IBM Code Engine MCP — VS Code Extension

v1.6.0 — Bundled MCP server matches code-engine-mcp-server@1.6.0 (functions, fleets, eu-es, describe_server). On startup the extension checks npmjs and can pull a newer server into local storage when one is published.

Deploy containerised apps to IBM Code Engine using natural language. This extension wires up the code-engine-mcp-server as an MCP server so any AI assistant running in your IDE (GitHub Copilot, Cline, Cursor, etc.) can build images, push them to IBM Container Registry, and deploy apps — all from a chat prompt.

What can it do?

Once configured, you can talk to your AI assistant and say things like:

"List all my Code Engine projects and show me all the running apps in each project."

"Build my app for linux/amd64, push it to my ICR namespace, and deploy it to my Code Engine project. If I don't have a pull secret, create one using my API key first."

"Deploy the developer-splash image to my Code Engine project. Check if I have a registry pull secret first, and create one if needed."

The assistant calls the MCP tools behind the scenes — no CLI commands to remember.

MCP Remote Config

The sidebar Remote Config tab (or IBM Code Engine MCP: Open MCP Remote Config) opens a native panel for configuring and testing an MCP server: run any tool with a schema-driven form, change logging and read the audit trace, manage users and MCP API keys, and watch live server events. It follows your VS Code theme.

• This computer: the panel uses the same connection as Setup → Server connection (its address field is read-only and follows that choice). With the default Shared HTTP server, the extension starts the bundled server on 127.0.0.1 (port codeEngineMcp.localHttpPort, default 8787) with the admin login admin / admin (change it with the setting codeEngineMcp.localAdminPassword; leave it empty to get a generated password, then use Copy admin password). The panel signs in for you.
• Remote server: the panel talks to the URL saved under Setup, using the saved credential. Any host works (Code Engine, Render, Fly.io, a VM).

The panel can only reach this machine and the saved remote server, and it never sees the stored credential.

Wrong server check. The extension confirms that an address is a code-engine MCP server (by /health, the MCP server name, or the describe_server tool). If it is a different MCP server, Test connection names it, the connection is not saved, chat does not use it, and the panel blocks its forms.

Code Engine Resource Tree

The IBM Code Engine sidebar now includes a native Code Engine Resource Tree:

• Browse your projects and expand each to see its applications, jobs, builds, secrets, and config maps.
• Apps show a status dot (🟢 ready / 🟡 pending); click an app to open its URL in the browser.
• Right-click (or use the inline icons) for quick actions:
  • App — Open in Browser, View Logs, View Events, Restart, Delete
  • Build — View Build, Delete
  • Job / Secret / Config Map — Delete
• Use the Refresh button in the tree title bar to reload; the tree also refreshes automatically when you change your API key.

You can reveal the tree from Setup & Diagnostics → Code Engine Resource Tree, or via IBM Code Engine MCP: Show Quick Menu → Open Code Engine Resource Tree.

Watch it live (v1.4.0)

Open IBM Code Engine MCP: Open MCP Activity Dashboard from the Command Palette to see tool calls as they happen — session timeline, deploy outcomes, live URLs, and a Deployments tab to manage apps already on Code Engine.

Prerequisites

• VS Code 1.101+ with an AI assistant that supports MCP (GitHub Copilot Chat, Cline, etc.)
• Node.js on your system PATH
• A valid IBM Cloud API key — get one at cloud.ibm.com/iam/apikeys

Getting started

1. Install the extension

2. Enter your API key

Open the IBM Code Engine MCP sidebar panel (cloud icon in the Activity Bar).

• Paste your IBM Cloud API key and click Save
• The key is stored in VS Code SecretStorage — never in plaintext in a file
• This key is for a server on this machine. The extension passes it to that process; it is not written into the IDE config when you use the default shared HTTP server.

How the local server runs (Setup → Server connection → This computer, setting codeEngineMcp.localTransport):

• Shared HTTP server (default): the extension starts one server on 127.0.0.1 and chat, the IDE MCP list, the web UI (/admin) and MCP Remote Config all use that one process, so the audit trace, logging, users, keys and settings line up. If another VS Code window already runs it, the extension reuses it, and if the window that owns it closes, another open window starts it again within 30 seconds. The server is not running while no VS Code window is open.
• stdio: each IDE window starts its own private process. The web UI then shows a different process than the one your IDE talks to.

3. Configure the MCP server

Click Configure MCP in the sidebar. This writes the code-engine entry for VS Code, Cursor, Bob, Windsurf, Cline, Antigravity, and Claude Desktop (other servers in those files are kept) and opens the VS Code MCP Servers panel. It writes the same connection the extension uses, replacing the entry in place. Change the transport or port and the extension offers to update the files again.

With the shared HTTP server (default) the VS Code entry points at the local server and carries the local login (admin plus the password from codeEngineMcp.localAdminPassword, default admin; it only works on 127.0.0.1):

{
  "servers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Basic ..." }
    }
  }
}

With stdio it starts the server the extension runs (the bundled one, a newer pulled npm build, or npx when Install method is npx). The VS Code entry looks like this:

{
  "servers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "code-engine-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "IBMCLOUD_API_KEY": "...",
        "IBMCLOUD_REGION": "us-south"
      }
    }
  }
}

Shared server: the MCP process holds the IBM Cloud key

Use this when other programs should call Code Engine without receiving the IBM Cloud key.

1. Run code-engine-mcp-server with MCP_MODE=http.
2. Put the IBM Cloud key on that server once: the admin page, or server_settings action secrets with ibmcloud_api_key. The value is saved for that process and is never returned.
3. Create callers on that same server:
   • a user, with server_users action create (username, password, and scopes read, write, and/or admin)
   • or an MCP API key, with server_api_keys action issue (the secret is shown once and starts with cemcp_)
4. Point each program at https://your-server/mcp and send one of these headers:
   • Authorization: Basic with that username and password
   • Authorization: Bearer with the issued MCP API key

The server calls IBM Cloud with the key from step 2. The user or the MCP API key only decides which tools that program may call. An IDE that should use the shared server does not get IBMCLOUD_API_KEY in its MCP config. Configure MCP in this extension writes the local process only.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "url": "https://your-server.example/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer cemcp_..." }
    }
  }
}

4. Run Diagnostics

Click Run Diagnostics to verify:

• ✅ Node.js is found on PATH
• ✅ API key is configured
• ✅ MCP server is registered in mcp.json
• ✅ Tool list is discovered from the running server

5. Optional: Provenance Receipt Visualizer

If you use the provenance addon (PROVENANCE_ENABLED=true), open Receipt Visualizer (Optional) from the sidebar Resources & Docs section (or Command Palette → Open Optional Receipt Visualizer).

The panel loads receipts from provenance-addon/receipts/live/ on open. Live refresh is optional (off by default) — toggle it in the panel header or set codeEngineMcp.provenanceLiveRefresh in settings. Use ↻ Reload for a manual refresh.

You need: clone code-engine-mcp-server (or open it in your workspace) and at least one signed receipt on disk.

Browser (no extension): from a provenance-addon clone, run npm run serve:visualizer then enable Live refresh at http://localhost:8766/visualizer.html.

6. MCP Activity Dashboard (v1.4.0)

Command Palette → IBM Code Engine MCP: Open MCP Activity Dashboard.

The panel shows:

• Activity tab — session selector, tool-call timeline, idle gaps, task-outcome banner (status, image, live URL)
• Deployments tab — Code Engine project/app inventory with get-details, redeploy, and delete actions

It is also in the sidebar as MCP Activity (collapsed by default), and the MCP Activity Dashboard button in Setup & Diagnostics opens it.

Logging is on by default (codeEngineMcp.activityEnabled). Every tool call is written to ~/.code-engine-mcp/activity/events.jsonl with secrets redacted, and the file rotates at 5 MB. Live refresh is on by default too (codeEngineMcp.activityLiveRefresh).

Servers started outside the extension (Cursor, Bob, Claude Desktop, and so on) log to the same file unless MCP_ACTIVITY_ENABLED=false or a different MCP_ACTIVITY_EVENTS_PATH is set.

Browser (standalone): the extension dashboard is the recommended path. If your workspace includes dashboard/ (full server source), run npm run dashboard → http://localhost:8767/

Quick start examples

The Quick Start tab in the sidebar has ready-to-use prompts. Here are a few highlights:

🔍 Discover your environment

"List all my Code Engine projects and then show me all the running apps in each project."

🚀 Developer Splash Page — one-shot deploy

Example: examples/developer-splash

"I have an app in the examples/developer-splash folder. Please build it for linux/amd64, push it to my ICR namespace, and deploy it to my Code Engine project. If I don't have a pull secret, create one using my API key first. Let me know when it's live!"

Or step by step:

1. "Can you validate the Dockerfile in examples/developer-splash to ensure it's compatible with Code Engine?"
2. "Please build the examples/developer-splash app and push it to my IBM Container Registry."
3. "Deploy the developer-splash image to my Code Engine project. Check if I have a registry pull secret first, and create one if needed."

⭐ Star Wars Splash Page — one-shot deploy

Example: examples/starwars-splash

"I have a Star Wars splash page in examples/starwars-splash. Please build it for linux/amd64, push it to my ICR namespace, and deploy it to my Code Engine project. If I don't have a pull secret, create one using my API key first. Let me know when it's live!"

Settings reference

Troubleshooting

"Cannot find module 'ajv'"
Run diagnostics — if Node.js v24+ is in use, the bundled server handles this. The extension and npm package share the same version (1.6.0). npx mode uses code-engine-mcp-server@latest.

MCP server not appearing in Copilot
Click Configure MCP in the sidebar. This writes code-engine into VS Code, Cursor, Bob, Windsurf, Cline, Antigravity, and Claude Desktop configs (other servers are kept) and reloads the VS Code server list.

Diagnostics shows tools but AI assistant can't use them
Reload VS Code window (Cmd+Shift+P → Reload Window) after configuring MCP for the first time.

Activity Dashboard shows no sessions / no live updates

1. Confirm codeEngineMcp.activityEnabled is on and the MCP server env does not set MCP_ACTIVITY_ENABLED=false or a different MCP_ACTIVITY_EVENTS_PATH.
2. Restart the MCP server (Cursor MCP panel → restart code-engine).
3. Click Show all activity if you previously clicked Clear view.
4. Open the public repo (or a local clone) so the extension can find dashboard/activity/live/events.jsonl if you use a custom events path.

Repository

Public repo: github.com/markusvankempen/code-engine-mcp-server

Key docs on GitHub:

• Setup Instructions
• Main README
• Provenance addon
• Examples

Development

cd vscode-extension
npm install
npm run compile
# Press F5 to open an Extension Development Host

npm run package        # produces code-engine-mcp-<version>.vsix (matches package.json)