxy (don't manually edit settings)
Development
Press F5 to debug - dev mode uses port 3738, production uses 3737. No conflicts.
Privacy & Telemetry
This extension collects anonymous usage data to help improve the product:
What we track:
- Extension activation/deactivation
- Feature usage (chat opened, messages sent/received)
- Error diagnostics (error types, not content)
- Session metrics (message counts, not content)
- Extension version, VS Code version, OS platform
- Days since installation
What we DON'T track:
- ❌ Your message content
- ❌ Your name, email, or any personal data
- ❌ Workspace paths or file names
- ❌ Any identifiable information
Your privacy:
- Respects VS Code's telemetry setting
- To disable: Settings → Telemetry → Level → Off
- Fully GDPR compliant
- Uses Google Analytics 4 for anonymous metrics
Why telemetry?
- Helps us understand which features are used
- Identifies bugs and errors to fix
- Measures engagement and retention
- Guides future development priorities
For questions: GitHub Issues
More Info
See README-Additional.md for technical details
Demo
Complete demonstration of the HumanAgent MCP extension in action - showing real-time human-AI collaboration
Medium Article
https://medium.com/@harperbenwilliam/stop-the-ai-chaos-why-human-in-the-loop-beats-fully-autonomous-coding-agents-eeb0ae17fde9
